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POPULATION
Teacher's
Guide
Program Area
This activity
fits well into the Grade 9 Mathematics, Science, and Technology
program, specifically after Relations and Graphs have been taught.
It also complements the Grade 10 Mathematics program as follows:
MAT2A1-after the section on Relations; MAT2G1-after the section
on Coordinate Graphing.
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the student's ability to:
- Review
and consolidate skills in graphing, reading and interpreting
a graph, using percentages, and numerical calculation;
- Become
aware of the rate of growth of the world's population and the
implications of that continued growth;
- Become
aware of the composition of the world's population;
- Understand
that only a small portion of the world is habitable and that
we all must share this space.
Classroom
Development
Not all
of these suggestions are meant to be followed in each of the above
mentioned courses. Teachers should do those parts which are appropriate
for their course and their students.
- This
activity can be used in any of the courses mentioned above at
the places indicated or at other places that the teacher may
find appropriate.
- Duplicate
and distribute the attached worksheets.
- Students
should work cooperatively in small groups on these sheets. It
would be appropriate for each group to post its results (perhaps
on flip chart paper) for the rest of the class to see and discuss.
It is probably not necessary to have every group post results
for every question.
- Use class
discussion time to see that the mathematics has been done correctly
and to review the skills being used. Discuss the exponential
nature of population growth.
- Show
the video mentioned under "Resources."
- Spend
some class time discussing the implications of population growth.
Some topics for discussion are indicated at the end of the worksheets.
Timing
Allow 3
periods.
Resources
The Green
Teacher, Volume 21, December 1990.
Global
Teacher, Global Learner. Graham Pike and David Selby. Hodder
and Stoughton:London, England, 1988.
World Population
Video, 1990. A graphic simulation of the history of human population
growth. Zero Population Growth Inc. Southern Illinois University
of Carbondale.
Cross-disciplinary
Links
This activity
is a natural integrator in the Mathematics, Science and Technology
program, even though it is primariy a mathematics lesson. Furthermore,
the questions expand the linkages with the other disciplines into
the Self and Society program. Be sure to discuss with other teachers
the ways you can use this activity to support what they are doing
and the ways they can build on what you are doing here.
Student
Activity
Global
Population Analysis
- The population
of the world at various times is shown in the table below.
| YEAR |
Total World Popluation
In Billions |
| 1000 BC |
0.05 |
| 200 BC |
0.15 |
| 1100 AD |
0.32 |
| 1850 |
1.0 |
| 1930 |
2.0 |
| 1960 |
3.0 |
| 1970 |
3.5 |
| 1983 |
4.6 |
| 1990 |
5.2 |
| 1995 |
5.8 |
Show this
information clearly on a graph using a suitable set of axes.
- Use your
graph to estimate the population of the world in:
- (a)
1900
- (b)
1940
- (c)
2000
- Use your
graph to determine how long it took for the population to double
from:
- (a)
1 billion to 2 billion
- (b)
2 billion to 4 billion
- (c)
3 billion to 6 billion
- The surface
area of the earth is about 5.25 x 108 km2. About 88% of this
area is uninhabitable (because it is water, desert, ice, etc.).
- (a)
What percentage of the earth's surface is habitable?
- (b)
What is the habitable area of the earth's surface?
- (c)
Calculate the portion of the earth's habitable surface area
available to each person in:
- (i)
1850
- (ii)
1930
- (iii)
1960
- (iv)
1970
- (v)
1983
- (vi)
2000
- The composition
of the world's population is as follows:
| Asian |
56% |
| European |
20% |
| African |
10% |
| South American |
6% |
| North American |
6% |
| Other |
2% |
If the classroom, the small town, and the city, referred to
in the chart below reflected the global composition of the earth's
population, then calculate the number of people from each region
or background that you would expect to find in each of these
areas and use that information to complete the chart.
| Ethnicity |
Classroom (30 Students) |
Small Town (Pop.
2500) |
City (Pop 300,000) |
| African |
|
|
|
| Asian |
|
|
|
| European |
|
|
|
| North American |
|
|
|
| South American |
|
|
|
| Other |
|
|
|
- In mid-1989,
the world's population was 5 233 824 000 people. The following
information about births and deaths was determined.
| |
Births per |
Deaths per |
| Year |
144 104 397 |
51 028 787 |
| Month |
12 008 745 |
4 252 399 |
| Week |
2 763 649 |
978 362 |
| Day |
394 808 |
189 805 |
| Hour |
16 450 |
5 825 |
| Minute |
274 |
97 |
| Second |
4.6 |
1.6 |
-
- Calculate
the rate of change in global population:
- (a)
per second
- (b)
per hour
- (c)
per week
- Some
topics for discussion or further study.
- (a)
What is needed to achieve zero population growth or to have
the population start to decline? Could these events happen?
-
- (b)
Consider what sort of future "Baby five billion"
would face if born into the following situation:
- (i)
Current Population = 20 million
-
Death Rate = 6. 3 per thousand
-
Birth Rate = 22. 5 per thousand
- (ii)
Current Population = 20 million
-
Death Rate = 10.5 per thousand
-
Birth Rate = 50.9 per thousand
-
- (c)
What effect will continued growth have on:
- the
physical environment? cities?
- food,
water, shelter? social services?
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