How do we predict future population growth? Young researchers investigate various factors affecting the size of our population. As they calculate and interpret graphs to determine factors that could potentially affect increases and decreases in various populations, high schoolers learn the difference between an open and closed population, as well as how to calculate the time it requires for a human population to double in size.   

Concepts

death rates, birth rates, immigration, emigration, growth rate, population data

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Provide the class with the most recent census data from your state, and have them predict the population in 10, 20, 50, and 100 years based on this data
• Instruct high schoolers to research legal and illegal immigration, and then discuss how the influx of individuals will affect our environment if proactive measures are not taken

Classroom Considerations

• Assist the class with performing calculations and provide visual aids to help with rates of growth, death, and birth

• This resource is only available on an unencrypted HTTP website.It should be fine for general use, but don’t use it to share any personally identifiable information

Pros

• Relates historical population events to present situations and predicts future events based on data
• Multiple questions and activities within the content demonstrate topics not taking place in your class's immediate environment

Cons

• Document permissions do not allow for printing