Reading Graphs in Social Studies

Here is a sample of a modified 7th grade assignment. Students with even mild cognitive impairments have trouble generalizing new vocabulary and thinking of the question in words they understand. Instead of reading a graph from the textbook to find information, students could just get more familiar with the concept of population. Some students may be able to gain some information but not be able to answer sophisticated questions. Many students with mild cognitive impairments have been exposed to graphs. This is just a sample. It will need to be adjusted to each teacher's assignments and textbook. Note: When making your assignment, allow for a lot of space to write answers. Consider using a bigger font.


World Population Growth

What is population?
Population is the number of people in a place.

Rewrite each question.

SAMPLE: What is the population at my school?
How many people are in my school?

What is the population in Michigan?

What is the population in the United States?

What is the population in the world?


Look at the graph. Remember in math how we look at a graph before we answer the questions. We ask ourselves, "What do I already know about this graph?" That's what you need to write down about the population graph.

If we are going to run out of space in our world, what do you think countries should do?

Now ask your teacher the last question or find the answer in your book.