AP® Human Geography ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE Teaching Module AP ® Human Geography ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE Teaching Module AP® with WE Service College Board College Board is a mission driven not for profit[.]
Action Plan
plan for achieving one local and one global action.
Take Action
It is essential to track students' progress and gather artifacts that document their efforts throughout the learning process Providing guidance when students encounter obstacles helps them overcome challenges and stay motivated Supporting students in maintaining their motivation is crucial for successful learning, and systematically collecting evidence of their work ensures their achievements are recognized and celebrated.
Report and Celebrate
and share their accomplishments Presentations and celebrations may be in your class or in the community.
Everyone is entitled to an adequate standard of living that ensures their health and well-being, including access to essential needs such as food, clothing, housing, and medical care This right also encompasses necessary social services and security in cases of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or situations beyond their control.
—UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (ARTICLE 25, PARA 1)
Getting to Know the Topic
Access to Health Care: Globally
Accessible healthcare is vital for community development, offering stability that enables parents to manage farms and businesses confidently When families have reliable health services, they can focus on providing for their children’s education and wellbeing, fostering economic growth and social stability Ensuring healthcare access supports overall community prosperity and resilience.
Simple preventive health measures, such as newborn vaccinations, maternal checkups, and essential vitamins, have the potential to save up to 6.6 million lives annually Despite their importance, many families worldwide lack access to basic healthcare services, leading to preventable illnesses and chronic health conditions in children Without adequate treatment, these children often experience missed school days, hindering their educational progress and long-term development Ensuring universal access to essential health interventions is crucial for improving global health outcomes and breaking the cycle of poverty and illness.
Immunization prevents between two to three million deaths every year, making it one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions.
45% of deaths among children under five occur in the first month of life, most of which are preventable
All UN Member States have agreed to try to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
Students can actively contribute to improving global health by taking initiative within their schools and communities Actions such as organizing awareness campaigns, fundraising for health projects, and volunteering with local health organizations can make a meaningful impact Educating peers about global health issues and advocating for accessible healthcare services are also effective ways to support developing communities worldwide By engaging in these activities, students help raise awareness and promote solutions that provide basic healthcare access to those in need.
Volunteer at an organization that works on global issues—many organizations offer ways to get involved on their websites and in their offices
Collect supplies (in consultation with the organization) or raise funds for an organization that will share the outcomes of the donations
Create a letter-writing campaign to the United Nations, government bodies, and other leaders to ask for added resources on the issue
Support and fundraise for the WE Villages program to make a meaningful impact on global issues Students can participate by visiting WE.org/servicelearningcampaigns, where they will find ideas and resources to take action and contribute to positive change worldwide.
Take your research to the next level!
Check out more info, resources, and stats on global access to health care at WE.org/globalhealth.
Half of the world’s population lacks access to health services
10 ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE MODULE FOR AP® HUMAN GEOGRAPHY AP® WITH WE SERVICE
Getting to Know the Topic PLAN
Access to Health Care: Locally
The 2017 Commonwealth Fund report highlights that the United States allocates significantly more spending on healthcare than other high-income nations, with costs steadily increasing over the past three decades Despite this high level of expenditure, the U.S population experiences poorer health outcomes compared to its global counterparts This disparity underscores ongoing challenges in healthcare efficiency and effectiveness within the country.
Research from the Research Council and Institute of Medicine highlights that America’s poor health is driven by multiple factors, including lack of health insurance, high poverty and income inequality rates, and environments designed around automobiles that reduce physical activity Additionally, unhealthy behaviors such as consuming high-calorie diets further contribute to the nation’s health challenges.
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans skip medical treatments due to cost
In 2018, 27.5 million Americas did not have health insurance.
National health expenditure (in 2018) was $3.6 trillion or or $11,172 per person
That represents 17.7% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the year.
Within their local or national community, students can:
Work with a local organization addressing the topic of community health
Collect goods and items that support good health—like toothpaste, toothbrushes, bandages, and vitamins—for a local homeless shelter
Create and deliver an educational workshop to raise awareness about the topic and its local impact, with a strong call to action that leads to enacting change
Among 11 high-income countries surveyed, the U.S ranks last overall on five key health issues and is the only one without universal
Global and Local Service Projects
For more than two decades, WE Villages has been engineering an international development model to end poverty
It works It’s proven It’s scalable.
We partner with developing communities worldwide to implement projects that break the cycle of poverty through our five Pillars of Impact: Education, Water, Health, Food, and Opportunity These pillars target the root causes of poverty with holistic and sustainable solutions, empowering families and transforming communities By addressing key areas such as access to quality education, clean water, healthcare, nutrition, and economic opportunities, we create lasting change that promotes community resilience and growth.
Health care and health education provide the foundation that every community needs to develop stable businesses, successful schools and diets, and habits for reducing the prevalence of disease
Access to healthcare significantly improves students' academic performance by reducing preventable illnesses that cause them to miss classes When children are healthy, they can consistently attend school and keep up with their studies, leading to better educational outcomes Ensuring healthcare access is essential for supporting students' ability to learn and succeed academically.
Health and hygiene education helps families learn how to treat drinking water and stop the spread of waterborne illness through proper handwashing.
Health and nutrition workshops teach families how a balanced diet supports long-term health, especially when it comes to children’s early growth and development
Preventive medicine is essential for families to avoid costly medical emergencies and ensure sustainable financial planning Addressing health issues early can prevent prolonged illnesses that often lead to significant medical expenses In developing communities, unmanageable healthcare costs are a leading factor contributing to the closure of family businesses, emphasizing the importance of preventive care for economic stability.
