It's Census Time: Census Lesson Plans

The U.S. Census is as old as our democracy. Instituted by our founding fathers, the Census was designed to guarantee that every American have equal representation. The original Census was collected on horseback, and the makeup of the House of Representatives was determined by this collection of this data. Today, Census statistics are used to determine proper funding amounts, including money for education, a priority for teachers, students, and parents.

Census information is done through the mail today. Many people fear that the information will be used against them, and, therefore, don't fill it out. Census workers sometimes have to follow up by visiting people's homes to get the necessary information. Teachers can educate their students about the Census, and how the information is used. Your local Census office can provide you with background information.

Now is also an excellent time to contact your local Census Bureau, and ask if someone can come and speak to your students. It's a once in a decade opportunity. They can talk about the history of the Census, the way the Census has developed, and the new equipment that a modern enumerator may utilize. Students seem to be captivated by the thought of a process that happens so regularly, yet infrequently. They also enjoy seeing how the census taker uses their hand-held computer.

The wonderful thing about teaching about the Census is that it offers ample opportunity for cross-discipline education, and allows for team teaching possibilities. You can tie in history, geography, sociology, economics, math and computer science when you are discussing the Census. The following are some lessons that can lead to such connections.

Census Lesson Plans:

The Demographics of Immigration: Using United States Census Data 

This unit is a great one to teach high school classes about the Census. This study follows patterns of immigration throughout American history by using Census created computer files to show the evolution of immigration to the United States. It allows students to express their findings in different types of graphs and charts, thus teaching students several methods of interpreting data from the census facts and figures. Not only do students become acquainted with American immigration patterns, but by graphing, and using census data, students learn how to interpret such statistical measurements.

Time Changes Everything

This lesson features activities for statistics with Census data. It is perfect for use as a social studies or math lesson. The authors utilize data collected over the last one hundred years to introduce secondary students to the changes our population has gone through. Journaling about the data is another priority of this lesson, giving students the opportunity to express what they've deciphered about the changes in population density, age, race and socio-economic background.  

Personal Space- A Population Density Study

This lesson expands the use of Census data from that of the U.S. Census to data collected throughout the world. This unit is designed to be taught over an eight week period, once a week. Students gain technological skills using the Internet and PowerPoint by utilizing and presenting graphical and mathematical data. These lessons can also broaden their knowledge of the diversity of world populations. This lesson can be adapted for older students.