The Great Migration

Exploring the Great Migration Unit for 3rd-5th Grade Teacher (PDF) This unit includes activities, primary source exploration, and videos related to the Great Migration. 

Explore The Great Migration: Journey to the North by looking at primary source pictures and letters, a section of a Green Book that focuses on Illinois, and children's picture books. 

Moving - (MSWord, PDF) Examines what it is like to move (2nd-4th grade, can be used at upper grades also)

Exploring Maps - (MSWord, PDF) Helps students consider where they are from and provides various maps to look at the Great Migration. (Upper elementary)

Words, Words, and More Words - (MSWord, PDF) Vocabulary words on the Great Migration

What to Pack? - (MS Word, PDF) Students can consider what they might take if they were moving (2nd-4th)

Have students look at the slide show of the objects in the Illinois State Museum's Collection on the Great Migration. Students can use the  What Can I Discover worksheet to help them think about each of the objects.  What does this tell them about the Great Migration? Why do students think there are not that many objects in this collection? Why do they think there are not a lot of objects in the collection from this time period? 

Langston Hughes' family moved during the Great Migration. Using Langston Hughes Poem Let America Be America Again,   (Weblink to Poets.org , PDF, Youtube) discuss what Mr. Hughes means by the title of the poem and how his life's experiences shaped his writings.  These questions may help you explore the poem more in-depth.  What other poems did Mr. Hughes write that relate to his experience as a Black man in America? 

Have students look at the slide show of the objects in the Illinois State Museum's Collection on the Great Migration. Students can use the  What Can I Discover worksheet to help them think about each of the objects.  What does this tell them about the Great Migration? Why are there not many objects in the collection? Have students read about museum collecting (PDF) and learn how only certain objects were collected by museums.  While this article focuses on historic clothing, what can it tell us about other objects in museum collections? What stories are being missed? How does this not give us a complete picture of history? 

Exploring Maps of the Great Migration - (MSWord, PDF)  - Using different Great Migration maps students can explore where and how many people were moving. 

Elementary Standards Connections

Middle & Jr. High School Standards Connections 

High School Standard Connections