1. Middle Eastern migrants
Year 9 humanities

2. Lesson Outline 1. Learning intentions and success criteria
2. Recap of past week
3. Context of Middle Eastern migrant crisis
4. Current state of the Middle East
5. Activity and discussion
6. Reflection

3. Learning Intentions
To gain an insight into the context of the Middle East in the modern world and how this has led to the ‘migrant crisis’.
Learn about Australia’s role in resolving the migrant crisis.

4. Success Criteria
Students will be able to explain the events which have shaped the Middle East, particularly in the 20th century and how these events have contributed to instability and the migrant crisis.
Students will describe how current events in the Middle East have caused a migrant crisis and understand what is being done to resolve it.
Link the experiences of those migrating from the Middle East with those investigated in previous classes. How are they similar or different?

5. Recap British migrants Links of empire – mother country and dominions
Seeking new life/fresh start in ‘the colonies’
Largely economic motivations

6. Post-WW2 European migrants
Escaping violence/destruction of the War
Seeking new opportunities and jobs outside of Europe
Many seeking to simply get away from Europe for a fresh start
Mix of economic and personal motivations

7. Vietnamese refugees
During and after the Vietnam War
Australia an important destination due to proximity
Escaping ongoing violence and persecution
Key motivations relating to religious and political persecution

8. What do you know about this topic?

9. Context

10. Important to look back at the past to understand the current situation in the Middle East
Sykes-Picot treaty (written 1916, came into effect 1918) divided much of the Middle East between Britain and France
Little attention was paid to religious, cultural or ethnic differences between the borders
Somewhat arbitrary lines dividing states

11. Arab Spring
Series of protests and demonstrations which led to massive movements for political change in the Middle East
Some countries experienced success, with Egypt and Libya deposing Morsi and Gaddafi respectively
Other countries such as Syria were unable to remove their leaders
‘Spring’ has become ‘Winter’ with many of the positive and optimistic movements being left unsatisfied with changes
Result was rise of religious and ethnic violence, such as from ISIS

12. Now…
These images are from Europe, but they remain relevant in understanding the scope of the migrant crisis.

13. Statistics Nearly 6 million Syrian refugees and displaced persons
Approximately 3 million Iraqi displaced persons
500,000 dead in Syria
Approximately 200,000 dead in Iraq
"Syria Regional Refugee Response – Overview". UNHCR Syria Regional Refugee Response. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
"DTM-IOM-Iraq Mission". iraqdtm.iom.int. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
"Syria death toll: UN envoy estimates 400,000 killed". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
"Documented civilian deaths from violence". Iraq Body Count database. Iraq Body Count. Retrieved 9 January 2015.

14. What is Australia doing?
As of mid 2017, Australia had taken 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees
Did you expect this number? More or less?
Why do you think Australia is taking only 12,000?

15. Activity
Individually, analyze the image and answer the questions on the worksheet
You will have 15 minutes to answer the questions
Work quietly, you will have time to discuss your answers with the others on your table
After some group discussion, share some of your ideas and opinions with the class
Image retrieved

16. Reflections
The Middle Eastern Migrant crisis is ongoing and appears to have no resolution in sight
There are no easy answers
The crisis is rooted in past events
Australia has done relatively little to take in refugees or provide aid – political reasons
Wide range of views on what can or should be done

17. Reflection activity
Think back over the past few weeks and all of the groups that you have studied
Think about the motivations for each group to emigrate from their countries and to come to Australia
Write a few sentences about how each group has contributed to Australian society e.g culture, food, music etc.
Think about your own background and how your family came to be in Australia – This will be important tomorrow!