AN EXAMPLE OF PLANNING LESSONS
IN
POPULATION GEOGRAPHY (Grade 6)
PRIOR LEARNING




Our family – how many people – how many males and how many females?
Our town – how many people – how many males and how many females
– where are they active in the economy of the town?
Ability to read data, e.g. numbers and graphs
Ability to write a letter.
CONTENT FOCUS
Population of South Africa
TOPIC
The characteristics of the population of our country
LEARNING
OUTCOME 1
Learners are able to:
LEARNING
OUTCOME 2
GEOGRAPHICAL
PERSPECTIVE

describe important concepts about the characteristics and distribution
of the South African population.

describe population patterns and begin to offer explanations.
Learners are able to:

organise population data in graphs.

analise data in order to make deductions with regard to the age and
gender of the South African population.

read and interpret maps to identify patterns in the distribution of the
South African population.
Learners begin to understand human processes (population growth), the
consequent characteristics and patterns as well as the changes it bring.
Develop a range of skills and competencies necessary to carry out
geographical enquiry and to interpret geographical information.
KEY QUESTIONS
1. What does ‘population’ mean’?
2. How big is South Africa’s population and how did it grow over time?
3. What are the characteristics of the population in South Africa?
4. How is the population of South Africa distributed over the country?
INTEGRATION with
HISTORY
How the South African population has grown over the years and how
processes influenced the population structure.
TEACHING AIDS

