Oklahoma Academic Standard 3. The student will identify the characteristics, distribution, and demographic patterns of human populations and systems of the Western Hemisphere.

Objective 6.3.4  Describe how the push and pull factors of migration have affected settlement patterns and the human characteristics of places over time.

In a Nutshell

As the world's population continues to grow, the scarcity of natural resources, political instability, natural disasters, and economic conditions produce challenges that prompt migration. Students need a rudimentary understanding of population settlement patterns and the factors influencing migration in order to address population issues of the future.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

•  Assist students in distinguishing between long-term causes and triggering events to describe how push and pull factors of migration affect settlement patterns in the Western Hemisphere.

• Provide opportunities for students to compose narratives incorporating perspectives from multiple points of view incorporating the concept of push and pull factors of migration as it applies to human settlement patterns in the Western Hemisphere.

• Answer geographic questions and conduct investigations by acquiring, organizing, and interpreting information about the modern world and historical events. 

• Explain how environmental factors affect historical events, such as migration, and continue to impact contemporary human activities. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• push factors of migration, including conflict, economic instability, religious persecution, political oppression

• pull factors of migration, including economic opportunity, familial connections, religious or political freedom

• migration, immigrant, emigrate, urbanization, seasonal migration, refugee

• internal versus external migration 

• Most students will possess limited understanding of the factors influencing migration and may be challenged with identifying such factors due to the interrelated nature of such factors in the real world. 

Instructional Resources