©2026 Thinking Nation
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| LESSON 12: Taking on Population Challenges | |
SUPPORTING QUESTION | How can communities respond to the challenges created by population growth? | |
FOCUS SKILL(S) | Contextualization Evaluating Arguments | |
MATERIALS | STUDENT Access to Inquiry Journal (Already handed out in Lesson 1) | |
DO FIRST | Option 1- Frayer: Biodiversity Option 2- Scenario Response | |
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ACTIVITY 1 - LAUNCH | To begin students will watch the video “How China is Designing Flood Resistant Cities” and answer guided questions relating to Sponge Cities. This video will help connect what students have learned about Sustainable Development Goals about climate to current initiatives in Asia. | |
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Population and Development: Daily Lesson Plan (90 Minutes)
©2026 Thinking Nation
thinkingnation.org
| LESSON 12: Taking on Population Challenges - Continued | |
ACTIVITY 2 - PRACTICE | Students will further their investigation into how people and groups are taking on population challenges. Students will practice evaluating arguments through a document analysis of John Ruwitch’s article, "Making Cities Spongy’.” Students will need to identify the claim of the article and then evaluate it using the C.L.A.I.M. protocol introduced in the previous activity. Students will complete the Evaluating Arguments Graphic Organizer. †This can also be done on the Thinking Nation platform. | |
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ACTIVITY 3 - EXHIBIT | Students will plan out the their CER paragraph for the Inquiry Journal using the CER Planning Template in their student worksheet. | |
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CONCLUSION | Students will reflect on their learning from the prior topic using the Unit 3 Inquiry Journal. Students will use page 6 to write a CER paragraph for the Compelling Question for Topic 3. | |
TEACHER ACTIONS
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Population and Development: Daily Lesson Plan (90 Minutes)
©2026 Thinking Nation
thinkingnation.org
| LESSON 12: Taking on Population Challenges - Continued | |
STANDARDS | 6.2 Analyze how the environment and physical geography shape human behaviors and identities 6.23 Assess the ways in which changes in land use over time have impacted the economy, ecology, population, exposure to disease or climate change in one region, country or city within Asia. 6.30 Identify Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), and assess options for individual and/or collective action to address the causes and impacts of a challenge facing a region, city or country in Asia. 6.68 Analyze the characteristics and causes of at least one contemporary issue facing the global community, compare proposals for addressing the issue, and propose a course of action for making change. | |
Population and Development: Daily Lesson Plan (90 Minutes)