2024 Social Science Standards Alignment

This section is aligned with the following standards:

HS.G.MM.2 - Analyze recent voluntary and forced migration patterns to identify and understand the push and pull factors and their effect on people and places.
K.G.MM.4 - Identify the migration stories of people to and within the local community/neighborhood.
1.G.MM.4 - Explain why and how people move to and within communities.
2.G.MM.4 - Investigate the causes of regional and global migration.
3.G.MM.4 - Investigate the causes behind global migration, distinguishing between voluntary relocation and forced displacement.
5.G.MM.4 - Identify and analyze the implications and ramifications for Native American Tribes of the movement of people, goods, ideas, and cultural patterns to what became the United States, considering past, present, and future trends.
8.G.MM.4 - Investigate the effects of migration on immigrants and the culture where they settle.
HS.G.MM.4 - Investigate and analyze the migration and settlement patterns of human populations, including the removal and segregation of communities in past and in current societies globally.
3.H.CE.4 - Describe how the inclusion or exclusion of individuals, social and ethnic groups, has shaped events and development of the local community and region.
2.H.CE.4 - Conduct interview with family members, neighbors, friends, or school staff to discover and document where their families came from, inclusive of adoptive, blended, foster, or other forms of family, and how and why they moved to where they now live, and when and why their families came to Oregon
6/7.H.CE.7 - Identify and describe examples of how conquest and colonialism affected historically underrepresented identities, cultures, and communities.

Let's continue examining migration and movement as central themes in human geography and history by looking at a few examples of forced migration, voluntary migration and the societal impacts of diaspora on underrepresented communities. The movement of people can have societal impacts on the culture, belief systems and values within a region. For example, as many white Oregon settlers came from Missouri to begin new chapters, they also brought ideas of enslavement and white supremacy along with enslaved people. Another example is the way Indigenous Tribes of Oregon have used oral storytelling to pass down a deep appreciation for, and understanding of, their relationship with the earth across generations who resided, and were forced to migrate, in and around Oregon.

This section introduces diverse narratives that support educators to develop a more complex understanding of Oregon's past and assess how discrimination, racism and inequality have shaped Oregon's historical narrative.

Step 1: Read

Review the following presentation to dive deeper into migration, including forced migration, voluntary migration, push and pull factors and specific examples of larger communities migrating, such as the Oregon Trail of Tears.

PPT - Presentation: Understanding Migration

Extension Activity

To learn more about the Oregon-specific examples found in the presentation, consider exploring the following resources from the Oregon History Project.

Webpage - Auburn Mining Town in Oregon, 1861
Webpage - Japanese Evacuees at the Portland Assembly Center, 1942
Webpage - Oregon Land Donation Claim Notification, 1866
Webpage - The Vanport Flood, 1948

Step 2: Watch

Next, take a moment to explore grade-level resources that dive deeper into push and pull factors. Please select the resource from the grade level that most interests you.

Grades K–5

This read-aloud of A River's Gift describes Indigenous life on the Elwha River in Washington and the impact of settlers and discrimination pushing communities out of ancestral lands. As you listen, consider the following questions:

What push and pull factors can be seen?
Who had power and who did not have power in the decision to build the dams?
How did the Strong People make their world different in the end?

A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

(8:51 min, CC) - Transcript

Grades 6–12

Watch this short clip from Oregon Public Broadcasting, an excerpt of the Broken Treaties documentary, which shares stories of Native American communities before and after land was stolen by settlers. As you watch, ask yourself the following questions:

What push and pull factors can be seen?
Who did and did not have power in the decisions to sign the treaties?
How were the Native American communities impacted, and what did they do?

Broken Treaties | Oregon Experience | OPB

(9:29 min, CC) - Transcript

Watch the full Broken Treaties video (59 minutes) on YouTube.

Additional pedagogical considerations:

What prior knowledge or experience do students have with migration? How do you know?
How might students connect historical examples like the Trail of Tears to current issues?

Step 3: Explore (Optional)

For more resources to use in your classroom, explore these lesson plans from Oregon's Tribal History/Shared History and consider how you might use these instructional materials in your own context.