001 - Population
Change
Geographic Knowledge and Understanding
Population change and demographic transition over time, including natural increase, fertility rate, life expectancy, population structure and dependency ratios.
Concepts
Population change occurs due to a series of processes. The rate of these demographic processes varies in time and place.
Aims
To be able to define the terms: natural increase, fertility rate, life expectancy and dependency ratio.
To be able to describe and explain population change by using the demographic transition model (DTM).
To be able to use population pyramids to describe and explain population structure.
To develop detailed examples within each DTM stage using the World Bank.
Key Terminology
Natural Increase
Crude Birth Rates
Crude Death Rates
Fertility Rates
Life Expectancy
Infant Mortality Rates
Dependency Ratio
Demographic Transition Model
Population Pyramid
Define the key terms above by using the 'Geography. Global Change. Study and Revision Guide by Oakes Pages 11 to 14.
Activity One - Describing Models
Geography is full of models to help predict or suggest what may happen in the future. Population predictions can be made by focusing on the Demographic Transition Model which aims to link the level of economic growth and changes to a countries population. But what does it look like and can we place our 'focus' countries into it? Answer the following questions by using the slideshare in the 'Useful Resources' box.
Draw the Demographic Transition Model (DTM) on to plain paper.
Annotate the DTM to explain why countries experience a change in their birth, death and overall population rates as they move through the different stages.
Are there any limitations to this model?
Place where you think the following countries currently 'fit' on the DTM.
China
India
Japan
Morocco
Niger
USA
Activity Two - Describing Graphs
Many of you may remember making Lego models of different Population Pyramids in Year 10 but as you have been to sleep since then it is good to review what Population Pyramids are and why they can be useful for geographers.
What is a Population Pyramid?
How is a Population Pyramid drawn?
Draw and describe a Population Pyramid for each stage of the DTM.
Copy and past a Population Pyramid for each of our focus countries on to a Googledoc.
China
India
Japan
Morocco
Niger
USA
Useful Resource
Activity Three - Producing Graphs
For this activity, we are going to get a little bit of help from the school's Technology for Learning Coordinator - Mr. Allaway. You are going to producing population graphs for two of our 'focus' countries. You will be doing this by using data from the World Bank which provides tables of raw data. You will be looking for the following data for the USA and Morocco to produce five different graphs.
Crude Birth Rate
Crude Death Rate
Fertility Rates
Life Expectancy
Dependency Ratio
Find the data required using the World Bank's data bank.
Download the data.
Upload the downloaded data onto a Googlesheet
Tidy the data
Sort the data
Produce a graph for the data - remember every graph needs:
Figure Number
Title
Key
Correctly titled axis
Export that graph on to a Google doc.
Write a paragraph to describe the graph - Remember to describe the general pattern first while illustrating it with data. Then describe any anomalies using data.
Explain why you may have found the results you did. No more than a paragraph is needed for this.
Extension
Produce a DTM for the USA and Morocco using the data that you have extracted.
Useful Resource
Exam Style Question
Using Image Two, suggest two reasons for the falling population rate in England and Wales. [2+2 marks]