Why They Stayed and Why They Moved
A 55-minute Grade 5 lesson on why people crowd into damaged cities and why some leave for new estates.
Why They Stayed and Why They Moved is a free 55-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Geo.6.3-5 — describe why people live where they live. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 3 to Grade 5
- Length:
- 55 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Geo.6.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Geography
D2.Geo.6.3-5
Describe how environmental and cultural characteristics influence population distribution in specific places or regions.
Objective
Students will be able to explain a movement of population by work, housing or family ties.
Students are successful when they can
- Gives a reason for staying in a damaged district.
- Gives a reason for moving to a new estate.
- Names what would have to be true for the reverse.
What you need
- The council report's waiting list
- A map showing damaged districts and new estates
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — four to a room
5 min- Read the city member's line about constituents living four to a room.
- Ask why those families did not simply move somewhere else.
Teach — work, housing, ties
18 min- Work: the jobs were in the damaged cities, and rebuilding created more of them.
- Housing: there was nowhere else within reach of the work.
- Ties: family, school and a place on a waiting list all hold people in place.
- Ask what a place on the list is worth. Seven years of waiting already spent.
- Now the move outward: new estates on the edge, where land was available.
- Ask what made those work: a road or a bus route to the work.
- Say the discipline: give a reason and point at the evidence for it.
“What holds this family here, and what would move them?”
Guided practice — explain four movements
17 min- Groups explain four population movements using work, housing or ties.
- They find one that needs two reasons.
- Groups say what would have to change to reverse one.
Independent practice
12 min- Students complete the 'Why They Stayed and Why They Moved' page.
- Look for reasons about work and housing rather than preference.
Close
3 min- Ask which reason explains where the class lives.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says people stayed because they liked it there.
Why: Preference is the everyday reason.
Fix: Four to a room is not a preference. Ask what held them.
Thinks a new estate automatically attracts people.
Why: The homes are better.
Fix: Without a route to the work, an estate stands half empty. Ask what it needed.
Ignores the waiting list as a tie.
Why: It is paperwork.
Fix: Moving districts meant losing seven years of accumulated wait.
If they are not there yet
- Two movements with the reason type given.
- Match a movement to one of two reasons.
If they finish early
- Explain a movement where two reasons pull opposite ways.
- Say what would have to change for people to return to a village.
- Predict where the next estates would be built.
Exit ticket
Why did families live four to a room rather than move to where housing was available?
What to look for: The work, and their place on a list, were both where they were. Answers about preference miss the ties.
Printable practice for D2.Geo.6.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Why They Stayed and Why They MovedCircle the best answer.
Questions about Why They Stayed and Why They Moved
How long does the Why They Stayed and Why They Moved lesson take?
55 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 18 min, guided practice 17 min, independent practice 12 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Why They Stayed and Why They Moved teach?
D2.Geo.6.3-5 — D2.Geo.6.3-5, Geography for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Describe how environmental and cultural characteristics influence population distribution in specific places or regions.” In plain terms, describe why people live where they live.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The council report's waiting list, a map showing damaged districts and new estates and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says people stayed because they liked it there; thinks a new estate automatically attracts people and ignores the waiting list as a tie. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Why did families live four to a room rather than move to where housing was available?.” The work, and their place on a list, were both where they were. Answers about preference miss the ties. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Why They Stayed and Why They Moved?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Geo.6.3-5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Why They Stayed and Why They Moved free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Geo.6.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.