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The 2010 Census Is Coming!

Subjects

Arts & Humanities
--Language Arts
Mathematics
--Applied Math
--Arithmetic
--Measurement
--Statistics
Social Studies
--Civics
--Current Events
--Economics
--Geography
--Government
--History
----U.S. History

Grades

Grades 2-up

News Content

An accurate population count is extremely important to states, cities, and neighborhoods.

Anticipation Guide

Write the word census on a board or chart. Ask students if they know what the word means. If needed, provide a dictionary definition, for example, an official count of all the people living in a country or district.

If it is helpful, you might take a class census. Get a count of students. Then collect additional census" information such as the

  • number of boys and number of girls;
  • number of students with blonde hair, brown hair, and black hair;
  • number of students wearing sneakers vs. shoes; or
  • number of students whose favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate.

Finally, write U.S. Census Bureau on a board or chart. Explain that the U.S. Census Bureau is the government agency charged with carrying out a census of the U.S. population every ten years. As a lead in to this weeks News for Kids story, ask Why do you think it is important to get a precise count of the number of people who live in the United States? Accept reasoned responses. The News for Kids story will make the primary reasons quite clear.

News Words

Next, introduce these words that appear in the News Word Box on the students printable page: accurate, residence, representative, data, determine, and services. Discuss the meanings of any of those words that might be unfamiliar. Then ask students to use one of those words to complete each of these sentences:

  • When you are asked to solve a math word problem, how do you _____ whether to add or subtract? (determine)
  • Tax preparation, financial planning, and debt collection are just a few of the _____ that the bank offers to its account holders. (services)
  • In late May, Grandpa and Gram are going to head up to their summer _____ by the lake. (residence)
  • Now that we have collected all the _____, we need to input it so we can print out a spreadsheet. (data)
  • Who is your towns _____ in Washington? (representative)
  • Sally got lost on her way to the airport because the directions she was given were not very _____. (accurate)
  • Read the News

    Click for a printable version of this weeks news story The 2010 Census Is Coming!.

    More Facts to Share

    The 2010 Census
    You might share this video about the upcoming census, especially if your students live in large cities or rural areas where their parents and others might not be aware of the importance of the census to their communities.

    You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this weeks news story.

  • The U.S. Constitution requires that a census be undertaken every 10 years. In March of 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico.
  • An accurate census count is important to states and communities for a wide range of reasons. Beyond the reasons covered in this weeks news story, people from all walks of life refer to census data as they try to make the case for rescue efforts, disease prevention, market research, company relocation, and thousands of other reasons.
  • Some people fear giving out personal information to the Census Bureau or a census taker. But any personal data provided as part of the U.S. Census is protected by federal law. The information cannot be used for any purpose other than collecting and reporting population data.
  • In previous censuses, one in six households received a more detailed census form that asked for more detailed information. But this year every resident will receive the same form with the same ten questions about name, gender, age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship, and length of time at the current residence.
  • The cost of administering the census is projected to be about $11.3 billion. See a chart that compares the costs of previous censuses.
  • The census will determine the number of seats (Representatives) each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. (This also affects the number of votes each state has in the Electoral College.) Current projections indicate that eight states with growing populations are likely to gain seats/Representatives. Those states and the number of seats expected to be gained (and the total number of seat for the state) are indicated below:

  • --- Texas +4 (36)
    --- Arizona +1 (9)
    --- Florida +1 (26)
    --- Georgia +1 (14)
    --- Nevada +1 (4)
    --- South Carolina +1 (9)
    --- Utah +1 (4)
    --- Washington +1 (10)
    Ten states are projected to lose population and seats:
    --- Illinois -1 (18)
    --- Iowa -1 (4)
    --- Louisiana -1 (6)
    --- Massachusetts -1 (9)
    --- Michigan -1 (14)
    --- Minnesota -1 (7)
    --- New Jersey -1 (12)
    --- New York -1 (28)
    --- Pennsylvania -1 (18)
    --- Ohio -2 (16)

    Use the News

    Print out this weeks Use the News printable activity page for students. Or use the questions on that page to check student comprehension.

