Population Growth

 

Abstract

 

Project Directors names:  Samantha Abeln, Christie Anderson, and Jennifer Johle

Project Title:  Over-population

Total Budget Figure: $ 2,491

 

The purpose of this project is to educate students on the vast problem of over-population.  Students will learn about exponiental growth and how to perform calculations with statistical values in order to enable them to anaylze the problem and formulate a solution.  The project will include students comparing populations, analyzing the factors that influence them, and examine exponential trends.  The results expected from the implementation of this project are an educated society that will solve or devise a plan of action that will reduce overpopulation.

 

Rationale
With constant improvements in technology, the world becomes continually at
risk for overpopulating.  This project will introduce students to
factors that affect population growth and present them with a final project that will
have them directly compare two countries.  Students will be given the opportunity to explore several different concepts in mathematics as well as causes and effects of population growth. 

 

While working through this unit, students will be exposed to different types of function and there relationships to each other, with an emphasis on exponential functions.  Students will simulate exponential growth and decay using a model population and devising a method for manipulating this population.  Students will also develop skills in research and presentation.  In this final project, students will pick two countries and determine which country will become over-populated first.  They will make calculations and predictions using birth and death rate statistics as well as land area.  They will also look at possible country-specific population factors such as predominant religious beliefs, birth control availability and usage, and ongoing wars.  This project will be a student-centered and student-driven project which requires collaboration with each other to present a final conclusion about their chosen countries. 

 

The project will introduce students to the growing problem of over-population.  They can then carry this knowledge with them as they progress into society.  They may one day help inform others and try to find a possible solution.

 

Unit Description

 

The problem addressed by this unit of lessons is that of over-population.  While the unit does not propose a solution to this particular problem, it gives students the knowledge they need to combat the problem.  Since eventually these students will become the main reproducing generation, it is good to educate them on the fact that this is a problem present in our society.  This unit will introduce students to concepts of exponential growth and decay as well as birth rate and death rate.  Students will explore exponential growth and decay functions hands-on using a simulation with candy or “buzz bugs” as they are sometimes referred to.  They will also have benchmark lessons that teach them how to make calculations using birth and death rate.  Students will also have a day of discussion where other causes of changes in population trends are discussed as well as students’ opinions on some current solutions for controlling the population.  The last week and a half of the lesson unit is devoted to working on a presenting a group project.  In this project, students will pick two countries and directly compare their population trends and possible dips or rises in the future to determine which country will overpopulate first.  The groups will present their findings to their peers. 

 

This unit is well designed to teach students these concepts because it gives them some background knowledge to get them started in the right direction but then sets them free to explore on their own.  Also, we have successfully taught the exponential growth lesson previously using the model candy population.  Students were able to grasp the concept because having a concrete physical model kept them engaged and willing to learn.

 

A possible problem in this unit that would need to be addressed would be if students did not have a firm grasp on functions in general.  This is why we have created two review days at the beginning of the unit.  This will give students a chance to review and further cement the material or catch-up and connect holes that might have been left by previous lessons.  Another issue that may arise would be if a group of students was having major problems working with one another.  However, once the countries have been chosen and the project started, it would be too late to switch the groups around.  Should students be unable to resolve their differences on their own we would step in and facilitate a discussion between the students and give ideas of how they can set their differences aside and work together as a group.  Should this fail, we would divide the work evenly among the group members, have them work on their own, and have them  just put it together in the end.

 

Calendar

 

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Week 1	Anchor Video and review of different functions	Finishing reviewing different functions	Buzz bugs activity (activity portion)	Continue Buzz bugs activity (discussion portion)	Simulation day on Computers
Week 2	Birth rate lesson	Death rate lesson	Discuss wars/plagues and how they effect population	Exponential growth and decay functions lesson	Continuation from Thursday
Week 3	Buzz bugs decay activity (activity portion)	Buzz bugs decay activity (discussion)	Discussion of cause and effects of population changes in real world	Final Project (where students chose two countries and compare their populations and decide which one will overpopulate first)	Work on Final Project (research)
Week 4	Work on Final Project	Work on Final Project	Finish Work and prepare for presentations	Final Presentations	Final Presentations

 

 

Potential Impact

 

Through this project, the entire class will be exposed to the problem of ovrepopulation.  Our main goal is that students will inform their fellow school classmates, friends, and parents of this widespread problem.  Hopefully then one day as informed citizens the students can go out and use their knowledge to find a solution to help the enormous problem at hand.  Directly impacted by this project will be the school teacher and her class of approximately 25 students, hopefully followed by an impact of countless community members.

 

Budget

 

 

·           Digital Camera (if possible more than one per class) - $400

·           Computers with Microsoft word or works program and internet access for each group of students in class - $1,600

·           Card Stock / 25 per class - $2

·           Graphing Calculator and LCD panel for each group of students in class - $400

·           Six colors of yarn / per class - $ 10

·           One roll of masking tape / for the day - $ 1

·           Ambassador cards (one card for each region per class) - $ 2

·           6 signs with names of regions: North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe (including Russia), Asia (excluding China), and China - $ 5

·           3x5 card showing the task for the advisory board / 1 per class - $ 1

·           1 bag of peanuts per class (to show calorie consumption per day; 1 peanut = 400 calories)  - $ 5

·           1 bag of chocolate kisses per class (to show GNP per country; 1 kiss = $500) - $ 3

·           1 bag of "Red Hots" or "Atomic fire balls" per class (to show energy consumption; 1 candy = 2 barrels of oil consumed per capita) - $ 3

·           5 Paper plates and/or plastic bags per class to hold the peanuts and candy for each region - $ 1

·           10 black balloons per class (to show CO₂ emissions per capita, metric tons; 1 balloon = 1 metric ton), string, rubber bands for each balloon - $ 10

·           10 Cups of water per class (to show percentage of people who have access to safe drinking water; clear water for safe water, colored water for unsafe) or use construction paper in the shape of glasses (with blue for safe and brown for unsafe water) - $ 1

·           Outline maps of the world and graph paper for students to graph information presented in the demonstration or laminated world maps and poker chips to be used to create three-dimensional graphs of the data. - $ 5

·           6 King Size Bags of Skittles for buzz bugs activity - $ 15

·           7 Boxes with lids - $14

·           25 Colored Pencils - $ 5

·           25 Overhead Transperancies - $ 3

·           25 Pieces of Big Paper - $ 5

 

v    Total: $2,491

 

 

Evaluation Plan

Our main goal is to introduce and educate the students about the growing problem of over-population in order to help inform others and try to find a possible solution.  We will know if we are achieving our goal by constant benchmarks that apply to the material learned that week.  Analysis of these benchmarks will ensure the students are grasping the underlying mathematical material we are setting out for them.  This is in hopes it will allow them to develop possible solutions to the problem at hand.  We will have a major evaluation that consists of a final project that enables the students to choose two different countries and compare their populations and decide which one will overpopulate first.  They will do this by researching the birth and death rate statistics, land area statistics and any other factors they feel influence the population.  The presentation will require them go before their classmates and introduce the research they did and then give a final analysis of what country they feel will overpopulate first.  We will be measuring the student’s ability to work in a collaborative atmosphere as well as their success in the student-centered and student-driven project.  We will constantly be monitoring all groups and document their project and progress.  We will interview the different group members weekly to check-up on project status.  We will have access to all of their projects and paper work which they complete in order to study and evaluate their progress.  The community and funders will also have access to the students work at all times in order to gain knowledge to the growing problem.  This will be possible through the schools website where the teachers will post a copy of a video-record of the student’s presentations and an html copy of the research and solutions paper their groups wrote.