People and Society

Lower Elementary (K-2)

Activities

» Go Fish!
Students share a bowl of goldfish crackers to simulate even and uneven consumption of limited resources.

» Who Polluted the River?
Through an interactive story, students learn how our rivers have been affected by our growing population.

Upper Elementary (3-5)

Activities

» More or Less
A concept map, based around the causal concept of "More People." Students build the word web, and discuss interconnections.

» The Stork and the Grim Reaper
The carrying capacity of a finite planet is demonstrated by two students, who use dippers to simulate the birth rate and death rate.

Intermediate (6-8)

Activities

» Food for Thought
A simulation where students populate "continents" drawn to scale in yarn on the classroom floor and discuss how people and resources are distributed worldwide.

» Pop Quiz
A pre-test/post-test quiz designed to give teachers and students an overview of world and national population trends. 

» Something for Everyone
A simulation where students compete for natural resources in a commons, then discuss the social dilemmas that arise.

» The More the Merrier?
Participants do jumping jacks in close proximity to demonstrate the coordination necessary with high population densities.

Secondary (9-12)

Activities

» Living on $500 a Year
Students complete a reading and other exercises to examine the lifestyles of the world's "Haves" and "Have-Nots."