Graphing Population Studies - TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
Title: Personal Space - A Population Density Study
Grade Focus: 6, 7, 8
Subject: Mathematics
Integration Activity: Navigating the Internet, PowerPoint Presentations
Recommended Time to Completion: Eight weeks (one class period each week)
INTRODUCTION
Your class has been asked by the Organization of World Nations (OWN) to conduct a population study. The essential question is: How densely populated is your country in comparison to other nations of the world? The students will explore statistics for several countries such as population per square kilometer, birth rates, age group breakdowns, etc. They will gather data for 3 countries of their choice (plus their own), choose a type of graph to compare each specific characteristic among the countries, and draw conclusions about the population density of their country versus the others based on their findings.
PREREQUISITE EXPERIENCE:
The student should have a basic understanding of the types of graphs used for comparing data and how the graphs can be developed using PowerPoint or a spreadsheet application.
TEACHER PREP TIME: 1-2 hours
Review Internet resources listed in Explore. Students will need access to a computer with PowerPoint (or other presentation software) and Internet connectivity.
Review tutorial on PowerPoint graphing:
Nortel LearniT: Technology Skills-Building Videos: Charts
http://www.nortellearnit.org/
Or
Review this resource on Excel graphing (insert this link in the Explain section Step C if using Excel):
Internet4Classrooms: Using Excel in a Classroom
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/excel_task.htm
PROJECT:
Students will work individually or in teams to:
- Select 4 countries (including their own) to study
- Browse census websites (see Explore) to see the types data available
- Choose the categories of data that indicate population density, and gather this data on the selected countries
- Decide on an appropriate type of graph to compare each data category among the countries
- Use PowerPoint or a spreadsheet application to create a graph for each type of data being compared
- Create a PowerPoint presentation containing their resulting graphs and any conclusions drawn about the essential question: How densely populated is your country in comparison to other nations of the world?
ASSESSMENT / GRADING:
Using a presentation rubric (see Evaluate), the student PowerPoint projects will be evaluated on the student’s subject knowledge, analytical skills, and ability to use the tools to convey applied understanding.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP:
Reduce the number of countries in the population study, and/or limit the types of population data compared among the countries.
Personal Space: A Population Study
Students around the world (including you) have been asked by the Organization of World Nations (OWN) to conduct a population study, using census data from various countries and comparing it to your own. The OWN wants to know: How do students compare the “crowdedness” of their own country to 3 other countries of their choice? Your job is to look at population statistics such as average number of people per square kilometer, birth rates, age group breakdowns, etc. to determine the relative population density among a group of 4 countries which includes your own. You will present your findings to your class and then submit them to your teacher, who will forward them to the OWN.
Every ten years the US Census Bureau devotes time and money gathering information about the people who live in the US. Other national governments around the world have similar agencies that periodically gather information about their citizens. Common types of information gathered are age, number of people per household, gender, race, native language, etc. This information about residents of a country is compiled and made available on various websites and in libraries throughout the world. The map below which indicates the most densely populated areas of the world (shaded land areas) is based on a compilation of national census data.
Think about it…
Why do countries put so much effort into gathering this information about the people who live there? How could this data be useful?
Consider how governments and private companies make important decisions such as where to build schools, medical facilities, mass transit, bridges, etc.
Can you think of other possible ways that this population could be useful to governments and businesses?
The essential question: How crowded is your country compared to 3 other countries of your choice?
Follow these 6 steps to fully explore this question:
1) Identify 3 countries (other than where you live) to study.
2) Locate all 4 of your countries (3 selected plus your own) in the following list available via the Internet, and note where they rank:
CIA: The World Factbook: Rank order – Population list at https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html
Based on relative population rank and what you might already know about the land size of each country, make a prediction of how the countries rank in order from most crowded to least crowded.
3) Browse the websites listed below to observe the types of population statistics available on the 4 countries. (You may want to search for other websites as well.)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): The World Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
internet geography: GeoTopics Population
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/popn.html
Factmonster: Area and Population of Countries
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0004379.html
City Population: Population Statistics and Interactive Maps and Diagrams
http://www.citypopulation.de/
Library of Congress: Country Studies
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
4) Which statistics could you study and graph to answer the question: How crowded is my country as compared to the other countries I have chosen to study?
- How could you define how densely populated or crowded a country is?
- How does the amount of personal space vary based on where someone lives within a country?
- How do birth rate, death rate, and migration rate relate to crowdedness?
- Would it make sense to look at the population in your age bracket more than the overall population? Why or why not?
5) Choose 4 types of statistical data that will help you show how crowded a country is. Verify that each of these statistics is available for all 4 countries you are comparing.
