Migration
Background Information & Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

When an animal migrates, it moves to a different place. This movie will explore different migrating animals and investigate some of the reasons why they move and how they know when to migrate. As you watch the movie, we encourage you to pause and have children make predictions, summarize, and add their own ideas to the movie. We recommend watching the Seasons movie together as a review.

Remind children that animals migrate for many different reasons. Some animals migrate to find better sources of food, water, or shelter. Other animals migrate to visit particular breeding grounds, rear their young, or to find warmer climates. The frequency of animals’ migrations also differs: Some animals migrate seasonally, others migrate once in a lifetime or only to breed, and others are nomadic and migrate wherever the best resources and environments are at that time.

Not all migrations are the same. Grey Whales migrate between the warm waters of Mexico to the cold Arctic seas, while brown bats migrate only a very short distance. Certain animals take breaks along the way, while others travel nonstop. Hummingbirds bulk up before their big trek, or they may stop and eat along the way. Animals also differ greatly in the ways that they are able to navigate. Some animals, like homing pigeons, use their sense of smell, while others follow trails, use the Sun and stars, or follow coastlines. Yet others, like the arctic tern, feel the Earth’s magnetic pull. Many animals know where to go instinctually, while others (like Canada geese) have to be taught by their parents. There are many reasons why animals may determine it’s time to migrate; they may be prompted by a change in temperature, in the length of daylight, or even in hormones that cause them to eat more and save fat for the journey.

It’s important for your children to realize that animals migrate for a reason. Kids can learn how to identify these reasons by comparing and contrasting the migrations of different animals. When your children grasp the various motives for animal migrations, they will gain a greater understanding about the natural world.

Mapping Animals

Studying migration offers a wonderful cross-curricular opportunity to teach map skills with students. The whole class can adopt an animal to map, or individual students can select animal migration routes to map out. Plot different points on the map to show where the animal would be on certain dates, and whether it might be pausing to rest or eat. If the maps are being made to scale, figure out how much distance is covered per day. Can the students come up with any big ideas about the animal’s speed? Can they tell if the animal is stopping to rest, or migrating without interruption? Can they compare the speed to other animals?

To extend this activity, have the class research different distances that animals migrate and put its findings on a chart or graph. Which animal travels the farthest? Which travels the shortest distance—and what would an animal achieve by such a short migration? Which animals travel about the same distance, but in different ways?

Act It Out

Have groups create short plays about migrating animals. You can use the printable puppets in this unit’s activity page, or have students make their own costumes. Groups should brainstorm ideas for their play together and write a script or draw pictures or cue-cards to prompt the narrator. Have the group decide who will act and who will be the narrator. Encourage the playwrights to include a beginning, middle, and end—and to show any obstacles or dangers the animals would face along the way. Have the groups brainstorm actions that will “show” what the narrator is “telling”. For example, how would they show a hummingbird fattening up before leaving on its journey? Students may need to research the animal’s behavior to accurately act out their plays. Allow groups to have rehearsals to practice their movements before performing in front of the class.

As an additional twist on the activity, students can act out their plays and have other students guess the migrating animal. What clues did they use to identify the animal? Lead a short discussion after every performance.

Write It Down

As an alternative individual project, have students compose a brief short story of an animal’s view of their life before, during, and after migration. How would the animal prepare for migration? Would they be traveling alone or with family? What might create difficulties for the animal during migration? How will the animal’s life be benefited by its arrival at their new home, and what might they think upon arrival? Stories can be read and discussed during class.

See more lesson plans and resources: BrainPOP Educators.

Migration Teacher Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Migration Celebrations

Party! As a cross-curricular and cross-cultural activity, have students research and prepare traditional celebrations that highlight a particular animal migration. Are there any local animals that might be migrating to or from your area? Create a seasonal celebration around the arrival or departure of the migrating animal. The arrival of the monarch butterflies is an important part of Mexico’s annual “Day of the Dead” celebrations. Some Native Americans followed migrating American buffalo and held ceremonies to honor the creature’s sacrifice. Have students research celebrations that honor migration and present their findings with the class. Then discuss the relationship between humans and migrating animals. How was the relationship in the past vs. in the present?

Moving

Chances are that every student in the classroom knows someone, family or friends, who have moved. Have students brainstorm all of the people they have known who have moved, and discover their reasons for moving. As a group, chart as many different reasons people move as the class can come up with. Then have them brainstorm as many different types of migrating animals as they can. This can lead to a discussion with the whole class about what motivates the animals for migrating. Do people migrate for the same reasons as animals? Are there any other connections? Can the class come up with some big ideas about the similarities and differences between human and animal needs?

Paths of Migration

Research to see if your school is in the migration path of any animals. What animals migrate through your area? Do any of these animals stop to feed or rest in your area? Make a migration calendar to show when animals will be migrating through your state or country. Then discuss some of the issues that migrating animals face in the modern world and have students propose solutions to these problems.

Migration Family Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Animal Book

Over the course of one weekend, jot down all of the animals you and your child see together (on TV, in magazines, outside, etc.) Record each animal’s name on its own page in a notebook. Later, you and your children can investigate these animals’ migratory behavior at the library or on the internet. Your children can draw or write about how, why, and where these animals migrate in the natural world, and when they live in your area. When you have researched all of the animals, have your children decorate the cover of the notebook and come up with a title.

Tracking Animals

Armed with a pair of binoculars, take a trip to a local park or forest during peak migration times. You can use the Internet to research which animals are migrating through your area. Whale-watching tours, sea turtle hatcheries, and nature hikes all offer chances to see animals migrating. If this isn’t an option for your family, pick an animal to monitor online. There are many great websites that allow viewers to track an animal’s migration day by day, and to see maps, graphs, and pictures of the migration in progress.

Family Migration

Make a family tree of relatives who have migrated to different places. Discuss how they traveled to the new place. What did they do to prepare? What did they do once when they got there? How long did their migration take? Did they go alone or as part of a group. Why did they migrate, and how was their new climate similar or different to the old one? Have your children compare what they learned about human migration with animal migration.