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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

How Many Is Too Many? (Grade 7-12)

Master Teacher

Pamela Williams

Time Allotment

90 minutes

Overview

The number one issue facing the world today is not war, famine, or global warming. It is the population explosion. What are the trends and how can the environment withstand the pressures of overcrowding? Through the use of video, the Internet and hands-on activities, the students will examine this issue.

Subject Matter

Environmental Science and Geography

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Plot a population curve;
• Interpret data from a graph;
• Calculate population growth;
• Construct a demographic pyramid;
• Research and classify countries based on a demographic pyramid.

South Carolina Standards

Visit SC Standards Web site

E. Recognize and Analyze Alternative Explanations and Models

Scientific criteria are used to discriminate among plausible explanations.

1. Compare current scientific models with experimental results.

2. Select and defend, based on scientific criteria, the most plausible explanation or model.

G. Understandings about Scientific and Technological Inquiry

Historical scientific knowledge, current research, technology, mathematics and logic should be the basis for conducting investigations and drawing conclusions.

1. Analyze how science and technology explain and predict relationships.

Defend the idea that conceptual principles and knowledge guide scientific and technological inquiry.

Media Components

Video

World Population. This seven-minute video gives an accurate depiction of the exponential growth of human population from the beginning of time.

To order, go to the Web site. Click on education.

Web Sites

The United States Census Bureau. Click on projections, then population pyramids. This Web site allows the student to choose the country he/she wishes to investigate and supplies needed data for the activities.

Population Reference Bureau. This Web site investigates population and its effect on the environment. It has other related activities to further enhance understanding and re-enforcement.

Materials

Video from Population Connection Web site

Copies of Activity Sheets

Equipment

VCR

computer with Internet capabilities

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching this lesson:

• Bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom.
• Load Real Player plug in (available free at Macromedia.com) onto each computer.
• Cue the videotape to the beginning.
• Copy all handouts.
• When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Divide the students into groups of four.

Step 2: Give each group a piece of paper about 11 x 18 inches. This is their country. They can put in lakes, mountains or other features.

Step 3: Give the students bags of tokens.

Tokens can be cut out in advance or the students can cut them out. Follow the directions on Activity Sheet 1.

Step 4: Assign each group a rate of increase per generation: one, two, three or four children and a death rate.

Step 5: Start each group with six tokens on their country. Each round is a generation. Have the students add tokens according to their rate of increase. They must add according to pairs. (Note to Teacher: This will increase with each round.)

Step 6: Run the activity for six generations.

Step 7: Have the students compare the countries and the population increases in each. Ask the students which country they would like to live in or could they name a country where they would expect this rate of increase.

Learning Activities

Step 1: Insert the World Population video into the VCR. Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to look for a trend in human population.

START the video at the beginning. PAUSE the video at 1890, the Industrial Revolution. Ask the students what type of curve they would expect to see on a graph. (Answer: a linear increase.)

Step 2: Ask students to make a prediction on what happens next. (Answers will vary.)

Step 3: PLAY the remainder of the tape. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking students to see if their predictions are correct. Ask the students to describe the graph that would now be represented. (Answer: exponential growth or J-Curve)

Have the students come up with reasons for the population explosion. (Answers will vary. Lead students to increased medical care.)

Step 4: Ask students to log onto United States Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov). Depending on the number of computers, they may need to work in small groups. Lead them to population pyramids (http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbpyr.html) or have it bookmarked on each computer.

Ask your students to choose three countries from the list. They are to locate a developed, developing and an under-developed country and record the crude birth rate (CBR), crude death rate (CDR), and fertility rate for 2000.

Step 5: Discuss the growth trends for each selected country. Which one matches the country they developed in the Introductory Activity?

Step 6: Have the students plot the growth rate trend from 1950-2000.

Step 7: Have the students look at the demographic profile for each country and make a prediction to the future status of each country

Community Connections

0 If time allows, you can have your students go to local cemeteries and collect the data to make the Culminating Activity more relevant to your area.

0 If using local data, have the students discuss events in the community that could give the turning points in the data. Example: infant mortality dropping in relationship to a hospital being built.

Student Materials

Introductory Activity

11 x 18-inch paper for countries

tokens

Culminating Activity

• graph paper
• demographic sheet
• colored pencils or crayons

Activity Sheets (PDF)

• Activity Sheet 1
• Activity Sheet 2