India: Population Challenges

Students learn about India’s huge population. They work with population data to calculate population density and review other measures of a country’s development. They use layered maps to explain settlement patterns. Then they discuss the question of “overpopulation or underproduction?” and take a stand on the issue.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for India: Population Challenges:

The World Bank: Population Density
Additional resource for easy access to population density of all countries
Attributions

Engage

Overview:

In this experience, students learn about India’s huge population. They work with population data to calculate population density and review other measures of a country’s development. They use layered maps to explain settlement patterns. Then they discuss the question of “overpopulation or underproduction?” and take a stand on the issue.

Students should be divided into small groups for the first four scenes.

Objectives:

Explain India's patterns of settlement.
Identify problems caused by India’s huge population.

India has the largest population of any country on the planet. Currently, almost one out of every six people on Earth is from India. In this experience, you will examine this huge population and some of the challenges it presents.

Objectives:

Explain India's patterns of settlement
Identify problems caused by India’s huge population.

Old Delhi, India

Just how crowded is India?

Go to the World Factbook. You will need to use the Geography and the People and Society sections for both India and the United States to gather data.

If students use a calculator, it may not let them enter enough digits for India’s population. Point this out to them if their numbers are way off from the expected values.

Compare the population density of India to the United States. About how many more people live on every square kilometer of land?

A) about two times as many
B) about five times as many
C) about ten times as many
D) about fifty times as many

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.