If the World Were a Village

Title: If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World's People, Second Edition
Author: David J. Smith
Illustrations: David J. Small
Published: Smith, D. J. (2011). If the world were a village: A book about the worlds people, Second edition. New York: Kids Can Press.
Themes: world, language, nationality, hundreds, religion, education, possessions, health, transportation

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What would it look like if the whole world -- all 7 billion of us -- was shurnk down into a village of 100 people? Who would live in this village? What would their lifestyle be life?

There's also a video that can be found on youtube which can help introduce this topic to your students:

Classrooms Ideas:
- Integrate this book into your social studies curriculum - how does Canada compare to other parts of the world? What are some of the difference and some of the similarities?
- Turn these statistics into fractions and decimals
- If Our Class Was a Village: have your class create their own book of statistics. Assign groups of students different aspects from the book and have them poll students in their class. Students can then collect their data via tally and frequency chart, graph their data and interpret their information. A great culminating!
- Higher Order Questions/Research (as listed in the book):
a) If there's really enough food in the world, why do some people still go hungry?
b) What is a country? Why are there so many new ones trying for autonomy?
c) Why do so many people want to live somewhere else? Where are people migrating to?
d) What forms of government do different countries have? Why are there so many different forms of government? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
- This site has a great list of activities - check them out!


What would you use this book for in your classroom?