12 ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE MODULE FOR AP® HUMAN GEOGRAPHY AP® WITH WE SERVICE
This module equips students with the ability to analyze how access to healthcare is influenced by population and demographic factors By understanding these relationships, students will deepen their knowledge of AP® Human Geography concepts, enhancing their comprehension of how demographic changes impact healthcare accessibility worldwide.
Ensure students are collecting evidence of their work as they go along The following list includes pieces of work you may want to collect throughout the year:
As presented in the Introduction, this teaching module contains four parts These are also the four rubric topics you will assess your students on in the digital portfolio:
Students undertake a student-led investigation of a pressing local or global issue, critically analyzing current programs that address the problem This process involves evaluating the effectiveness of these initiatives and making clear connections to AP course content, fostering a deeper understanding of the issue’s broader context Conducting such research encourages analytical skills, civic engagement, and an informed perspective on global and community challenges.
Part 2: Action Plan involves creating a realistic strategy to implement both a global and a local action, focusing on direct service, indirect service, or advocacy efforts This plan should outline specific tasks, assign responsibilities, identify necessary resources, and establish a clear timeline to ensure successful execution.
Part 3: Take Action: Participates in a project that has local and global significance, involving direct service, indirect service, and/or advocacy
Part 4 focuses on documenting and celebrating the service learning project by creating a comprehensive portfolio that highlights the project's impact and significance This portfolio serves as a reflection of students’ efforts and the meaningful change they contributed to Additionally, students are encouraged to organize and participate in a celebration to acknowledge their achievements and share their experiences, fostering a sense of pride and community Properly reporting and celebrating the project not only enhances students' understanding of their service but also amplifies its lasting impact.
Throughout Parts 1–4, activities that are required for the Recognition Rubric are labeled with an icon (see Icon
Legend on page 17) Optional activities that will help students design and complete their service projects, but are
Based on the AP ® Human Geography Course and Exam Description, here are the particular learning concepts addressed in this module:
Enduring Understandings are the intended long-term takeaways related to the big ideas that leave a lasting impression on students.
• PSO-2 Understanding where and how people live is essential to understanding global, cultural, political, and economic patterns.
• IMP-2 Changes in population are due to mortality, fertility, and migration, which are influenced by the interplay of environmental, economic, cultural, and political factors.
Learning Objectives define what a student needs to be able to do with content knowledge in order to progress toward the enduring understanding.
• PSO-2.B Define methods geographers use to calculate population density.
• IMP-2.A Explain factors that account for contemporary and historical trends in population growth and decline.
• IMP-2.B Explain theories of population growth and decline.
• SPS-2.B Explain how the changing role of females has demographic consequences in different parts of the world.
Essential Knowledge statements describe the knowledge required to perform the learning objective.
• PSO-2.D.1 Population distribution and density affect political, economic, and social processes, including the provision of services such as medical care.
• PSO-2.C.1 The method used to calculate population density reveals different information about the pressure the population exerts on the land.
• IMP-2.A.1 Demographic factors that determine a population’s growth and decline are fertility, mortality, and migration.
• IMP-2.B.1 The demographic transition model can be used to explain population change over time.
• IMP-2.B.2 The epidemiological transition explains causes of changing death rates.
• SPS-2.B.1 Changing social values and access to education, employment, health care, and contraception have reduced fertility rates in most parts of the world.
• SPS-2.B.1 Changing social, economic, and political roles for females have influenced patterns of fertility, mortality, and migration, as illustrated by Ravenstein’s laws of migration.
14 ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE MODULE FOR AP® HUMAN GEOGRAPHY AP® WITH WE SERVICE
Connections to AP ® Human Geography Focus Areas
Based on AP® Chief Reader commentary from previous AP® Human Geography Exams, certain content areas are identified as more challenging for students and are designated as focus areas These focus areas represent key concepts that require targeted emphasis to enhance understanding and exam performance Throughout the module, activities are highlighted specifically to address these focus areas, ensuring students develop a strong grasp of the most critical topics in the AP® Human Geography course Incorporating targeted activities for these focus areas is essential for comprehensive exam preparation and success.
Move beyond identifying and defining to conceptualizing, synthesizing, and applying
Explain the implications of models
Describe the relationship between connections within concepts, models, and real-world situations
Solve problems using fundamental geography concepts
Based on the WE Learning Framework, here are the particular WE Service concepts addressed in this module.
UNDERSTAND THAT STUDENTS WILL BE SKILLED AT STUDENTS WILL KNOW THAT
• Social issues are complex and, therefore, research is essential to understanding them
• Oftentimes local and global issues are interconnected
• Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions
• People have a civic identity, which provides opportunities for public action
• Serving the greater community can be meaningful for the individual and the community
• Creating social change happens through a set of skills, including creating action plans
• Carrying out an action plan requires personal and group resilience
• Individual behavior and decisions toward a social issue impact the larger global context of that issue
• Working collaboratively with community partners (where applicable)
• Researching an identified social issue on local and global levels
• Successfully implementing an action plan
• Educating others (classmates, community partners, school, etc.) about a social issue
• Presenting actions and results to wider audiences
• Reflecting on learning about the social issue
• Reflecting on working to create social change
• AP® course content is relevant to addressing social issues and topics, and provides knowledge toward creating working solutions
• There are organizations working for change on many social issues
• They have an important role to play as students, employees, volunteers, and citizens making a positive impact on their local and global community
See full WE Learning Framework and details at WE.org/learning-framework.
16 ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE MODULE FOR AP® HUMAN GEOGRAPHY AP® WITH WE SERVICE
As described in the AP ® with WE Service Program Guide, the WE Learning Framework identifies the most relevant core skills students will develop as they progress through this module.
Throughout each part of this module, look for these additional icons to identify the following opportunities and notes:
Suggestions for ways to implement or modify the activities with students.