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=**Population Project - Extension from //Among the Hidden//**=

Can shadow children really exist? Is there any truth to the Population Police? Can a society really control the number of children that a couple can have? Does the United States have a population problem? After reading the novel Among the Hidden, I'm sure that one or all of these questions have popped into your head. This WebQuest will attempt to answer all of your questions about the population problems of our world.
 * __INTRODUCTION:__**

Welcome to Washington! The President of the United States has formed a committee to investigate the population problems of the United States. You and three other members of this committee will be persuading the president about creating or terminating the possibility of a population control program. He is relying on you and the other member's research about China's control program in order to make a decision. Before making your presentation to the president, you must research this topic by answering the following questions: 1. Define population density. What two factors cause a change in population? 2. Who was Thomas Robert Malthus? Describe his theory about population growth. 3. When was China's family planning policy put into effect? 4. Briefly describe China's planning policy. 5. Why is the policy followed more closely in urban areas compared to rural areas? 6. Briefly explain two negative effects of China's family planning policy. 7. Briefly explain two positive effects of China's family planning policy. 8. How are families rewarded in China for only having one child? 9. If a family in China has more than one child, what are the penalties?
 * __TASK:__**

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 * __RESOURCES:__**

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1. Read through the resources that I have provided you and your group members. 3. With your group members, choose a position on population control. Is your group for or against population control?
 * __PROCESS:__**
 * 2. Answer the 9 questions in a complete sentence. You may work together on obtaining the answers, but each group member must have their own paper. ||
 * 4. Based on your decision, create a poster persuading the president to believe your position. ||


 * 5. Present your poster to the president (that's me) and the rest of congress (the class). ||

At the conclusion of this unit, students will be evaluated on the answers to their questions and most importantly their poster. A rubric will be used to assess the students on their poster. This rubric can also serve as a guide to assist students in creating their poster.
 * __EVALUATION:__**

After reading __Among the Hidden__ and completing this WebQuest, I hope that you have become more aware of issues pertaining to population control. Now that you know of one country that initiates this program, you might be curious to know what other countries have a population control program. The most important lesson that I hope you learned is how much you should appreciate living in the United States with all of the freedoms that we have! Discussion Questions: 1. What fact about China's population control program did you find most astonishing?
 * __CONCLUSION:__**

2. Did anyone's opinion change about population control programs after completing this WebQuest?

3. Which character do you most resemble from the novel, Luke or Jen? Why?

4. How would Jen or Luke deal with China's program?

5. Which article did you agree with the most when researching?

6. What can you tell me about internet resources? How are some different from a book or encyclopedia?

7. Now that you have seen all of the presentations, which one did you find most persuasive? Why?