    Answer Key
    Use the News: Reading Comprehension. 1.c, 2.b, 3.c, 4.a, 5.d.
    Language Practice: Find the Mistakes.
    1. This years census form asks questions about each family members age, date of birth, and race. (comma added)
    2. Census forms are mailed to every residence in the United States.
    3. The U.S. government needs accurate census data so it can spend its money fairly. (the contraction form of its [it is] is not needed here)
    4. How many Representatives do you think California will have after the census results are known? (period replaced by question mark)
    5. The population of Texas is growing, but the population of Ohio isnt. (apostrophe added to contraction)
    More Language Practice: Building Vocabulary. 1.a, 2.d, 3.b, 4.c.

    2010 Census: More Teaching Resources

    Census in Schools
    This resource from the U.S. Census Bureau includes resources for kids, teens, and teachers.

    2010 Census: United States
    Scholastic provides these resources for teachers.

    2010 Census for Kids
    Here are Scholastics student resources.

    Assessment

    Use the Comprehension Check (above) as an assessment. Or have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Think About the News question on the news story page.

    Lesson Plan Source

    Education World

    National Standards

    LANGUAGE ARTS: English
    GRADES K - 12
    NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
    NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.7 Evaluating Data
    NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills
    NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.11 Participating in Society
    NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

    MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
    GRADES Pre-K - 2
    NM-NUM.PK-2.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
    GRADES 3 - 5
    NM-NUM.3-5.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
    GRADES 6 - 8
    NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
    GRADES 9 - 12
    NM-NUM.9-12.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems

    MATHEMATICS: Data Analysis and Probability
    GRADES Pre-K - 2
    NM-DATA.PK-2.1 Formulate Questions That Can Be Addressed With Data and Collect, Organize, and Display Relevant Data to Answer
    NM-DATA.PK-2.2 Select and Use Appropriate Statistical Methods to Analyze Data
    GRADES 3 - 5
    NM-DATA.3-5.1 Formulate Questions That Can Be Addressed With Data and Collect, Organize, and Display Relevant Data to Answer
    NM-DATA.3-5.3 Develop and Evaluate Inferences and Predictions That Are Based on Data
    GRADES 6 - 8
    NM-DATA.6-8.1 Formulate Questions That Can Be Addressed With Data and Collect, Organize, and Display Relevant Data to Answer
    NM-DATA.6-8.3 Develop and Evaluate Inferences and Predictions That Are Based on Data
    GRADES 9 - 12
    NM-DATA.9-12.1 Formulate Questions That Can Be Addressed With Data and Collect, Organize, and Display Relevant Data to Answer
    NM-DATA.9-12.3 Develop and Evaluate Inferences and Predictions That Are Based on Data

    MATHEMATICS: Representation
    GRADES Pre-K - 12
    NM-REP.PK-12.1 Create and Use Representations to Organize, Record, and Communicate Mathematical Ideas

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: Civics
    GRADES K - 4
    NSS-C.K-4.1 What Is Government?
    NSS-C.K-4.3 Principles of Democracy
    NSS-C.K-4.5 Roles of the Citizen

    GRADES 5 - 8
    NSS-C.5-8.1 Civic Life, Politics, and Government
    NSS-C.5-8.3 Principles of Democracy
    NSS-C.5-8.5 Roles of the Citizen
    GRADES 9 - 12
    NSS-C.9-12.1 Civic Life, Politics, and Government
    NSS-C.9-12.3 Principles of Democracy
    NSS-C.9-12.5 Roles of the Citizen

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: Economics
    GRADES K - 4
    NSS-EC.K-4.3 Allocating Goods and Services
    NSS-EC.K-4.17 Cost of Government
    GRADES 5 - 8
    NSS-EC.5-8.3 Allocating Goods and Services
    NSS-EC.5-8.17 Cost of Government
    GRADES 9 - 12
    NSS-EC.9-12.3 Allocating Goods and Services
    NSS-EC.9-12.17 Cost of Government

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography
    GRADES K - 12
    NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
    NSS-G.K-12.6 Uses of Geography

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History
    GRADES K - 4
    NSS-USH.K-4.3 The History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the People from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic, and Political Heritage
    GRADES 5 - 12
    NSS-USH.5-12.10 Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 to the Present)

    See recent news stories in Education Worlds News Story of the Week Archive.


    Article by Gary Hopkins
    Education World®
    Copyright © 2010 Education World

    02/04/2010