Daniel Eggen
Geo 610
APHG Lesson Plan Ideas
These are a set of lessons for the AP Human Geography unit dealing with Population.
The primary text used is the Deblij, et al. book Human Geography: People, Place and
Culture, 8th Edition. Students are given reading questions to encourage them to read the
text in advance of the lessons so they will have the background knowledge to fully take
part.
Lesson 1: Population Distribution and Density
Objectives
- Define the terms population density, population distribution, arithmetic
population density, and physiologic population density
- Explain population distribution by reading a dot map
- Describe the physical and human factors that lead an area to be densely or
sparsely populated
Procedures
1. Students read field note. Introduction to the unit, brief discussion of world population
issues to assess prior knowledge. The Chapter 2 Key Questions can be used as a guide for
this.
2. Students provided reading questions for the text which goes along with information
under the subheading “Where in the World do People Live and Why?”
3. Using the dot map, students are questioned about human population distribution. For
example, how is India’s different from China’s?
4. The poster “The Lights of the World” which shows the distribution of electric lighting
from photos taken from space is shown to the students. The lighting distribution is nearly
identical to the population dot map.
5. Each student (this is a small class) comes up and points out a non-lit (sparsely
populated) area of the world and explains why few people live there. Atlases will be
provided to assist students. It should become apparent that many less populated areas are
places where farming is difficult- mountains, deserts, tundra. This can be used to question
and discuss arithmetic versus physiologic densities and what else besides arability leads
to population clusters.
Lesson 2: Population Changes- The DTM
Objectives
- Students should be able to define relevant terms such as doubling time,
replacement rate, total fertility rate, crude birth rate, crude death rate
- Student should be able to explain how and why how birth and death change as
areas develop economically using the demographic transition model as a guide.
This should also be linked with being able to explain the current population
explosion
Procedures:
1. Students read and answer reading questions for the subheading “Why do Populations
Rise and Fall in Particular Places?”
2. The basic shape of the DTM is drawn on the board and the teacher asks a student what
it is. The student may or may not know. It can be an amusing introduction if the student
actually doesn’t know and has to guess or the teacher makes up a story about what these
two colored lies on the board are. Eventually, it should be explained that this is the DTM
which shows changes to population as places grow more developed.
3. Each stage is the n looked at as follows;
- A boy and girl are picked to come up and be a married couple whose family structure
will change as the go through the stages of the DTM. For each stage, the couple can stay
the same or be changed depending on class size. The “children” are reset each time, the
couple string out each stage with none. It should be explained that this would show
differences in as a single place develops or as you go from place to another in different
stages of development.
Stage 1
- 8 other students are then called to come up and represent the children the couple had. 6
of these “are killed off” (told to sit back down). Reasons for their deaths are explained
including:
One gets bacterial illness from bad drinking water and dies of diarrhea at six months old
One dies of malnourishment from a protein deficiency at age 4
One is badly cut from a fall and dies from the resulting infection at age 12
One is married young and does in childbirth at age 16
One goes off to war and is killed at age 17
- In the end only two live and the ides of replacement rate is explained- the population
has stayed essentially the same despite the large number of children the couple had.
Stage 2
- Again 8 children are born. This is a good point discuss the reasons why people in stages
one and two want so many children.
- This time only 2 students are killed off. For a few others it can be explained how
something could have killed them, but they survived. For example, an illness is treated
with antibiotics, or no one dies young as now they have clean drinking water.
- This fact that this couple is now triple their replacement level should clearly
demonstrate why the developing world is experiencing a population explosion
Stage 3
- Now only 4 children are born and only one dies. Reasons why people want fewer
children can be discussed
Stage 4
-Now 2 children are born and both live. Reasons why are discussed along with the fact
that population is now once again at an equilibrium replacement level.
Stage 5?
- The teacher could choose to include the possibility of stage 5 or not. If so, one child
could be born that lived. This may not be the best to do as it exaggerates the drop in the
birth level and the resulting possible population decline. Instead the teacher may just
explain the idea of stage 5 and some of the example countries such as Japan and Italy
4. After this activity, the teacher asks follow up questions of various students to assess if
the point of the activity was fully understood.
Lesson 3 – Population Composition and Population Momentum
Objectives:
- Students will be able to define the terms population composition, population
pyramids, infant mortality rate, child mortality rate, life expectancy, and chronic
diseases
- Students will be able to decipher attributes of a population based on their
population pyramids
- Students will be able to recognize the effects of demographic momentum based
on several population scenarios
Procedures:
1. Students will read and answer reading questions for subsection titled “Why does
Population composition matter?”
2. In the computer lab students will carry out the Activity 5.1 from Kuby’s Human
Geography in Action website, “Matching Demographic Descriptions with Population
Pyramids”. On questions sheet they will answer and sketch the basic shape of the
population pyramid. The teacher needs to go around and ask students about some of their
choices to assure they are not just guessing until they find the right answer.
3. Students will then carry out Activity 5.2 from HGIA site, “Demographic Momentum”.
This activity could prove a bit confusing at first, so the teacher needs to explain
beforehand what the different graphs show and how to use the scenario effectively.
4. Students will turn in their answers for activity 5.2 to be grades based on accuracy and
depth of explanations.