Human Population Through Time
Videos
Grades6-APScience, History, Geography
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by American Museum of Natural History
What it is
- This video provides an animated map of human population growth and settlement locations throughout human history.
- It provides numerous historical references as the map continues to add one dot for every 1 million people added to the planet and it provides estimates for the future size of the human population.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The facts are presented clearly and the music in the background is captivating.
- Students get a very clear picture of how quickly human population growth increased over the last 200 years and the locations where our population is the most dense.
Additional Prerequisites
- There may be an advertisement at the beginning of the video.
- The teacher may want to download the video from the link provided to show offline.
Differentiation
- This resource could be used in a lesson that focuses on world history, human civilizations, population dynamics, sustainability, or biodiversity loss.
- Science and biology classes could use this video as an example of exponential growth and relate it to lessons about ecosystems and the natural factors that keep populations from growing exponentially.
- Other recommended resources include Globalization and the Environment, this video about empowering women, and this interactive table of climate solutions.
From the scientist review
The resource provides the history of human population growth and expansion from AD 1 - 2016. It is insightful to enable students to predict population growth or decline for 2100. The facts presented are accurate and this is recommended for teaching.
How we review resourcesReady to use it?
Hosted on amnh.org
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
