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Lesson plan In this lesson, videos and teacher-led discussion are used to introduce students to population density, including the concept of population density, the formal definition of it, the formula for calculating it, and issues related to it. After the class as a whole calculates the population density of their classroom and compares that to other spaces in their school, students work alone and/or in groups to predict the population density of countries around the world, use a statistical map and navigate a digital world atlas to evaluate their predictions, and take a Map Trek journey to discover new information about population density. Finally, they research a specific country using a digital encyclopedia, focusing on issues related to population density, and write a brief report summarizing their findings and offering their opinion about why that country’s population is sparse or crowded. On This PageLesson plan information|
School level | | Curriculum areas | | Class time | | Software required | | Materials needed | |
Teacher guideGoals| • | Students will use a variety of technology tools and multimedia resources to explore population density locally and globally. |
Objectives| • | Students will explain the meaning of population density. | | • | Students will calculate the population density of the class. | | • | Students will use a table, chart, or statistical maps to get information about the population density of various countries. | | • | Students will identify countries by rank order of population density. | | • | Students will identify countries on a world map. | | • | Students will obtain information about countries using a digital encyclopedia. | | • | Students will analyze information, summarize, and explain important features of the country related to population density. |
Lesson procedure Introduction: Calculate the population density of the classroom[Show the Encarta video Flamingo Colony.]
Would you say that’s a crowd? How do you feel when you are in a crowd? Tell me some places that are crowded.
What makes a crowd? A crowd is more than just a lot of people. A crowd is a lot of people in a small space. What makes a crowd, a gathering where people feel crowded, is the ratio of people to space. The number of people to the amount of space is what social scientists call “population density.”
Given this definition of a crowd, would you say our classroom is crowded? To get a more specific answer, let’s calculate the population density of the classroom. We’re going to do this in three steps.
1. | First, we calculate the total area of the classroom in square meters. Should we include closets or closed-up cabinets in our calculations? [Write area on board or overhead projector.] | 2. | Next, we identify the size of our classroom population, which is equal to all students plus the teacher and any teacher aids or regular volunteers. [Write number on board or overhead.] | 3. | Finally, we find the population density. We perform a simple math operation to find the population density number: We divide the size of the population by the total area. [Perform this division on board or overhead with students.] Population density equals the number of people per square meter. The population density of our classroom is [x]. |
Population density can be calculated for any area. We calculated the population density on the basis of number of people per square meter. Generally in geography, population density is represented as the number of people per square mile or square kilometer. This number is derived the same way we just derived our classroom population density: dividing the total area population by the land area in square miles (or square kilometers).
Let’s talk about some issues relating to population density in our classroom. | • | Does crowding lead to conflict? | | • | Does a high population density or crowding affect trash pick-up? | | • | How does population density affect the distribution of school resources? For example, does crowding make a difference if there is one reading resource teacher or other specialist per classroom? | | • | Can you think of any other issues related to crowding or lack of crowding in our classroom? |
Now let’s make some predictions about the population density of our classroom related to the population density of other places in the school. Which of these two do you think has a higher population density? Which is more crowded? | • | Our classroom or the school cafeteria during lunchtime? | | • | Our classroom or the school auditorium during a program? | | • | Our classroom or the school gym during a ballgame?
[Note The size of the stands is the living space that should be calculated. The space of the gym floor, which is not living space, should not be included in your calculations.]
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In these activities, you will work alone and/or in groups to predict the population density of countries around the world, you will take a Map Trek journey to discover new information about population density, and you will research population density in a digital encyclopedia.
[Note To reinforce this introduction to and definition of population density, have students visit Population Density at About.com.]
Main activitiesSoftware: Microsoft Student What to do: Note All of these activities are listed on the Student Handout. Students who need more time on Activity 1 can omit Activity 2, the Map Trek activity.
Activity 1: Predict the population density of the world’s countries (individual or group)
[Assign students this activity individually or in groups.]
List five countries that you think are in the top 20 of the world’s most crowded countries. 1. | List five countries that you think are in the bottom 20 of the world’s most crowded countries. | 2. | Predict what place your country will be in the list of the most crowded countries, from 1 (most crowded) to 192 (least crowded).
Compare your predictions with the data in the Population Density table in the Microsoft Student World Statistical Map Tool. For help finding and using the World Statistical Map or navigating the World Atlas in Microsoft Student, read Explore Population Density Tools (.doc, 86 KB).
| 3. | Circle any of your answers in number 1 that are in the top twenty list. | 4. | Circle any of your answers in number 2 that are in the bottom twenty list. | 5. | Subtract your prediction in number 3 from the actual population density number. How many places were you off? Who in the class was closest? | 6. |
Were there any surprises for you when you looked at the list? Did you have any questions that you wondered about?
I was surprised that ________________________________________________
I wondered why/how/where/who ________________________________________________
(This could be a research question for later.)
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Activity 2: Use Map Trek to discover more information about population density (group)
Divide the class into 10 groups and assign one of the 10 Microsoft Student Population Density Map Treks to each group. Each group will research their Map Trek and be prepared to share with the rest of the class at least one fact that they find interesting and/or important. For help finding and using Map Trek in Microsoft Student, read Explore Population Density Tools (.doc, 86 KB).
Activity 3: Use Encarta to research the Most Crowded and Least Crowded Countries
(Individual or group) Assign each student or group a different country that is in either the bottom twenty or the top twenty of the population density list. [Or let them select a country.] Have them research that country using Encarta and write a short paper in Microsoft Office Word describing the country. The report should include and focus on topics that relate to population density, including: type of land (For example, is the country a desert or a rainforest?), type of climate, type of natural resources, political stability, and economics. The conclusion of the report should answer this question: In your opinion, why is this country so densely (in the top 20) or sparsely (in the bottom 20) populated? Activity 4: View the National Geographic photo below of a walrus haul-out site in Alaska’s Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.Now that’s population density! 
Conclusion| • | Observe students as they complete activities. | | • | Evaluate work on the student handout. | | • | Evaluate the students’ written reports. |
Materials neededLesson extension activities| • | Students who need more analytic experiences can investigate other population statistics that impact population density (migration, birth rate, etc.) |
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