Biogeochemical Cycles: Water and Carbon
Investigates the movement of water and carbon through the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms.
Key Questions
- Explain the key processes involved in the global water cycle.
- Analyze the major reservoirs and fluxes of carbon in the carbon cycle.
- Predict the impact of human activities on the balance of the carbon cycle.
Common Core State Standards
About This Topic
The Great Migration covers the massive movement of millions of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North and West between 1916 and 1970. This topic examines the 'push' factors of Jim Crow violence and economic hardship, and the 'pull' factors of factory jobs and the promise of greater freedom. Students analyze how this migration fundamentally changed the political, cultural, and social landscape of American cities.
For 11th graders, this topic is essential for understanding the nationalization of the 'race problem' and the origins of modern urban Black communities. It highlights the agency of Black families in seeking a better life. Students grasp these demographic shifts faster through collaborative mapping projects and role-playing the difficult decisions faced by migrant families.
Active Learning Ideas
Inquiry Circle: Push and Pull Factors
Small groups analyze primary sources like letters from migrants and Southern newspaper ads. They must create a 'T-chart' of the specific reasons people left the South and what they hoped to find in the North.
Role Play: The Migrant's Journey
Students assume the roles of a family deciding whether to leave their home in the South. They must weigh the risks of the journey and the uncertainty of the North against the daily reality of Jim Crow, followed by a discussion on their choice.
Gallery Walk: The 'New' North
Display photos and accounts of life in Northern cities like Chicago and Detroit. Students move in pairs to identify the new challenges migrants faced, such as housing discrimination and the 1919 race riots.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionThe North was a 'promised land' free of racism.
What to Teach Instead
While there were no Jim Crow laws, migrants faced intense 'de facto' segregation, job discrimination, and violent backlash from white residents. Peer-led analysis of 'restrictive covenants' in Northern housing helps students see the reality of Northern racism.
Common MisconceptionThe Great Migration happened all at once during WWI.
What to Teach Instead
It was a decades-long process that occurred in two major waves, with the second wave during and after WWII being even larger. A 'migration wave' graph activity helps students see the long-term nature of the movement.
Suggested Methodologies
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Frequently Asked Questions
What were the main 'push' factors of the Great Migration?
How did the Great Migration change Northern cities?
What was the 'Red Summer' of 1919?
How can active learning help students understand the Great Migration?
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