New
New
Year 5

The impact of population growth (non-statutory)

I can describe the impact of a growing population on our planet and make predictions for the future.

New
New
Year 5

The impact of population growth (non-statutory)

I can describe the impact of a growing population on our planet and make predictions for the future.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Population growth is the increase in the number of humans on Earth over time.
  2. The growing population has been driven largely by the increase in human life expectancy.
  3. Plotting data into a line graph can help to make predictions of population growth for the future.
  4. Population growth can lead to increased demand for food, loss of habitats and more production of greenhouse gases.

Keywords

  • Population - The population of a place is all of the people living there.

  • Life expectancy - Life expectancy is the measure of how long a person may live.

  • Impact - The impact of something is the effect it has.

  • Prediction - A prediction is a statement saying what you think will happen.

  • Greenhouse gases - Gases which contribute towards global warming are called greenhouse gases.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that population size is only affected by the number of people being born.

Use the lesson resources to explain that many factors have an impact on population size, with the main contributing factor currently being the increase in life expectancy.

There are lots of websites and picture books which show what a million dots looks like. Share these with children to help them understand the huge scale of the numbers we are talking about in this lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None needed.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
The planet that all humans live on is called .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: Earth, planet Earth
Q2.
What is life expectancy?
Correct answer: the measure of how long a person may live
the measure of how many humans there are on Earth
the measure of a person’s height over time
Q3.
When something increases, what does this mean?
it shrinks or gets smaller
Correct answer: it grows or gets bigger
it stays the same
it gets folded up
Q4.
Scientists can use line graphs to make predictions about what may happen in future. What is a prediction?
An image in a quiz
the findings from research
a question about what might happen
an estimate or guess about a number
Correct answer: a statement about what might happen
Q5.
Life expectancy is now than it was in the past because of a lot of factors, such as better diets and more access to healthcare.
Correct answer: higher
lower
Q6.
Which type of diagram is best for showing how something changes over time?
a bar chart
a Venn diagram
Correct answer: a line graph
a table

6 Questions

Q1.
Gases which contribute towards climate changes are called gases.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: greenhouse, green house
Q2.
Which of these is the main factor contributing to population growth?
more babies being born
Correct answer: people living longer
more houses being built
more food being produced
Q3.
What is population growth?
the increase in average human height over time
the increase in average human mass over time
Correct answer: the increase in the number of humans on Earth over time
the increase in life expectancy of humans over time
Q4.
Which of these things would not increase as the global population grows?
Correct answer: spaces for wildlife habitats
electricity use
waste production
demand for food
Q5.
Which of these things would lead to more greenhouse gases being produced?
Correct answer: increased electricity use
Correct answer: increased use of cars
increased recycling
increased number of babies being born
increased conservation
Q6.
Alex has created a line graph showing changes in population from 1900 – 2023. Which of these can he do using his line graph?
Correct answer: make predictions about the population size of the future
see how big the global population was in 1700
Correct answer: observe how population has changed over time
understand the reasons for population growth