Lesson Plan

Grades 6-8, 9-12

Good Old Days?

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1 hour

SUBJECTS: Science, Social Studies

TOPICS: Economics, Education, Fertility/Mortality, Energy, Population Density, Land Use, U.S. Population Trends/History, Urbanization

Resource Overview

Acting as presidents and residents from different points in U.S. history, students compare various statistics that have affected people’s health and wellbeing in the United States from 1800-2025.

Students will be able to:
  • State at least two factors that could be used to determine the relative wellbeing of people living in the United States.
  • Identify historical trends and impacts of quality of life indicators.
  • Draw connections between population growth, wealth, energy use, and environmental impacts.
Photo of US History: Pumping water by hand in 1942 from the sole water supply in this section of Wilder, TN

Features of This Resource

  • Students use ratios and statistics to understand demographic information and environmental impacts
  • Lesson is easy to modify by selecting which statistics and/or categories to cover
  • Engaging lesson for both U.S. History and APUSH

Supplemental Materials


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