LESSON PLANS ON AGING ISSUES:
    Creative Ways to Meet Social Studies Standards


Global History

Overview of Lesson Plans

The lessons work well as a series or each can stand alone. For a complete lesson plan and set of overheads
and/or student handouts, click on the appropriate link.

Lesson Plans
Description
Color overheads and worksheet activities demonstrate changing demographics across nations, including fertility, life expectancy and population proportion by age. Students identify demographic differences between less-developed and more-developed countries and discuss how changing world demographics influence their respective societies.
This lesson introduces the issue of aging and the role it plays in governmental decision making. Students choose two countries with different population structures and use included handouts/overheads to compare related political/economic/social systems and issues. Good stand-alone introduction to aging issues or follow up to "The Changing World Population."
Students consider the issues the Japanese government faces in caring for an aging population with the longest life expectancy in the world. Scenarios and demographic graphs illustrate the social, economic and political impact on women related to changing fertility rates and their role as primary caregivers for elderly parents. Students work in groups to uncover solutions and create an action plan.