Lesson Plan from Migration

Migration: Policy

Learning Objectives

  • Students will analyze the importance of legal status in immigration policy including the key differences between migrant, refugee, and asylum.
  • Students will create an awareness campaign about an issue related to migration.
Length
One 45-minute period
Grade Level
High School

Materials

For Migrants, Labels Matter
History of U.S. Immigration Policy
Internally Displaced Persons: Migrants Who Do Not Cross a National Border
Guided Reading Handout
Presentation

Homework

  • Students should complete Part 1 and 2 of the guided reading handout in advance of class.

Class One

  1. (10 Minutes) Think-Pair-Share: Students should reflect upon main takeaways from the homework. 
    • Consider the importance of labels such as migrant, refugee, and asylum. 
    • Also consider the different viewpoints on those statuses. 
    • Lastly, reflect upon how U.S. immigration policies have changed over time.
  2. (20 Minutes) Students will complete Part 3 of guided reading handout which focuses on IDPs. 
    • Pairs: Students should answer the questions provided. (NOTE: The most important aspect is the interactive entitled “Migrants Who Don’t Cross an International Border.”)
    • Discuss: Discuss the unique situation faced by IDPs - What are some of the key challenges faced by IDPs?  What surprised you about countries listed as having high numbers of IDPs? Explain the difference between internally displaced persons (IDPs)and refugees. What hardships are particular to IDPs? Why is it more challenging for foreign governments and international nongovernmental organizations to support IDPs than to support refugees?
  3. (15 Minutes) Introduce Homework: Students will be broken into groups that will look at different readings related to immigration. They will take notes as part of homework and share that information at the start of class. These readings are meant to give a broader perspective of challenges with immigration which will set the stage for students to create an ad campaign which addresses IDPs in a specific country during the next class.

Homework

  1. Students will continue to look at IDPs by building from Internally Displaced Persons (read in class).
  2. Break the class into groups. Each group should focus on ONE country with a high number of IDPs.  Using the list below, pick and choose which sources to assign. 
  3. Each group will read, watch, and take notes.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Colombia 

Yemen

Afghanistan

South Sudan

Class Two

  1. (10 Minutes) Debrief HW: Discussion about immigration policies based on the homework reading.
  2. (35 Minutes) Activity: Awareness Campaign: Assign students, individually or in teams, to one of the countries with large IDP populations discussed in Internally Displaced Persons
    • As a group, brainstorm various methods of awareness campaigns such as: direct-mail flyers, social media posts, YouTube videos, tv ads, etc. Discuss common features. As a group, develop a list of what makes these awareness campaign methods successful, such as:
      •  Photographs
      •  a handful of telling statistics
      •  an individual story or testimony
      •  a clear ask—for example, to donate money, volunteer time, or contact a government official
      • brevity—no more than one side of a sheet of paper
    • Have students research IDPs in their assigned country using first the “Internally Displaced Persons: Migrants Who Do Not Cross a National Border” interactive feature.
    • Students should then present their awareness campaign work whether it be in-class, the school, or larger community. Examples could include:
      • Presentation during school assemblies
      • Flyers in hallways
      • Exhibition where other teachers, students, and community members are invited
      • Sharing with other local community groups
    • Other presentation options: poster, slideshow, website, etc.

Homework

  • Students will complete their awareness campaign. At a minimum, they should give a brief presentation during the next class summarizing the plight of IDPs in their assigned country. Students may also be asked to present to a larger audience outside of their classroom.

Vocabulary

asylum

a protective status granted by national governments to individuals, called refugees or asylum seekers, who have been internationally displaced, cannot return home, and seek resettlement abroad.

bilateral

an agreement undertaken between two entities, generally countries.

Dublin Regulation

a European Union law that establishes which EU member state is responsible for examining an asylum application submitted by someone who is not an EU citizen.

economic migrant

someone who leaves their home country primarily to seek economic opportunity abroad, whether legally or illegally.

host government

the government of a country to which a person has migrated, whether for economic reasons or to seek asylum. Alternatively known as host country.

international migrant

a person who has moved from one country to another, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. International migrant is an umbrella term encompassing economic migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, who move for different reasons.

norm

commonly accepted standard of behavior. Because international law is not always binding, international relations is highly influenced by norms.

refugee

defined by the UN Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, as someone who has fled conflict or persecution in their home country, has a reasonable fear that returning would be unsafe, and is protected by international law. In many countries, the term refugee also refers to someone who has sought and received asylum in a new country.

sovereignty

supreme or absolute authority over a territory.

undocumented immigrant

a person who migrates to another country without permission or authorization from that country’s government.