001 - Population Growth

Factual Question:

How has the global population changed over time?

Approaches to Learning

Communication skills - Reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information -Take effective notes in class.

Research Skills - Process data and repot the results. You will read two graphs and turn what you see into accurate written descriptions.

Key Terminology:

- - - - Birth Rate
        Death Rate
        Infant Mortality
        Child Mortality
        Natural Increase
        Population Momentum
        Fertility Rates

We will be using these terms throughout the lesson. Without looking anything up. define the terms you already know. Leave the rest blank. You will come back to this list at the end of the lesson to define them again.

If you are unsure of what the words mean just click on the link to find out.

Useful Link

- - - - PRB - Glossary
        Our World in Data Definition - Child Mortality

Demographic Terms

Activity One - Watch

Part One - Estimation

We are going to start by estimating numbers for the following: Write those numbers down in your book. We will come back to them.

The amount of people who are alive on Earth right now.
In what year will the global population be at its highest?
How many people with there be in that highest population year you predicted in question 2?

Part Two - Watch

We are going to start this unit of inquiry by looking at a slightly retro film about the number of people that are living on our planet. It runs from 1CE to the present day and then suggests what is going to happen in the future. Each dot that appears on the map is a cluster of people of 1 million people.

- 1. Collect a copy of the table and fill in as much information as you can by watching the YouTube clip.
  2. Circle the row where the change is the fastest.
  3. Where on the map do the dots appear first?
  4. Where do the dots appear last?
  5. Do any of the statistics surprise you? Underline those statistics that do and be prepared to say why.
  6. Discuss the answers above. The dots seem to apprea faster and faster as the film goes on, but the film plays at a constant speed. What does that tell you about the rate of growth?

Useful Resources

World Population

Population Education

Population Education - YouTube Grid

Table to Complete

Activity Two - Global Population Change

You have now had a taster on the amount of people who are on our planet but what is today's figure? You will need to use the link in the 'Useful Resource' below to answer the following questions.

- 1. What is the global population right now? Write it down to the nearest million, along with the time you looked.
  2. Unfold your starter guesses. How far out was guess one? Were you too high or too low?
  3. Watch the counter for sixty seconds. Roughly how many people were added? What does that work out to per day?
  4. Why does a change in global population matter? Working with your neighbour, mind map your answers.

Useful Hint for Question 4

It matters for city governments because more people need somewhere to live, and housing takes years to build.

Useful Resource

Website

Worldometer

Activity Three - Skill

Being able to describe a graph in detail is a core geographical skill and you will be assessed on it at various points throughout the year. When describing, you say what you see. You do not explain ehy. When describing graphs you follow a specific process:

- - - - Describe the overall trend.
        Illustrate that trend with data (units and dates).
        Describe any anomalies (something that does not fit), again illustrating it with data.

Using the instructions above describe the graph in the 'Useful Resources' box below:

- 1. Using the Figure One example below; state the trend, data and anomalies.
  2. Using Figure Two, describe the trend in population growth rate.
  3. Why does the data in figure 1 increase but the data in figure 2 decrease?
  4. Draw a mind map to suggest reasons why global population has changed. Be prepared to explain your answers.
  5. What impact has this change in population had on the world? You may need to use the articles in the 'Useful Resources' box.
  6. Now sort those impacts into the geographical factors; Social, environmental, economic and political. Use colours to help you to organise this. Don't forget a key.

Example of how to describe a graph

Figure 1

The overall trend is a steep rise in global population, but the rise is not steady. For most of the period shown the population grew very slowly, taking until around 1804 to reach one billion. After 1800 the curve becomes much steeper: the population reached two billion by around 1927, four billion by 1974 and eight billion in 2022. The steepest section is the second half of the twentieth century. The clearest departure from the trend comes at the far right of the chart, where the curve begins to flatten as the projection takes over, with the UN expecting a peak of just under 10.3 billion around 2084. (AI Generated)

Useful Resources

Our World in Data - Impact

Our world in data - Fertility Rates

Population 1800 to 2100

Figure 1 - Our World in Data

Population Growth Rate 1950 to 2100

Figure 2 - Our World in Data

Activity Four - Redefining Terms

We often use certain words to describe different regions or groups of countries without considering their meaning or connotation. Answer the questions below.

- 1. Read the findings from the UNs 2024 population projections below.
  2. Suggest reasons why we don't use the terms 'developing world' and 'developed world' in Geography.
  3. 'Developing' suggests a country is on its way to becoming something else. What does that assume? Who decided what the destination is?
  4. What terms are used instead today, and what is the advantage of each and potential disadvantage of each? Use the resources below in the 'Useful Resources' box.

Read these three findings from the UN's 2024 projections:

- More than half of all countries now have a fertility rate below 2.1 births per woman, the level needed to keep a population stable.

- Sixty-three countries and areas, including China, Germany, Japan and Russia, have already passed their population peak. Their combined population is projected to fall by around 14 per cent over the next thirty years.

- One in four people alive today lives in a country whose population has already peaked.

Useful Resources

World Bank - Time to stop referring to the 'developing world' - Question 4

Gapminder - The four levels of income = Question 4

Extension - Watch and Make Notes

Global Population Growth

Hans Rosling (The clip is old but still good)

Human Population Through Time

Amerian Musuem of National History

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