1. Considering Global Population Growth and the Future of Earth by Janet Hall, OKAGE TC The More the Merrier?

2. Q. How many people are there in the world? A. about 6,900,000,000 as of October 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/trichur-pooram-crowd_pod_image.html

3. At this point, do the “How Big is a Billion” activity with your students. Show students a level teaspoon with uncooked rice grains. Ask: How many grains do you think are in here? There are about 200 grains.

4. Then show students a cup of uncooked rice grains. Ask: How many grains do you think are in here? There are about 9,600 grains.

5. Next, show students a gallon container. How many grains do you think would fit in here? (There are 16 cups in a gallon.) There are about 153,600 grains.

6. How many gallons would it take to equal 1 million grains of rice? It takes about 6 ½ gallons.

7. Ask: So if it takes 6 ½ gallons to make about 1 million grains of rice, how many gallons would it take to make 1 b illion grains of rice? About 6,500 gallons

8. So how many gallons of rice would it take to equal 7 billion? It would take about 45,500 gallons of grains of rice.

9. Most of the world’s population growth has happened in the past 200 years. http://naturalpatriot.org/2008/10/ Earth today has almost 7 billion people.

10. FREE on YouTube: "A Graphic Simulation of the History of Human Population"

11. http://www.joshuaproject.net/world-clock.php Fun web site!

12. POLITICAL CARTOONS ON POPULATION ISSUES

13. Political cartoons are always about opinion – the cartoonist’s opinion. To understand the opinion of the cartoonist, you must see the cartoonists use of images, labels, and captions. http://www.greenberg-art.com/.Toons/.Toons,%20Environ/qqxsgPopulation_Congrats.gif

14. http://agoodhuman.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/environment-1-the-issue-of-human-population-growth/ Look for labels on people or things. Notice the images. people of different cultures a bag of groceries Read the caption.

15. What opinion is this cartoonist expressing? http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=library&page=flynn_29_1 Images: people labels captions

16. http://www.newsart.com/em/personal/eleanor.htm Notice the images. Any labels? Any caption?

17. What is this cartoonist’s opinion? Whom is this cartoonist challenging? http://2stepstowardsmadness.blogspot.com/

18. And what is the opinion in this last one? http://www.foresthistory.org/Education/Curriculum/activity/activ8/cartoons.htm

19. What issues need to be addressed in a world with a rapidly growing population?

20. Assignment: Create a poster, flyer, or brochure on needs of the world related to our rapidly growing population.