This year the ideas that I present for lessons plans will involve several hands-on activities that will promote problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Lesson Plan I
Overview: The purpose of this lesson is to illustrate the concept of population growth rate.
Material Needed: World Population Data Sheet to find the birth and death rates.
Do This: Ask what is the birth rate for the world? And what is the death rate?. Have students find growth rates for two different countries or regions.
Lesson II
Population growth occurs when the birth rate exceeds the death rate. Tell students worldwide, the human birth rate is currently three times the death rate
Concept
This activity demonstrates the relationship between birth and death rate and of population growth within a finite space.
Procedure:
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1. Fill a bucket with water and add food coloring so it will be more visible in a clear container. Place the empty, clear container with the towel under it in front of the class.
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2. Ask for two volunteers from the class to assist. Designate number 1 for one student and number 2 for the other. Each student should tape the appropriate number tag to the student.
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3. Hold up the clear container: This will represent the world, and the colored water in the bucket will represent people. Number 1, will add people to the world by pouring dippers of water into the container. Number 2, will be taking people from the world by scooping water out of the clear container and pouring it back into the bucket. At this time, the world's birth rate is three times the death rate. Based on that fact, who should receive the large dipper? Who should use the small dipper?
Discussion:
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1. Why did the water level rise steadily
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2. What would this mean if the clear container really was the world?
Source: People and the Planet, Zero Population growth, Inc. Wash., D. C. 1996.
Lesson Plan III
Overview: In a society where tradition often clashes with modern ideology, decision making may be taxing.
Goal: To act out the decision making process of a married couple in an urban area in Connecticut discussing whether or not they will add another child to their family.
Objective: student will (1) discuss attitudes affecting family size in Connecticut; (2) make a decision after listening to opinion.
Skills To Be Developed
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1. Role Playing
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2. Persuasive speaking
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3. Problem Solving
Do This:
Read students a scenario that describes a specific situation involving a decision concerning family size in Connecticut. Choose six students to be the participants in the role playing activity. Select three males and three females and give each student a description of their character. All students who are not role players will pretend that they are the couple who must make the important decision about whether or not to have another child. Poll the students. Did you choose to have another child? Why or why not? What if any particular argument, was the most important in affecting your decision?
Lesson Plan IV
Concept:
Human population has a variety of consequences, both direct and indirect. One of the consequences easiest to see in our daily life is crowding. With population growth, the average population density will increase. For example, in your three room house an increase from 3 children to 4 children can make a difference. This means that you will need to share your space with other members of your household.
Discussion: talk about the pros and cons of adding an addition to the household.
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1. What are the consequences of adding new members to your family?
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2. What are the benefits?
Procedure:
Have student imagine that the number of students in your classroom has doubled. Have them list the effects of this. Make sure that both positive and negative impacts are discussed. Have students vote by secret ballot on whether they would like to have more, fewer or the same number of students in the class as they have now. Tally and announce the results to the class.
Questions:
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1. What services are easier to provide for an area of high population density?
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2. What qualities are desirable about areas of lower population density?
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3. If population continues to grow locally, what is the impact on population density?
Source: People and the Planet, Zero Population Growth, Inc: Wash, D. C., 1996
Lesson Plan V.
Here's Your Dilemma:
You love children and would like to have a large family. You are aware, however, that the world's population is expected to double in the coming century. You are also aware of the financial and environmental cost of a large family. What would you do and why? Would you:
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1. plan to have a large family
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2. decide not to have children
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3. limit yourself to one or two children
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4. get involved with youth groups scouts, tutoring, teaching, etc. emergency foster care, to still be around groups of youngsters.
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5. Others
Population Reference Chart
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POPULATION GROWTH
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TIME INTERVAL # OF YEARS WORLD POPULATION
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00_1850 MILLIONS 1 Billion
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1850-1930 80 2 Billion
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1930-1975 45 4 Billion
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1975-1987 12 5 Billion
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1987-2000 15 6 Billion
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*We currently are adding 90 million annually and will continue to do so through 2015.