The Initial Resource Was Downloaded from Geointeractive and I Posted This on the School

Teacher instructions – Population Top Trumps

The initial resource was downloaded from Geointeractive and I posted this on the school intranet.

The Fruit machine random number / word generator was used to decide which continent each student concentrated on although I removed some continents with few countries from this as we went along.

Students then sat on tables with other students using the same continents – to ensure they all selected different countries. Australasia, North America and South America were finished early but I kept back Central America and the Caribbean to top up these continents [one child on each]. Each student researched 8 countries on that continent.

We used the Oxford Atlas [which didn’t have infant mortality or Life expectancy] and then the Philips Atlas for Life expectancy finally using Encarta World Atlas for Infant Mortality. Students finished their countries for homework mainly using the CIA-world fact book to find out any outstanding data. THIS TOOK 2 PERIODS – 1HOUR [you could probably use the population concern CD-Rom or numerous other websites]

Part 2 was to sit in the computer room, bring up the original file, [read only] type in the data – some needed to be reduced in font size to make it fit – and then e-mail to me attached with their name and the continent in the file name.

I checked these, stuck together a few incomplete pages, printed them and then photocopied them onto card. The students chopped them up with guillotines and scissors in their original groups and then played.

They really enjoyed finding their own cards and by the end of it had a really good idea of the order of some of the data. They played that the highest number won [yr8] although the obvious extension is to determine that the most developed statistic wins, or vice versa.

Many thanks to RM? Who produced the original idea, I hope this is a person and not a network. The idea could be adapted for the periodic table, kings and queens or numerous other geographical ideas. Enjoy

Mark OLLIS, Head of Geography - St Bees School, Cumbria

Population top trumps

Country:

/ Population top trumps

Country:

/ Population top trumps

Country:

/ Population top trumps

Country:

Land Area sq.km / Land Area sq.km / Land Area sq.km / Land Area sq.km
Total Population M / Total Population M / Total Population M / Total Population M
Population density / Population density / Population density / Population density
Birth Rate /1000 / Birth Rate /1000 / Birth Rate /1000 / Birth Rate /1000
Death Rate /1000 / Death Rate /1000 / Death Rate /1000 / Death Rate /1000
GNP US$ / GNP US$ / GNP US$ / GNP US$
Urban Population % / Urban Population % / Urban Population % / Urban Population %
Population top trumps

Country:

/ Population top trumps

Country:

/ Population top trumps

Country:

/ Population top trumps

Country:

Land Area sq.km / Land Area sq.km / Land Area sq.km / Land Area sq.km
Total Population M / Total Population M / Total Population M / Total Population M
Population density / Population density / Population density / Population density
Birth Rate /1000 / Birth Rate /1000 / Birth Rate /1000 / Birth Rate /1000
Death Rate /1000 / Death Rate /1000 / Death Rate /1000 / Death Rate /1000
GNP US$ / GNP US$ / GNP US$ / GNP US$
Urban Population % / Urban Population % / Urban Population % / Urban Population %