The Genographic Project, a partnership of the National Geographic Society and IBM, is a five-year study to understand the human journey—where we came from and how humankind came to populate the planet. Led by population geneticist Dr. Spencer Wells and a team of international scientists, this unprecedented effort will map humanity's genetic journey through the ages. The project relies on the identification of genetic markers—occasional mutations to DNA that are passed on through generations. Different populations carry distinct markers. Following them through the generations reveals a genetic tree on which today's many diverse branches may be followed ever backward to their common African root. Scientists are collecting this data from people across the globe, particularly indigenous populations, before modern globalization further erodes the cultural groupings that could provide the geographical and historical context for interpreting the diverse genetic patterns.

This is the first in a set of lessons exploring migration, genetic markers, markers in context, Genographic's legacy, and genographic data. In this lesson, students will first explore a modern migration of people with their surname. In a class discussion, students will then define migration, focusing on the different types of movements of people. They will examine causes (such as push/pull factors) and examples of migration, and consider the impact of historical events. Students will then explore prehistoric migration in the Genographic Project and evaluate the reasons that caused the first groups to migrate to the Americas. Finally, students will explore a more modern example of migration and compare and contrast characteristics of ancient and modern migratory patterns.

Geography, history, social studies, biology

Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 9: "The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human population on Earth's surface"
Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"

Three to five hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Outline maps
• Ancient Migrations handouts (PDF, Adobe Reader required) for pairs of students

Students will

• explore the recent history of the "migration" of people with their surname;
• define and discuss the concept of migration;
• examine causes and examples of migration;
• learn about the Genographic Project; and
• compare and contrast characteristics of modern and ancient migratory patterns.

Introduce the concept of migration by asking students what they know about their ancestry and how their ancestors came to this country. Students who wish to may share their information with the class.

Activity 1: Why We Move
Tell students that they will be exploring the recent migration or movement of people with their surname. Students should use this U.S. Surname Distribution tool to enter their surname and choose "All Years" to see a comparison of the distribution patterns of that name in the U.S. from 1850, 1880, 1920, and 1990. (Note that the database contains the 50,000 most common names in the U.S. for each of the given years, and some students' names may not be in the database. If this is the case, suggest they search using their mother's or grandmother's maiden name, another family member's surname, or even a friend's surname. Alternatively, teachers could choose some names ahead of time and assign students to research those names. Note that the blue and green shades are sometimes difficult to distinguish, so watch for slight changes of color in particular states.) While looking at the maps, students should take notes and summarize the distribution pattern. Then, they should do additional research to address the following:

• What are some explanations for the changes in distribution?
• What was happening historically at the time?

When students have answered these questions, break them into groups of four to compare their surname distribution patterns with each other. Have them share their answers to the questions and discuss similarities and differences in distributions of the various surnames in the group.

When groups have finished their comparisons, bring the class back together for discussion. Have students share what they think "migration" means. (Educators: the summary of National Geography Standard 9: "The Characteristics, Distribution, and Migration of Human Population on Earth's Surface" provides a good overview for you.) Write the answers on the board or on chart paper. Encourage students to think about the various scales (e.g., immigration and emigration on an international scale, in-migration and out-migration on an internal or national scale, etc.) and contexts (e.g., voluntary or involuntary) of migration. Make sure students consider the differences between more permanent changes of residence and such transitory movements as nomadism, migrant labor, commuting, and tourism, as well as cultural diffusion—the spread of ideas and culture from one population to another.

Have students brainstorm a list of reasons people might migrate. Introduce the concept of push and pull factors to students. Using the following examples, ask the class whether they think each one is a "push" or a "pull," and why:

• war
• climate change
• financial opportunity
• religious persecution
• following family and/or friends (chain migration)

Divide the class in half. Assign half of the class to identify and research (briefly) three populations that were "pushed" from a community or location while the other half identifies three populations that were "pulled" to a new location. Use the Xpeditions Atlas to generate map(s) that students can label with the group's origin and destination. Students should include the following information:

• The group's identity
• From where they were pushed or pulled
• Where they migrated
• When this happened
• Why they moved

Bring the class back together for discussion and have students share their findings.

Activity 2: Exploring Prehistoric Migration
Tell students that studying genealogy and the recent migration of people is one way of learning more about their heritage, but scientists are now working on a project to determine how each of us fits into the deep ancestral lineage of the human race. Introduce students to the Genographic Project and tell them that the goal of this project is to track human migration from tens of thousands of years ago, when the first humans left Africa, to the present day, in which human populations are spread out around the world. Explain that while this project will not provide information about individuals or families, it will provide details about how large branches of our human family tree extended across the globe over the course of thousands of years. (Educators: At this point, you may wish to define haplogroups; however, it is only important in this lesson that students understand that each haplogroup is a group of genetic lineages that share a set of common mutations. Each individual’s maternal (mitochondrial DNA) and paternal (Y-chromosome) ancestry can be placed into a specific haplogroup representative of mutational events that occurred at a specific place and time in history. See the Genetics Overview in the Genographic site and the lesson Genographic: Permanent Markers for more on how haplogroups are formed. Also note that the following two activities are further developed in Connecting the Dots: Genographic's Markers in Context.)

