Time Frame: 50 Minutes
Overarching Goals
The students learn about basic demographic indicators using practical examples and making simple calculations. These indicators are an important tool to measure, analyse and interpret demographic events with regard to birth rates, mortality, migration, etc. The application examples also illustrate possible future problems of our society and possible solutions for them.
Overarching Skills
- Calculate basic demographic indicators
- Observe, analyse, interpret
- Encourage critical thinking
- Develop one’s own point of view
Materials
Activity 1: Demographic Indicators (20 Minutes)
The students should receive two texts: One about infant mortality and one on how to calculate the birth rate. They can work on these texts either individually, in pairs or in small groups to answer the questions and present the results.
Activity 2: Calculating Birth Rate (10 Minutes)
The students interpret the data on the basis of questions and calculate the birth rate for the respective age groups. Then, they should create a graph based on the data.
Activity 3: Working with the App A Life Journey (20 Minutes)
The students should look at the chapter “We are family – aren’t we?” in the app A Life Journey and then answer questions related to the topic, either individually, with a partner or in a group. Following this, they should interpret a graph related to age-specific birth rates in Latvia, analyse the results and discuss the topic-relevant questions.
*To use the app in the classroom, the students need access to an iPhone or an iPad. The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store.*