Medicines & Vaccines
Days 1-10
Social Studies
Lesson Plan
Grade: 7th
2013-2014 School Year
Lesson Title:
Go Big or Go Home: Population and Demographic Concepts
STRANDS
Geography
Economics
LESSON OVERVIEW
Summary of the task, challenge, investigation, career-related scenario, problem, or community link.
This unit focuses on population and demographic concepts (i.e. population growth, birth rate, death rate, fertility rate, infant mortality, and exponential growth) and
how those concepts relate. Students will examine the relationship between populations to populations as well as populations to the earth’s environment. These
concepts naturally give rise to mathematical concepts and use of basic math skills (e.g. percentages, scientific notation, and statistics) and give students a real-life
application of such concepts. The level or degree of incorporation can be adjusted depending on the level of learners being taught.
Students will make use of the demographic concepts for both culminating events. In “Teresa and Carl” students will be looking at how disease may influence factors
such as family size, fertility rates, and infant mortality rates. For “Zombie Outbreak”, students will be connecting their examination of population during the spread of an
infectious disease to a country with a similar population growth, positive or negative. Student will take into account natural disasters, human-generated travesties,
disease outbreak, and natural growth.
MOTIVATOR
Hook for the week unit or supplemental resources used throughout the week. (PBL scenarios, video clips, websites, literature)
The motivators throughout this week are visually appealing and engaging videos from National Geographic’s series on The World of 7 Billion. Additionally, students will
face several real life scenarios that require them to examine population statistics and make decisions as a political leader regarding their countries population struggles.
DAY
Objectives
(I can….)
1
I CAN
describe
earth’s
population
and
population
change in
numerical
terms.
Materials &
Resources








iPad
Socrative.com
U.S. and
World
Population
Clock
Metronome
(Online
version
available
here)
Assignment:
“Feel the
Rhythm
Version A”
(Appendix A)
Assignment:
“Feel the
Rhythm
Version B”
(Appendix B)
Assignment:
“Millions and
Billions
Version A”
(Appendix C)
Assignment:
Instructional Procedures
Essential Questions:
What is the total human population?
How big is that number, really?
I.
Set:
a. As students enter the room, display the U.S. and World
Population Clock.
b. Record student comments regarding the clock. Responses
are likely to include: Look at how fast it is moving! A baby is
born! Someone died! How do they know this is accurate?
II.
Differentiated
Instruction
Assessment
Enrichment
Formative




Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Class discussion
regarding natural
growth rate
versus overall
growth rate may
be explored if
students grasp
the basic concept
initially.
“Feel the
Rhythm” and
“Millions and
Billions” Versions
A walk students
through each
step necessary to
arrive at a
correct answer.
Teaching Strategy:
a. Explain to students that the course of study for the unit will
focus on populations and key demographic concepts.
b. Depending on the level of student, you may want to ask if
any know the meaning of the word demography. Use the

root words of other vocabulary. That is, demos (“the
people”) and graphia (“writings”) are roots found also
within geography (“earth writings”) and democracy (“rule by
the people). Therefore, demography is “writings about
people”, or the study of human population.
c. Instruct students to access the “Feel the Rhythm”
assignment. Several options may be explored, depending on
the abilities of the class as well as time constraints. For
example, you may work through the first problem together
as a class and then allow students to work independently on
the second problem. Alternatively, students may work in
Remediation
collaborative, mixed ability groups of two or three to
complete the assignment.
 Heterogeneous




Classroom
discussion
Student
observation
“Feel the
Rhythm”
assignment
“Millions and
Billions”
Assignment
Tweet Exit
Ticket
Summative

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit.
“Millions and
Billions
Version A”
(Appendix D)
d. Discuss the student answers, demonstrating the population
growth from 1492 as a handclap every 30 seconds. Then,
demonstrate the current population growth rate using the
metronome set at 158 beats per minute. Walk students
through the time in between, starting at 1940 with 40 beats
per minute, 1950 with 88 beats per minute, 1970 with 138
beats per minute, 2000 with 176 beats per minute, and
repeat the modern population growth rate.
e. Discuss with students their observations about how the
population growth rate changed over time. Be sure to
define the term growth rate to students, emphasizing that it
is not just people being born, rather, the net gain (or loss) of
the birth rate and death rate.
f. If students grasp the concept of growth rate well, a
discussion regarding natural growth rate versus overall
growth rate.
III.
2
I CAN explain
the


Socrative.com
Population
Summarizing Strategy:
a. Assign “Millions and Billions” and allow them a minute or
two to review the assignment and ask questions they may
have regarding the assignment.
b. Students will submit a fictional Tweet (140 characters or
less) of the most important aspect of the days lesson.
Tweets are to be submitted to Socrative.com
Essential Question:
How has the population of the world grown over the past five hundred
years?





grouping
Peer Tutoring
Extended time on
assignments for
selected students
Check often for
understanding of
subject matter
Student choice
regarding
grouping (if
grouping is
decided for class
activity)
Feel the Rhythm”
and “Millions and
Bilions” Versions
B require higher
achieving
students to figure
out the math
steps on their
own.
Enrichment
Formative
exponential
growth of the
world’s
population.