Political wall map of South Africa (with the new provinces)
SOURCES




Atlas appropriate for learners in the Intermediate Phase
Graphic representations of population in the provinces
Numeric data with regard to population numbers and gender
Population distribution map of South Africa
LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
1. What does ‘population’ mean’?
Learners are given a table with the population of each province. (If
possible also the population data of a few towns, including that of the
hometown, in the Western Cape). They identify the populations of different
places and provinces. Learners are in this way led to the definition that
population is the number of people living in a particular area (town, city,
province, country). It is always a good teaching principle to work from the
learner’s known to the unknown.
2. How big is South Africa’s population and how did it grow over time?
With the mentioned data at the disposal of the learners, they can add up
the population numbers of different provinces and in this way determine the
population of South Africa in millions.
As a next activity, learners study the graph illustrating South Africa’s
population over time (1947 – 2011) (See also e.g. Nasou Junior Atlas for
Southern Africa, p. 45). The aim is that learners master the following
concepts: population decrease and increase over time, population growth,
rural population, urban population.
Learners can also be asked how they feel about our current population
growth. Large families / family planning? (values and attitudes). Here is an
opportunity to integrate meaningfully with the Life Orientation learning area.
3. What are the characteristics of the South-African population?
Learners can start by looking at the population size and gender in the
class/school; how many boys and how many girls. Thereafter look at the
same aspects in the context of the local town/city before the data included
is studied about these aspects in South Africa.
Later learners can be assisted in developing the ability to read a population
pyramid. The above-mentioned atlas or for example also the Oxford Senior
Atlas for Southern Africa, p. 23, can be used. The aim is for learners to
master concepts like gender, number of males and number of females, age
(note the age intervals on the population pyramid); also many children as
opposed to less children (compare to USA); many adults as opposed to
less adults (senior citizens).
As an enrichment activity learners can be challenged to deduce as many as
possible implications of these characteristics, e.g. that the number of
children in South Africa is decreasing and that less schools will therefore be
needed in future.
NB: The use of the atlas is a necessity in each Geography/Social
Sciences class. These reference sources include an enormous amount of
information and are indispensable in map reading and interpretation.
4. How is the population of South Africa distributed over the country?
The aim is that learners master the following concepts: distribution, equal or
unequal population distribution, densely populated or sparsely populated.
For this purpose learners are supplied with a population distribution map or
atlases may be used. The first step is to let learners read the map, i.e.
using the key and symbols. When the numbers of people are linked to
certain regions, we are at the second step; the interpretation of the map.
Now the learner is expected to make deductions in terms of the abovementioned concepts (terms). Now learners must be guided to identify
patterns in the population distribution.
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY
Write a letter to a friend in one of our neighbouring countries and tell
him/her everything you have learnt about our South African population.
NB:
As Social Sciences educator you will assess the outcomes identified for this
lesson(s), but the same assignment (letter) may be used by the Languages
educator to assess language outcomes.
ALTERNATIVE:
Learners communicate their newly required knowledge on a poster which
they can complete in groups of five.
ASSESSMENT
STRATEGY
Type of activity :
Writing of a letter to a friend
Collection method :
Read and observe
Assessor(s) :
Educator
Assessment criteria : Mark according to traditional memorandum or use
the example of an analytical rubric below.
FEEDBACK
To learner and parents
ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA
Not achieved
(less than 40%)
Level 1
Partially achieved
(40 – 49%)
Level 2
Achieved
(50 – 69%)
Level 3
Excellent achievement
(70% and above)
Level 4
 Show no or
 Show a limited
 Show the expected
 Show a high level
insufficient
understanding of key
understanding of key
understanding of key
understanding of key
terms / concepts
terms / concepts
terms / concepts
terms / concepts
 Defining the
concepts
(KQs 1-4)
 Show no or
 Reading and
insufficient ability to
interpretation of
read and interpret
data and graphs
data and graphs
(KQs 1-3)
 Show a limited ability  Show the expected
to read and interpret
ability to read and
data and graphs
interpret data and
graphs
 Show a high level
ability to read and
interpret data and
graphs
 Show no or
 Read and
insufficient ability to
interpretation of
read and interpret
maps
maps
(KQ 4)
 Show a limited ability  Show the expected
to read and interpret
ability to read and
maps
interpret maps
 Show a high level
ability to read and
interpret maps
 Logical
presentation of
knowledge and
understanding
in letter
RECORDING
NY
 Communicate the
 Communicate the
information with no or
information with
insufficient clarity and
limited clarity and
understanding of
understanding of
terminology
terminology
1
2
3
 Communicate the
information with the
expected clarity and
understanding of
terminology
4
 Communicate the
information with a
high level of clarity
and understanding of
terminology. Also
add own insight.
5
FIGURE 1 : Population numbers in the nine provinces of South-Africa
Study the bar graph above and answer the following questions:
1. Which province has the largest population and which province has the smallest population?
2. How big is the population in the Western Cape and how does it compare to other provinces?
3. Look in the Atlas at the size of Gauteng and Northern Cape. If you now also look at their population
numbers, what deduction(s) can you make?
FIGURE 2 : Population growth in South-Africa
SOUTH-AFRICAN POPULATION
Population in millions
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1947
1957
1966
1991
1996
2001
2011
Years
(With acknowledgement to Oxford University Press: Successful Human and Social Sciences Grade 7, 1999)
Study FIGURE 1 and the bar graph above and the answer the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What do we call the process in which a country’s population is counted?
When last did it happen in South Africa?
Since 1947, did our population increase or decrease?
How big was our population in 2001?
With how many millions according to estimation will it increase over the next ten years (a decade)?.
Do you think it is an advantage or a disadvantage to our country?
POPULATION OF SOUTH AFRICA
In order to help learners understand the concept of gender as an characteristic of population, it is always
useful to use simpler data at first before they are exposed to population pyramids in the ATLAS. The
following are two sets of data in tabular form, which can be used.
Table 1 : Population of South Africa and gender per province in millions
Province
Male
Female
Total
Eastern Cape
2 908 056
3 394 469
6 302 525
Free State
1 298 348
1 335 156
2 633 504
Gauteng
3 750 845
3 597 578
7 348 423
KwaZulu-Natal
3 950 527
4 466 493
8 417 021
Mpumalanga
1 362 028
1 438 683
2 800 711
412 681
427 639
840 321
Limpopo
2 253 072
2 676 296
4 929 368
North West
1 649 835
1 704 990
3 354 824
Western Cape
1 935 494
2 021 381
3 956 875
South-Africa
19 520 887
21 062 685
40 583 573
Northern Cape
Source:CENSUS ’96
Table 2 : Population of South Africa per province and gender in percentages
Eastern
Cape
Free
State
Gauteng
KwaZulu
Natal
Mpumalanga
Northern
Cape
Limpopo
NorthWest
Western
Cape
SouthAfrica
Male
46,1
49,3
51,0
46,9
48,6
49,1
45,7
49,2
48,9
48,1
Female
53,9
50,7
49,0
53,1
51,4
50,9
54,3
50,8
51,1
51,9
Total
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
100,0
Source:CENSUS ’96
Map 1 : The distribution of population in South Africa
(With acknowledgement to Nasou Limited: Senior Geography Standard 10, p.404)