Making Sense of Census 2000 This teaching guide will help you to: * bring the census to life for your students * teach skills that correlate with * national standards * fulfill curriculum requirements * demonstrate the importance and many * benefits of the census * navigate the U.S. Census Bureau Web site This is Your Future. Don't Leave It Blank. 41-@- Scope and Sequence STRAND 1: MAP LITERACY LESSON: A History of the Census OBJECTIVE: Students will compare historical maps and draw (Grades 5-6) conclusions. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: History and Geography SKILLS: Analyzing historical maps STANDARDS*: Analyzing Historical Maps, Time, Continuity, and Change, People, Places, and Environment, and Human Systems LESSON: Where We Live(Grades 7-8) OBJECTIVE: Students will use special purpose maps to analyze population densities and shifts. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: History and Geography SKILLS: Understanding special purpose maps STANDARDS*: Time, Continuity, and Change, Patterns and Relationships, People, Places, and Environment, The World in Spatial Terms, and Human Systems STRAND 2: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT LESSON: Fill in Your Future OBJECTIVE: Students will explore the theme of Census 2000 (Grades 5-6) by designing a billboard. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Civics and Government, Art, Language Arts SKILLS: Thinking creatively STANDARDS*: Civic Ideals and Practices, Power, Authority, and Governance LESSON: Making Plans(Grades 7-8) OBJECTIVE: Students will use real-life problem-solving skills to select a site for a new school. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Civics and Government, Geography SKILLS: Real-Life Problem Solving, Analyzing Data STANDARDS*: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions, Production, Distribution, and Consumption, People, Places, and Environment, and the Uses of Geography STRAND 3: MANAGING DATA LESSON: Create Your Own Form OBJECTIVE: Students will create their own "mock" census (Grades 5-6) form, then analyze data they gather from it. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Math, Civics and Government, Geography SKILLS: Thinking creatively, collecting data, analyzing data STANDARDS*: Civic Ideals and Practices, Power, Authority, and Governance LESSON: Graph It! OBJECTIVE: Students will evaluate and display data they gathered (Grades 7-8) from their own "mock" census form. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Math, Civics and Government, Geography SKILLS: Creating percents and circle graphs, analyzing data, and organizing data STANDARDS*: Statistics, Mathematics as Communication * NCSS Social Studies Standards, NCTM Math Standards, and the Geography Education Standards Project Geography Standards. Table of Contents Map Literacy-History/Geography Lesson 1(Grades 5-6) A History of the Census ............................ 3 Analyzing Historical Maps Lesson 2(Grades 7-8) Where We Live ...................................... 6 Understanding Special Purpose Maps Community Involvement-Civics and Government/Art/Language Arts/Geography Lesson 3(Grades 5-6) Fill in Your Future ................................ 9 Thinking Creatively Lesson 4(Grades 7-8) Making Plans ....................................... 12 Real-Life Problem Solving/Analyzing Data Managing Data-Math/Civics and Government/Geography Lesson 5(Grades 5-6) Create Your Own Form .............................. 15 Thinking Creatively/Collecting and Analyzing Data Lesson 6(Grades 7-8) Graph It! .......................................... 18 Creating Percents and Circle Graphs/Analyzing and Organizing Data Additional Resources ....................... Inside Back Cover These lessons have been stepped to help you teach and apply this material to the appropriate grade level for your class. How to Use This Guide The lessons in this guide introduce students to Census 2000 with high-interest, grade-level appropriate activities designed to meet your curricular needs. Students will learn what a census is and why it's important to them, their families, and the community. Lesson planning at a glance-Your Scope and Sequence (on the inside front cover) provides an at-a-glance summary of the lessons in this book. These lessons are designed to support your classroom goals, and are divided into three learning strands: Map Literacy, Community Involvement, and We Count! Managing Data. The Scope and Sequence identifies skills, objectives, wall map national standards, and curriculum areas for each lesson. Map, computer, and library icons allow you to quickly see which lessons interface with the We Count! wall map, and those that Internet offer special enhancements using Internet and library resources. Customized for your classroom-Each lesson in this guide consists of a teacher lesson plan and two reproducible activity pages. Because students in grades 5-8 have attained different degrees of mastery, the lessons in each strand have been stepped (one lesson aimed at grades 5-6; one lesson aimed at grades 7-8), allowing you to tailor your teaching to the individual needs of your students. Before you begin-This teaching guide is based on a unifying concept: The census makes a difference for our community. Before you begin using the lessons, write this concept on the board. Explain that information gathered by the census helps America learn what America needs. Extension Activities-Many lesson plan pages contain one or more Extension Activities designed to enhance students' experience and understanding of the census beyond the classroom. These activities often make use of the vast stores of information available at the official U.S. Census Bureau Web site (see below) and will make it possible to incorporate updated Census 2000 information into lessons. Using the Web site-The U.S. Census Bureau Web site (www.census.gov) is easy to use and can provide students and teachers with a wide variety of information on characteristics of the U.S. population. For example: Starting on the home page, click on "Estimates" under the box labeled "People." In this category, choose "States." Students can work with the data found on screen or the data can be printed out for easier use. In addition, teachers can access the lessons from all three Census 2000 Teaching Guides (K-4, 5-8, and 9-12) on the Census Bureau Web site. The Census 2000 questionnaire may also be viewed on this site. | |
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