Circle
Counting
Cards
(Appendix A)
Total World
Population
Data
(Appendix B)
Video: The
Economist’s
“World
Population”
(Appendix C)
Graph Paper,
Digital Graph
Paper, or
Online Chart
Tool
Student
electronic
notebook.

I.
Set:
a. Students will answer the following question using the short
answer function on Socrative.com:

Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring


Classroom
discussion
Student
observation
Remediation
It is estimated that the total number of humans that have
ever lived on earth is 108,000,000,000. Knowing this, what
percentage of all people who have ever been born are alive
now?
II.
Teaching Strategy
a. Review with the students the homework assignment,
“Millions and Billions” from the previous night. Allow
students to share whether or not they would accept the
inheritance from their uncle.
b. Distribute to students the Population Circle Counting Cards.
Depending on the number of students, some may need two
cards.
c. Ask the two students with the number “0” on their cards to
raise their hands. Explain that these students represent
everybody who lived on the Earth 500 years ago, when
Earth’s population was about 500 million people.
d. Explain that the teacher will count from 1 to 100 to find out
how the population grew. With every number, five years
will elapse. When 100 is reached, all 500 years will have
passed.
e. As students’ number(s) are called, they are to raise their
hands.
f. Use the following questions to guide class discussion after
the activity has concluded:
i. What did you observe about the Earth’s population
over time?
ii. After the counting started, who was the first person




Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Extended time on
assignments for
selected students
Check often for
understanding of
subject matter
Summative

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit.
to raise their hand? What number did he/she have?
From the start, how many years did it take to add
250 million people to the Earth?
iii. Towards the end of the simulation, how long was it
taking to add 250 million people to the Earth?
iv. Based on what you saw happening by the end of the
simulation, how do you think this activity would be
different if we came back in five years and did it
again?
v. What would happen if we continued to grow at this
rate?
vi. If current growth rates continue, the world’s
population would double in about 60 years. How
many more numbers past 100 would we need to
count before the population doubled? How many
more people would raise their hand?
g. Provide students copies of the population data from the
past 500 years. Within their collaborative groups of two or
three, instruct students to create a line graph using the data
and onlinecharttool.com or graph paper.
h. Review the graphs created and explain exponential growth
to students. Use linear growth as a comparison, describing
the graph as slow starting and quick ending.
III.
Summarizing Strategy:
a. In order to provide students with a balanced view from
professionals in the field of demography/geography, view
The Economist’s “World Population” video. Review the
answers the discussion questions and remind students that
world population growth is declining.
b. Assign students the following vocabulary terms to be
included in their electronic notebook: demography,
population, census, growth rate, death rate, birth rate, and
infant mortality rate.
3
I CAN
describe the
impact of
global
population
change.






Socrative.com
iPad
Video:
National
Geographic’s
“7 Billion”
(Appendix A)
Reading:
“Seven and
Billion and
Counting”
(Appendix B)
Reading:
“Seven Billion:
The Real
Population
Scare Is Not
What You
Think”
Reading:
“Human
Population
Reaches 7
Billion—How
Did This
Happen and
Essential Question: What are the consequences of population change on
the earth’s physical and cultural environments?
I.
II.
Set:
a. Students will watch National Geographic’s “7 Billion” Video.
Instruct students to journal their response to the video
within their electronic notebook.
b. Discuss with students the last 45 seconds of the video
pertaining to balance of the human population and human
consumption.
Teaching Strategy:
a. The following classroom activity is a jigsaw reading activity.
b. Group students in collaborative groups of three students
per group. If the class size is not evenly divisible by three,
group the developing learners in the group(s) of four.
c. In each collaborative group, either assign students one of
the three readings or allow them to choose.
d. Distribute the “Population Readings Graphic Organizer” and
instruct students to identify key points within each article
along with supporting evidence from the text.
e. As each group finishes reading the articles direct them to
elicit information from each other along with the supporting
evidence. Each article should be discussed in the course of
the lesson.
Enrichment
Formative





Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Longer, more indepth readings
can be assigned
to advanced
readers
Student choice
on reading
assignments
Remediation




Shorter articles
may be assigned
to
developing/strug
gling readers.
Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Extended time on
assignments for

Class
discussion
Population
Readings
Graphic
Organizer
Summative

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit.

