Introduction to Global Population
This lesson introduces Year 7 students to the fundamentals of population geography. It covers the terminology of population change, the reasons behind the 'population explosion', and the factors influencing where people choose to live (distribution). Students will explore the balance between birth and death rates and consider the future challenges of a global population reaching 10 billion.
Learning objectives
- Define population, birth rate, death rate, and natural increase.
- Identify the physical and human factors that lead to sparse or dense population distributions.
- Explain why the global population has grown rapidly since the Industrial Revolution.
- Analyse the challenges associated with both overpopulation and ageing populations.
Lesson plan (60 minutes)
Introduction · 10 min
Starter: 'Think-Pair-Share' on why the world's population is growing so fast. Display a graph of population over the last 200 years.
Direct Instruction · 15 min
Teacher-led instruction using the 'Explainer' script. Focus on birth rate, death rate, and natural increase.
Independent Practice · 20 min
Differentiated Worksheet Activity: Students work through Support, Core, or Stretch tasks based on prior attainment.
Discussion · 5 min
Class discussion: Look at the 'Misconceptions' section. Debunk common myths about population growth in developing nations.
Review & Assessment · 10 min
Plenary: 8-question multiple-choice quiz to check for understanding. Self or peer marking.
Key vocabulary
- Birth Rate
- The number of live births per 1,000 people per year.
- Death Rate
- The number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.
- Natural Increase
- The growth in population calculated by Birth Rate minus Death Rate.
- Population Density
- The number of people living in a square kilometre (how crowded it is).
- Densely Populated
- Crowded areas with many people.
Core worksheet (first questions)
- Explain how 'Natural Increase' is calculated and what it tells geographers.
- Describe two ways that medical science has lowered the death rate.
- How do the needs of a 'young population' differ from those of an 'ageing population'?
- Give one example of a 'densely populated' area in the UK and one 'sparsely populated' area.
Quiz (sample)
1. What is the definition of 'population'?
- A. The number of people born each year
- B. The total number of people in a specific area
- C. The number of people who move to a new country
- D. The number of houses in a city
2. How is 'Natural Increase' calculated?
- A. Birth rate plus death rate
- B. Birth rate multiplied by death rate divided by 1000
- C. Birth rate minus death rate
- D. Death rate minus birth rate plus migration
3. What term describes an area with many people living in it?
- A. Sparsely populated
- B. Densely populated
- C. Empty
- D. Rural
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