To familiarize students with the project, have students explore the Atlas of the Human Journey to search for causes and patterns of migration. Instruct them to explore the last 30,000 years depicted on the atlas and to describe the migration patterns they see. Point students to the Journey Highlight icons, Era Overviews, and the Genetic Marker descriptions (viewed by clicking on a particular migration line). Have them pay particular attention to the haplogroups that migrate into North America. For all of the eras, have students consider the following guiding questions:

• What types of movement occur during this time? Where are groups moving to and from where are they moving? How are they traveling there and how long does it take?
• What was happening at that time that may have influenced this migration? Is this a push or a pull factor?
• How did this movement impact the group(s)?

Provide students with this Ancient Migrations handout (PDF, Adobe Reader required) with more specific guiding questions for their research.

Tell students that they will be participating in a research study of the migration patterns of the earliest settlers into the Americas. Direct pairs of students to use the Atlas of the Human Journey and the following websites to answer these questions:

• What were the earliest haplogroups, or "lines" of descendants, in the Americas?
• Where did they originate?
• Describe the pattern of their migration into the Americas.
• What present-day peoples are descendants of these groups?
• What are some reasons for their migration? Are these push or pull factors?

Web sites:
MSN Encarta: Migration to the Americas
National Geographic News: Bison Kill Site Sheds Light on Ancient Culture
National Geographic News: Who Were the First Americans?
National Geographic: Atlas of the Human Journey
PBS: Scientific American Frontiers—Coming into America

When pairs of students have completed their work, bring the class back together for a discussion. Have students share their findings, taking notes when other groups offer information that they did not uncover in their own research.

Activity 3: Exploring Modern Migrations
Explain to students that migration has changed over time, and they will now be examining two examples of more modern migrations. Break students into groups of five to use the Web sites below to explore the migrations of the Roma people since the 1400s and African Americans after World War I. As students explore the Web sites they should draw the migration routes on maps and focus on the following questions:

• When did the migrations occur?
• Where did the groups originate and to where did they migrate?
• What were some reasons for the migration?

Roma Web sites:
The Roma Diaspora
Roma (Gypsy) Origins and History
Timeline of Roma History

Great Migration Web sites:
The Great Migration
Wikipedia: The Great Migration

Bring students back together for a discussion of their findings.

Ask students to reflect on the similarities and differences between the migration of the earliest haplogroups into the Americas and the Roma migration and Great Migration. Tell them to consider factors such as the causes for the migration, the way people moved, the time the migration took, and the effects that the migration had on those people. Also consider the way the groups interacted with and left their mark on the locations in which they migrated.

Have students use this interactive Venn diagram tool to compare and contrast ancient and modern migrations. They should begin by brainstorming ideas about ancient and modern migrations in general (e.g., what reasons would cause ancient versus modern people to migrate, how did people move in ancient times and in modern times, what evidence of ancient and modern migrations exist, etc.), and then use their research into the prehistoric American, Roma, and Great Migrations.

• Educators, learn more about your ancient ancestors by participating in the Genographic Project. Have students help you track your results over time.
  
  
• (Highly recommended) Have students see the film Journey of Man, highlighting Dr. Wells's earlier work on tracing the human family tree, which led to the Genographic Project. (Note: this film is included in the Genographic Project Participation Kit DVD). Students might also read all or excerpts of Spencer Wells’s book The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey.
  
  
• Have students explore not only the causes of migration, but also the effects, by visiting the Seeds of Change online exhibit at the Smithsonian to describe how migration has affected crops and food availability.
  
  
• Have students explore animal migration, drawing parallels between the reasons animals migrate and the reasons humans migrate. Are any of the push and pull factors the same? What are the main differences?
  
  
• Using the American Family Immigration History Center's Ellis Island Passenger Arrivals records, have students search to see if any of their ancestors are in the files. Alternatively, they could search for a friend's family, or simply choose a common last name to research when people with that name arrived in the United States, and when.
  
  
• Have students read the biography of Project Director Dr. Spencer Wells, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and Emerging Explorer Class of 2004. How did he become interested in doing the work that he does? How did the curiosity about multiple fields of study during his childhood lead him to combine those interests into one big quest to trace the human journey? What people in his life helped him learn along the way? Ask students to consider their own interests and questions about the world.
  
  
• Get involved. See "Migration: The Human Journey" at Geography Action!, National Geographic's annual conservation and awareness program.
  
  
• Visit EdNet, National Geographic's Teacher Community, to access peer-suggested resources and ideas related to human migration. Post your own ideas, resource suggestions, and class projects to share best practices with other educators.

Encarta: Animal Migration
National Geographic Magazine: Changing America
National Geographic News: Global Gene Project to Trace Humanity's Migrations
National Geographic: Emerging Explorers—Spencer Wells
National Geographic: Explorers-in-Residence
National Geographic: Geography Action!—Migration: The Human Journey
National Geographic: The Genographic Project
National Geographic: Xpeditions—Migration Station
Smithsonian Institution: Seeds of Change
Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History
U.S. Surname Distribution