Two Billion Miles [interactive]

The Refugee Project Every day, all over the world, ordinary people must flee their homes for fear of death or persecution. Many leave without notice, taking only what they can carry. Many will never return. They cross oceans and minefields, they risk their lives and their futures. The Refugee Project looks beyond the crises that are currently making headlines and allows viewers to explore all refugee migrations around the world since 1975. About the Data Under international law, the United Nations is responsible for protecting asylum seekers around the world. The Refugee Project does not consider the large number of economic migrants and other undocumented populations, nor does it show the millions of internally displaced persons in troubled countries around the world. Recognition The Refugee Project was selected for MoMA’s Design and Violence exhibition, where it was written about by the UNHCR’s High Comissioner, António Guterres. Compare refugee population visually by country

The Refugee Project Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today and Ellis Island World War II and the Postwar Period The United States entered World War II in 1942. During the war, immigration decreased. There was fighting in Europe, transportation was interrupted, and the American consulates weren't open. Also because of the war, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943. I believe that the admission of these persons will add to the strength and energy of the Nation." Learn More WEI OR DIE Push and Pull factors of Immigration for Kids *** Ten things you didn’t know about refugees With 45.2 million displaced by violence, persecution or rights abuses, the number of refugees is higher than at any time since 1994, says UNHCR Today is World Refugee Day - and the latest statistics from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) show world refugee numbers are higher than at any time since 1994. As U.N. refugee chief Antonio Gutteres put it at a recent news conference: “Each time you blink, another person is forced to flee.” UNHCR’s annual report shows that some 45.2 million people were uprooted by violence, persecution or rights abuses as of the end of last year, but the numbers also challenge some common misconceptions about refugees and displacement. Here are 10 things you may not have known. 1. Until you do, you’re just a person who’s been uprooted within your own country - or an internally displaced person (IDP), to use the aid world jargon. The difference matters because it’s only by crossing a border that you gain the protection of international laws and conventions. 2. 3. 4.

Fakebook Lesson Plan - Creating Facebook Profiles for Historical Figures I love to engage my middle school students by incorporating one of their favorite things: social media. And one of their all-time favorites is the Fakebook project. Here’s how it works: Students use their notes to create a Facebook-style social media profile for a historical figure. What I love most about this assignment is that it allows students to express their humor and creativity. A Fakebook lesson plan, step by step The directions, rubric, and examples here accompany my sixth grade world history unit on ancient Egypt. Directions Here’s a list of what I ask my students to include in their Fakebook profiles: A profile pictureFive Facebook-style statuses. Materials I encourage my students to create their Fakebook page using a small piece of poster board, construction paper, Google Docs (format: two columns), or Google Drawings to keep it simple. My more tech-savvy kids sometimes use other programs, if they are familiar with them. Rubric

Les Jours China’s massive Lunar New Year travel rush: where are they going and how? It’s known as the world’s greatest annual migration of people. Huge numbers in China travel home each year to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday, a mass movement of people known in Chinese as chunyun. The authorities on the mainland expect the highest number of trips ever to be made during this year’s festive season. The Ministry of Transport predicts that 2.98 billion trips will be made from January 13 to February 20. Here are some key facts about the holiday travel rush: What is chunyun? Chunyun refers to the 40-day period of mass migration as Chinese people travel home for a family reunion during the Lunar New Year holiday, also known as the Spring Festival. When does it take place? The 40-day period begins 15 days before the first day in the lunar new year and ends 25 days after. The state-run news agency Xinhua said the peak travel period was reached on Monday with 83 million passengers travelling on all forms of transport. Who travels during this period? Where do they go?

Why Flee Syria? With the refugee crisis worsening as many Syrians attempt to flee to Europe, many people may find themselves wondering just how the war in that country got so bad, and why so many are fleeing now. Here, then, is a very brief history of the war, written so that anyone can understand it: Syria is a relatively new country: Its borders were constructed by European powers in the 1920s, mashing together several ethnic and religious groups. Since late 1970, a family from one of those smaller groups — the Assads, who are Shia Alawites — have ruled the country in a brutal dictatorship. Bashar al-Assad has been in power since 2000. This regime appeared stable, but when Arab Spring protests began in 2011, it turned out not to be. On March 18, Syrian security forces opened fire on peaceful protestors in the southern city of Deraa, killing three. Perhaps inevitably, Syrians took up arms to defend themselves. It worked. By 2014, Syria was divided between government, rebel, ISIS, and Kurdish forces.