Lesson Plan - India's Growing Pains

Build Background and Vocabulary

Before reading the article, have students take the five-question Prereading Quiz at junior.scholastic.com. The interactive quiz is self-scoring and will give an explanation after students answer each question. Then use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms developing nation, economy, projection, sanitation, standard of living, United Nations, and urban.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to mark causes of population growth with the letter C and effects with the letter E. (Or have students highlight that information using different colors.)

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• What does the graph “How They’ll Grow” reveal about population trends? (Interpreting Visual Information)
The graph shows that China currently has the largest population, with more than 1.4 billion people, but India is expected to have the largest population in 2050, with about 1.7 billion people. China is the only one of the six most populous countries that is expected to see a decline in population by 2050.

• How is India dealing with its growing population? (Key Details)
India has been trying to reduce its rate of population growth since becoming an independent country in 1947. In 1952, India became the first nation to use government programs to try to do that. One of the country’s main efforts has involved increasing education and employment opportunities for women. These investments can help women delay having children as well as limit the size of families and improve their standard of living.

Analyze a Population Map

Have students answer the questions about the map on pages 10-11 independently or in groups. Review answers. For more geography practice, find our Map Skills Boot Camp with 13 lessons at junior.scholastic.com/mapskills.

Assess Comprehension

Use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.