4
I CAN take a
stance and
articulate my
viewpoint
regarding the
world’s
population of
7 billion.





Can It Go
On?”
Population
Readings
Graphic
Organizer
(Appendix C)
III.
Summarizing Strategy
a. Regroup the class as a whole and allow time for students to
share their most interesting findings from the readings.
Socrative.com Essential Question: Where do I stand on contemporary issues that are
related to a population of 7 billion and their resource consumption trends?
Electronic
notebook
MacBook Air
Five classroom
I.
Set:
signs reading
a. Using the Socrative.com Space Race function, students will
“Strongly
compete against one another as they answer review
Agree”,
questions pertaining to key demographic concepts.
“Agree”, “?”,
“Disagree”,
II.
Teaching Strategy:
“Strongly
a. Before the beginning of the lesson, post the five signs
Disagree”
around the room.
(Appendix A)
b. Explain to students that several statements will be read to
Take a Stand
them and, when instructed to do so, they are to stand in
Statements
front of the sing that most closely represents their reaction
(Appendix B)
to the statement read aloud.
c. They will then explain their particular stance on each issue.
As students are speaking, if their opinion is swayed by their
classmates then they may move to a different sign.
d. Work through all of the questions or as many as the class


selected students
Check often for
understanding of
subject matter
Student choice
on reading
assignment.
Enrichment
Formative



Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring

Remediation



Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Check often for
understanding of
subject matter

Student
observation
Student
response to
Take a Stand
Statements
Entry in
electronic
notebook.
Summative

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
period allows. It may be necessary to only select a few
questions to be used, depending on student abilities.
III.
assessment at
the end of the
unit
Summarizing Strategy
a. In their electronic notebooks, students are to record any
instance in which a peer swayed their opinion and explain
how and why. Ask for volunteers to share their entry with
the class.
b. For homework, students are to complete the reading on
China’s “One Child Policy” (Day 6, Appendix A).
Essential Question:
5
Project Day – Refer to Unit Plan
Teresa and Carl
6
I CAN
describe
China’s “One



iSocrative.com Essential Question:
What are the worlds most populated countries?
iPad
How has China’s government responded to being the most populated
Apple
country in the world?
Enrichment
Formative


Heterogeneous
Informal
Child Policy”





TV/Projection
System
Electronic
notebook
Whiteboard or
whiteboard
iPad app such
as Doceri
(Optional)
Reading:
Population
Case Study:
China
(Appendix A)
Video: 7
Billion Are You
Typical?
(Appendix B)
“One Child
Policy” Guided
Notes
(Appendix C)
I.
II.
III.
Set:
a. Students will watch the National Geographic video, “7
Billion: Are You Typical?”
b. Allow students the opportunity to share their reactions to
the video, including things that surprised them or questions
they may have.
Teaching Strategy:
a. Ask students to conduct a quick Internet search to
determine the top five countries with the highest
population.
b. As students find this information, either allow them to
airplay their results or create a list on a whiteboard or
whiteboard iPad app (e.g. Doceri)
c. Explain that China and India’s populations constitute
approximately 37% of the total population of the world with
China at 19% alone. (Require higher achieving students to
calculate these percentages).
d. Ask students: Is it a “good” thing to be ranked Number One
or Two in World Population? How would a huge population
impact a country’s resources and economy? Would a huge
population affect a developing nation differently than a
developed nation?
e. Review with students the reading from the night before,
covering the important aspects of China’s “One Child Policy”
leading into the history of the policy using the “One Child
Policy” Guided Notes.
Summarizing Strategy:
a. Ensure that students received all of missing elements from
the guided notes. Repeat any components, if necessary.
b. Instruct students to create a test question (of any format)


grouping
Peer Tutoring
Require higher
achieving
students to
calculate the
percentages of
China and India’s
populations in
relation to the
rest of the world.


Summative

Remediation




Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Extended time on
assignments for
selected students
Check often for
understanding of
subject
questioning
Guided Notes
Electronic
journal entry.

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit.
“Take A Stand
Against
Deforestation
” Letter
over the day’s material that they would include on a unit
test.
7
I CAN

describe

governmental 
population
policy from
around the
world.
Socrative.com Essential Question: How have governments throughout the world
implemented policy to control their population?
iPad
Electronic
notebook
I.
Set:
a. Instruct students to respond to the following prompt in
their electronic notebooks. Once they are finished writing,
students are to discuss with a partner.
Imagine that you are the ruler of Country X, a country with a
population growth rate of 4.93%. Demographers predict
that a growth rate that high will have a negative impact on
the economy and resources of your country. What policy, if
any, would you implement to ensure stability and success for
Country X?
II.
Teaching Strategy:
a. Explain to students that they will be working in collaborative
groups of two to three students each to research various
governmental population policies.
b. Allow students to choose from the following countries with
unstable or near-unstable population growth rates:
Enrichment
Formative




Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
High achieving
students will
choose their own
country to
research not
from the list.
Remediation




Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Extended time on
assignments for
selected students
Check often for
understanding of

Informal
questioning
Electronic
notebook
entries
Summative

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit
i. Russia’s Day of Conception
ii. India Newlywed Cash Grant
iii. Romania’s contraceptive ban and childless income
tax
iv. Uzbekistan’s forced sterilizations
v. South Korea’s government subsidized childcare and
“Family Day”
vi. Iran’s mandatory contraceptive education for
couples
vii. Pakistan’s three year gap between children
viii. Singapore’s collaboration with commercial
enterprise to encourage population growth.
c. Students do not have to be limited to this list. High achieving
students may be able to conduct their own research into
government population policy.
d. Allow students one half of the class period to research their
topic. Their findings should be recorded in their electronic
notebook.
e. Students will then present their findings to the whole class.
III.
8
I CAN
interpret an


iPad
Sample
subject
Summarizing Strategy
a. Instruct students to complete an exit ticket that revisits
their initial proposal from the opening activity based on
what they learned about other countries.
Essential Question: What can a population pyramid (age-sex graph) reveal
about the well-being and challenges faced by a population?
Enrichment:
Formative
age-sex
graph.



Population
Pyramids
(Appendix A)
Canadian and
Bolivian agesex
distribution
data from
2010
(Appendix B)
Population
pyramid
template
(Appendix C)
Reading:
Population
Pyramids
Explained
(Appendix D)
I.
II.
Set:
a. Display the sample population pyramids and instruct
students to examine the two graphs. Require them to
record their observations and inferences about the graphs.
b. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share their observations and
inferences.
Teaching Strategy:
a. Give students approximately ten to fifteen minutes to read
and review “Populations Pyramids Explained”.
b. Have students open and review the age-sex distribution
data for Canada and Bolivia in 2010 as well as the age-sex
graph template.
c. Ask students why a population pyramid presents the data in
terms of percentage.
d. Instruct half of the class to construct a pyramid for Canada
and the other half, a pyramid for Bolivia. Students should
use a different color for each cohort.
e. Once students have completed their graphs, have a student
from each country AirPlay their graph and ask students to
compare the two.
f. Use the following questions to generated/guide class
discussion:
Which age group is largest in each country?
How might this affect the quality of life in each country?
What challenges might this age distribution create for each
country?
III.
Summarizing Strategy:
a. Allow for students to ask any clarifying questions regarding
how to interpret and/or create a population pyramid.
b. For homework, instruct students to create their own agesex graph based on the data provided from the U.S Census



Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
High achieving
students will
choose their own
country to
research not
from the list.
Remediation:




Heterogeneous
grouping
Peer Tutoring
Extended time on
assignments for
selected students
Check often for
understanding of
subject


Informal
questioning
Classroom
discussion
Summative

Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit
Bureau. Additionally, they are to create three questions
whose answers require an understanding of how to
interpret an age-sex graph.
9
I CAN
demonstrate
mastery of
key
demographic
concepts.



iPad
Inflatable
globe, tennis
ball, or
kickball
Demographic
concepts
summative
exam
Essential Question: What do I know about demographic concepts?
I.
Set:
a. Engage student interest and review for the assessment by
having students for a circle around the room.
b. Using review questions, throw the ball to a student who will
then answer the question. If the student answers correctly,
they may remain standing. If they do not, they must sit
down.
c. The last student standing is deemed the winner
II.
Assessment:
a. Students will complete a summative assessment that covers
the standards not being assessed by the unit projects.
b. This assessment may be given on paper or using the quiz
function on Socrative.com
III.
Summarizing Strategy:
a. Allow students to review the results of their test (if given
using Socrative.com).
b. Instruct students to complete their test revisions for partial
credit for homework.
Remediation
Summative




Extended testing
time for selected
students
Read aloud for
selected
students.
Redo missed
items for partial
credit.
Enrichment

Anchor Activity:
If students finish
early, they may
build their geoliteracy via
Sheppard
Software
Student
mastery of
the content
standards will
be assessed
with an
assessment at
the end of the
unit.
10
Essential Question:
Project Day – Refer to Unit Plan
Teresa and Carl
STANDARDS
Identify what you want to teach. Reference State, Common Core, ACT
College Readiness Standards and/or State Competencies.
Grade Level Expectations:
3.08 Understand how human activities impact and modify the physical environment.
3.09 Understand the nature, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surfaces.
Student Performance Indicators:
7.3.spi.8. Define demographic concepts (i.e., population, population distribution, population density, growth rate, family size, and infant mortality).
7.3.spi.20. Predict the consequences of population changes on the Earth's physical and cultural environments.
7.3.spi.21. Interpret a population pyramid.