6) Collect and record the data in a table. (The following table is available for handwritten notes. You may choose to put your data directly into a table in PowerPoint or a spreadsheet program. See Explain section.)
CountryNow that you have explored the web and collected your data, list each type of statistic you have chosen to compare and give a brief explanation of how it relates to population density:
1)
2)
3)
4)
It’s time to create the graphs – one for each type of data collected - to compare the data among the countries. You will then use these graphs to draw conclusions about how crowded the other countries are in comparison to your own. Follow steps A-G:
A) Review your textbook and/or notes you’ve used in studying various types of graphs.
B) Decide on the type of graph you will use to compare each type of data among the countries. Consider scale, units, and how close together or far apart the countries’ data points are from each other.
C) Review the section of the PowerPoint tutorial that focuses on chart (graph) making at
Nortel LearniT: Technology Skills Building Videos: PowerPoint: Charts
http://www.nortellearnit.org/
D) Create PowerPoint charts for each of the types of data you are comparing among countries. Label and explain the charts.
E) Organize the slides and add animation, color, etc. to make your presentation more interesting. Review the PowerPoint tutorials for tips:
Nortel LearniT: Technology Skills Building Videos: PowerPoint: Presenting, Animation, ClipArt, Text, etc.
http://www.nortellearnit.org/
or
Education World: PowerPoint Tutorial
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tutorials/ew_ppt.htm
F) Complete your presentation:
- Add an introductory slide to your presentation that explains the goal of the project or the essential question.
- Add a concluding slide summarizing what you’ve learned about the countries. Include any or all of the following information based on your observations:
a) conclusions you’ve reached
b) further questions/hypotheses generated by your study
c) other interesting information you discovered about these countries
d) your prediction from Explore Step 2 versus the results of your study
It is essential to state your overall conclusion about the population density of your country versus the others and to show how it is supported by your study of the data.
G) The final steps in your project is to for you to share your PowerPoint
presentation with the entire class and submit it to your teacher.
Here are 4 important tips to help you pull the project together:
1. Begin by using a PowerPoint Story Board to creatively organize your slides.
Resources and Best Practices: Project Handouts and Templates: PowerPoint Presentations Storyboard
http://www.nortellearnit.org/
2. Before you begin creating your own PowerPoint slides, you might want to
take a look at a Nortel LearniT video tutorial to get some good tips and
tricks on making a great presentation.
Nortel LearniT: Technology Skills Building Videos: PowerPoint
http://www.nortellearnit.org/
3. Find and use pictures and sounds to emphasize points or to make your presentation more interesting. You can either download these pictures and sounds to your hard drive, or save the URL as a ‘Favorite’ in your web browser.
Pics4Learning: Copyright-friendly images for education
http://www.pics4learning.com/
4. Put a descriptive title screen, credits and references at the
end of the PowerPoint presentation. Using the multimedia (pictures,
images, sounds etc.) throughout the presentations will help you to
communicate your key information.
Tip: Remember to ONLY use images or sounds that you have permission to
include in your presentation. To learn more about copyright (and copy
wrongs!) be sure to watch the Nortel LearniT video tutorial at
Resources and Best Practices: Teacher Resources: Reference Links: Educator Recommended Web Sites
http://www.nortellearnit.org/
Multimedia Project Evaluation Rubric
Criteria / Unsatisfactory / Needs Improvement / Satisfactory / ExemplaryContent / Lacks detail, clarity, and/or accuracy / Somewhat detailed, clear, and accurate / Detailed, clear, and accurate / Thoroughly detailed, clear, and accurate
Technology use to demonstrate understanding / Ineffective use of technology to convey information and conclusion / Somewhat effective use of technology to convey information and conclusion / Applied understanding evident / Applied understanding clearly evident
Research / Limited research, from limited sources.
No evaluation of information is shown. / Somewhat well researched from somewhat varied sources. Some evaluation of information is shown. / Well researched, from various sources. Information evaluated effectively. / Thorough research from varied sources presenting different points of view. Critical evaluation of information.
Application of math skills / Major errors / Several errors, mostly minor / Few, minor errors / Final product is error free
Information sources cited / Citations of information sources are missing / Citations of information sources incomplete or improperly formatted / Reference citations present / Information sources are complete and cited in proper format
Expand this activity so the students can explore “quality of life” indicators among countries. Ask the students to consider a scenario such as: “Which country would you choose international assignment for an international assignment in your career?” or “Which country would you choose in your university’s Study Abroad program?” Discuss the types of data available on the web that might help someone make these decisions.
This activity could also be approached from the perspective of choosing a location to study natural resources or other geographical features of countries. For example, the student can ask “In which country would I choose to conduct my research and why?”
This activity can be readily tied in with another core subject (Social Studies, for example), where the country or region is predefined.
Mathematics
Social Studies