Birth and Death Rates Grades 9-12 Introduction Population issues are extremely important and relevant topics for discussion in the classroom. Birth and death rates are good indicators of changes in the population of different countries and of the world as a whole. Students will examine birth and death rates in specific countries, map these rates, and discuss their implications. Time Frame: 2-3 class periods Objectives and Standards Students will: Map countries from their assigned continents. Find the birth and death rates for three of these countries. Map the birth and death rates with construction paper strips glued onto the maps. Discuss the implications of birth and death rates around the world. National Social Studies Standards: 3: People, Places, and Environments: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments. 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. National Geography Standards: 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. 4: The physical and human characteristics of places. 9: The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human population on Earth s surface. 18: How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future. Maps and Materials Needed Materials Needed: World Outline Map: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=2293:w orld&cid=91:outline (download and print the PDF file) Red and green construction paper Scissors
Rulers that measure millimeters Additional Map Resources Used: World Reference Atlas: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=3346:w orld&cid=8:reference-atlas Procedure 1. Ask students to discuss the implications of the following scenarios that could occur in a country: more people are being born than are dying more people are dying than are being born an equal number of people are being born as are dying Which scenario do students think most closely represents the situation in the United States? 2. Define birth rate and death rate: birth rate means how many people are born, and death rate means how many people are dying. These numbers are generally represented per 1,000 people in a country s population. Thus, the country of Ecuador has a birth rate of 25.06 births/1000 population based on 1996 estimates. 3. Divide the class into small groups, and assign each group one of the following regions: North America, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific Ocean/Australia. 4. Ask each group to use a World Outline map (http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=2293: world&cid=91:outline) to label the countries on their continent. They can refer to the World Reference Atlas world&cid=8:reference-atlas) to make sure they know the locations of these countries. 5. Have groups choose three countries from their continent or region and find out the birth and death rates for those countries. They should record these rates on their handouts. 6. Groups should now create visual representation of these birth and death rates by cutting out strips of construction paper that match the birth and death rates for their countries and gluing these strips to their maps. Have them follow the directions on the handout. They will end up with maps showing the birth and death rates for three countries, with birth rates in red and death rates in green. 7. Have students bring their maps to the front of the class and tape them to a section of the wall so that all maps are clearly visible with their red and green strips. 8. Ask students to look carefully at the maps they and their classmates have created. Discuss the following questions concerning birth and death rates: Which parts of the world seem to have higher birth rates? Which parts of the world seem to have lower birth rates?
Which parts of the world seem to have higher death rates? Which parts of the world seem to have lower death rates? Does the United States have higher or lower birth rates than most other countries? Does the United States have higher or lower death rates than most other countries? What would be some reasons why a country would have higher birth rates? What would be some reasons why a country would have higher death rates? If birth rates do not go down, what will happen to the world s population? If health care keeps getting better in the world, what is going to happen to the population? Assessment Suggestions Check to make sure that students have: Participated in classroom discussions. Participated cooperatively in their groups. Accurately mapped their countries. Accurately recorded the birth and death rates for their countries. Carefully followed directions to map the birth and death rates. Extension Have students conduct further research on world population issues or on issues affecting the population of specific countries they ve studied. Ask them to consider many of the complex facets of the population issue, including access to food resources, contraception, women s rights, socioeconomic status, and cultural and religious traditions.
Student Handout 1. Your group will be assigned a continent. Label all the countries of your continent on your World Outline Map. If you have access to a computer for this part of the activity, you can refer to the World Reference Atlas world&cid=8:reference-atlas). 2. Choose three countries from your continent, and use the World Reference Atlas world&cid=8:reference-atlas) and the Statistics section for each country to find the birth and death rates for those countries. Record these rates in this table: Country Birth Rate Death Rate 3. You re now going to cut out small strips of red and green construction paper that you will glue onto your maps to show the birth and death rates for each of these three countries. Red will represent birth rate, and green will represent death rate. It s very important that you carefully measure the length of the strips that you cut. Follow these directions: a) Find a ruler that measures millimeters. b) Choose one of the three countries to start with. On the red construction paper, carefully measure the same number of millimeters as the birth rate. For example, if the birth rate is 26 births/1000 population, you ll measure 26 millimeters on the red paper. Then cut out a strip that s the length of millimeters you ve measured and six millimeters wide. c) Glue the red strip onto the map on or near the country, making sure that you can still see the name of the country and its outline. d) Measure and cut out a green strip representing the same country s death rate. Glue that strip to the right side of the red strip. e) Repeat this process for the remaining two countries. 3. Once all groups have glued their strips onto their maps, your teacher will ask you to arrange your maps in the front of the class so that everyone can see all the maps with the red and green strips. Then you ll discuss the findings as a class.