May 14-20, 2015 Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event: Migrant Crisis in Asia
Government officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand recently agreed to stop turning away migrant ships from Bangladesh and Myanmar. The migrants are in distress from their long journeys and many of them are dehydrated and malnourished. Refugees from Bangladesh are mostly economic migrants seeking jobs. The migrants from Myanmar, however, are Rohingya Muslims, a group that is persecuted in Myanmar. Previously, migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar had traveled by sea to Thailand and then overland. Thailand recently cracked down on this overland traffic, and now smugglers are sending migrants exclusively on sea routes. Navies from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have been turning away the boat people at their shores and have sometimes towed stricken boats to the shores of other nations. The agreement to permit migrants to enter the host nations by sea solves a humanitarian crisis in the short run. Eventually, however, the solution lies in helping Bangladesh to become more economically sound and pressuring Myanmar to recognize and stop persecuting the Rohingya population living in its borders.
Objective:
Asia is the largest continent in both size and population. It covers about 30 percent of the world’s land area and has about 60 percent of its people. Asia has some of the world’s longest rivers, largest deserts, and thickest forests and jungles. The highest (Mount Everest) and lowest (Dead Sea) places on Earth are in Asia. Two Asian countries, China and India, are the only countries in the world with more than 1 billion people. Russia, which lies partly in Europe but mostly in Asia, is the world’s largest country in area. Much of the Middle East is in Asia. The people who inhabit Asia are as varied as everything else about the continent. The people differ greatly in their ancestry, customs, languages, religious beliefs, and ways of life. Civilization in Asia began about 5,500 years ago, long before it began in Europe. During ancient and medieval times, Asia moved ahead of Europe in economic, cultural, and scientific development. Asians founded the first cities, set up the first systems of law, and became the first farmers and merchants. Asians invented writing and created the earliest literatures. All the world’s major religions originated in Asia. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore the people, places, and culture of Asia.
Words to know:
Discussion Topics:
1. Eight Asian countries have a population of at least 100 million. See how many of these countries your students can name. (Students should say Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia.)
2. Ask your students to debate, “As long as they follow the laws of the land, people should be able to migrate to any country they wish.”
3. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Asia: 1950’s to Present timeline. (Students may wish to use the “History” section of World Book’s “Asia” article for help.)