A Population Boom
Developed by:  Tanya Lange

Summary:

The world population in AD 10 was around 250 million. The world population today is approximately 6 billion. In our own school neighborhood, there has been a recent housing boom.

Connections:

    1. Social Studies
    2. Science and Populations affect on habitat.

TEKS: 7A thru D

Time:
One-Two , eighty minute classrooms.

Season:
Any

Materials:

    1. Encyclopedia of our Earth, (pg 254) "Population Explosion"
    2. Map of our school district. Liberty Hill Middle School.
    3. Grassland Safari: The Schoolyard Earth Book, by Edith J.S. Doherty.

Objectives:

    1. Students will apply mathematical graphs to information and statistics they find regarding their population figures.
    2. Students will interview a government official to determine why our local population has increased or decreased.

Procedures:

As a census taker for the LHMS community students need to find out the population of their community. They need to find out how many people are currently residing in the community and how many for years past as well. Students will write a conclusion from the statistics they have compiled.

    1. Make a list of all the places where you could find census information for your school precinct. Also make a list of all of the people students could consult with and who could be considered experts in their fields. (Librarians can help with this task)
    2. Visit or talk with these places to gather the information needed.
    3. Graph the population statistics found by the students.
    4. Have each group of students prepare a list of question and a plan for interviewing an expert from the community. Point out to the groups to avoid questions that only lead to "yes" and "no" answers.
    5. Allow students the opportunity to tape interviews if they choose to do so.
    6. Have each group present their interviews to the rest of the class.

Questions (Could be used in interviews):

    1. Do you see an immediate need to build additional schools and if so, why do you think this?
    2. Is LMHS large enough to accommodate the local population?
    3. How much has the population of LMHS increased / decreased over the past year?
    4. What would happen to the school if the population decreased?
    5. What can our school district do to prepare itself for an increase or decrease in the population?

Evaluation:

The students will write a conclusion about their research by using and citing information from:

    1. Interviews
    2. Statistics
    3. Graphs

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Last Edited: 09/01/00