Pop Quiz

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

Format:
» Quiz and discussion

Grade Levels:
» Intermediate
» Secondary

Materials:
» "Pop Quiz"

Subjects:
» Math
» Science
» Social Studies

Time:
» Prep: Under 5 minutes
» Activity: 20 minutes for quiz & discussion

Facts and Background:

» The Basics of Population Education
Background information, resources, and references on population issues.

» People Count: Facing the Population Challenge
This reading, appropriate for middle grades, provides a primer on population issues.

» World Population Video
This seven minute film depicts the history of human population growth and distribution from 1 AD through the present, then projects future growth (at the current rate) to the year 2030.

Eight frames of the video are presented here: the opening in 1 AD; then skipping ahead to 1800, when the population reached the first billion, followed by the years in which the population reached each successive billion; and the closing frame at 2030, showing the 8.2 billion people expected to inhabit the Earth by then if current growth rates continue.

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.

» World Population Video
This seven minute film depicts the history of human population growth and distribution from 1 AD through the present, then projects future growth to the year 2030.

Eight frames of the video are presented here: the opening in 1 AD; then skipping ahead to 1800, when the population reached the first billion, followed by the years in which the population reached each successive billion; and the closing frame at 2030, showing the 8.2 billion people expected to inhabit the Earth by then if current growth rates continue.

Standards:

» Geography: Standard 4: Human Systems

» Health (Grades 9-11): Influence of culture and media on health...

» History (Grades 5-12): World History: Era 9: The 20th Century Since 1945

» Science (Grades 5-8): Standard E: Science and Technology

» Science (Grades 5-8): Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

» Science (Grades 9-12): Standard E: Science and Technology

» Science (Grades 9-12): Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspective

» Social Studies (Grades 9-12): Production, Distribution, and Consumption

» Social Studies (Grades 5-8): Global Connections

» Social Studies (Grades 9-12): Production, Distribution, and Consumption