Screenshot of video lesson plan "World of Difference" showing an example of a habitat circle with allotted resources

Habitat Scramble

In a role-playing simulation, students act as species in a habitat trying to survive by collecting cards that represent all… Read more »

Screengrab of gardening lab video lesson plan

Crowding Can Be Seedy

A simulation and gardening lab that gives students hands-on experience with the effects of increasing population density.

Screenshot of video lesson plan "For the Common Good" showing beads representing fish populations

How Many Fish in the Sea?

Students estimate a fish population (using goldfish crackers on a flat surface) by sampling.

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Chips of Trade" showing push and pull factors of migration

People on the Move

Students participate in a “push/pull” simulation to identify reasons people migrate from one place to another and analyze the similarities… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Who Polluted the Potomac?" showing interactive activity

Who Polluted the Potomac?

Watch the video to see Pop Ed staff walk you through the lesson. “Who Polluted the Potomac?” is an interactive… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Where Do We Grow From Here?" showing historical population growth on different continents

Where Do We Grow From Here?

Students discuss the UN’s population projections to explore how small changes in the fertility rate can produce significantly different future population sizes. Students… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Water, Water Everywhere" showing distribution of world's water between oceans, polar ice, and other reservoirs

Water, Water Everywhere

Students observe a brief demonstration on the distribution of the world’s water and then calculate how much water they use… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Unfair Race" socioeconomic conditions that relate to health, like number of physicians

Unfair Race

Representing different countries, students step forward or backward based on social and economic conditions in their borders, then consider which… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Timber!" showing role-play in deforestation demand and supply simulation

Timber!

In this role-playing simulation, students discover what happens to a forest when the demand for wood is greater than the… Read more »

PopEd Impact

64,000 educators trained
325 college
campuses
32,000 workshops conducted

"The activities not only bring out important content, but they also provide real-world context for environmental, population and sustainability issues. They engage participants in very thought-provoking and critical-thinking discussions.”

Helen de la Maza, Environmental Educator, Irvine, CA