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Populations

Students evaluate the growth of human populations across time, analyze graphic data to make predictions about future population growth, research country statistics to evaluate demographic transition, and participate in a simulation of a village reliant on subsistence farming. Students begin to develop a sense for the Earth's carrying capacity and how humans have impacted it.

Grades
9 – 12
Estimated Time
Four 45-minute activities
Updated
September 24, 2024
Illustration of world map with vector images representing human population.

Background

Lesson Activities

Standards

National Content Area Standards

  • Social Studies – Geography
    • APHG Topic 5.6: Agricultural Production Regions
      • PSO-5.C.1: Agricultural production regions are defined by the extent to which they reflect subsistence or commercial practices (monocropping or monoculture).
    • APHG Topic 5.9: The Global System of Agriculture
      • PSO-5.E.3: The main elements of global food distribution networks are affected by political relationships, infrastructure, and patterns of world trade.
  • Science
    • HS-LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
      • HS-LS2-1: Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
      • HS-LS2-2: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
      • HS-LS2-7: Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.