Making Sense of Census 2000 This teaching guide will help you to: * fulfill curriculum requirements * teach skills that correlate with national standards * navigate the U.S. Census Bureau Web site * bring the census to life for your students * drive home the importance and many benefits of the census This is Your Future. Don't Leave It Blank. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE STRAND 1: MAP LITERACY LESSON: Size It Up(Grades 9-10) OBJECTIVE: Students will read and use a U.S. population cartogram. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Geography SKILLS: Reading a cartogram STANDARDS*: People, Places, and Environment, Time, Continuity, and Change, The World in Spatial Terms LESSON: Make Your Own Map OBJECTIVE: Students will create a thematic map to compare (Grades 11-12) statistical data. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Geography, Math, and Art SKILLS: Using thematic maps STANDARDS*: People, Places, and Environment, Individuals, Groups, and Institutions, The World in Spatial Terms, Human Systems STRAND 2: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT LESSON: Future Focus(Grades 9-10) OBJECTIVE: Students will discuss the importance of the census, then design an advertisement for Census 2000. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Civics and Government, Art, Language Arts SKILLS: Thinking creatively STANDARDS*: Civic Ideals and Practices, Individuals, Groups, and Institutions LESSON: District Decisions OBJECTIVE: Students will learn about reapportionment and (Grades 11-12) redistricting, then debate how congressional districts should be drawn. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Civics and Government, Geography SKILLS: Thinking Creatively STANDARDS*: Power, Authority, and Governance, Time, Continuity, and Change, Human Systems, The Uses of Geography STRAND 3: MANAGING DATA LESSON: Samples and Stats OBJECTIVE: Students will analyze differnent sampling (Grades 9-10) methods and then design their own surveys. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Math, Civics and Government, and Geography SKILLS: Understanding statistics STANDARDS*: Statistics, Mathematics as Communication, the World in Spatial Terms, and the Uses of Geography * NCSS Social Studies Standards, NCTM Math Standards and the Geography Education Standards Project Geography Standards Table of Contents Map Literacy-Geography/Math/Art Lesson 1(Grades 9-10) Size It Up ....................................... 3 Reading a Cartogram Lesson 2(Grades 11-12) Make Your Own Map ................................ 6 Using Thematic Maps Community Involvement-Civics & Government/Art/Language Arts/Geography Lesson 3(Grades 9-10) Future Focus ..................................... 9 Thinking Creatively Lesson 4(Grades 11-12) District Decisions ............................... 12 Thinking Critically Managing Data-Math/Civics & Government/Geography/Science Lesson 5(Grades 9-10) Samples and Stats ................................ 15 Understanding Statistics Lesson 6(Grades 11-12) Forecasting the Future ........................... 18 Understanding Estimates and Projections 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 divided into three learning strands: Map Literacy, Community Involvement, and Managing Data. The Scope and Sequence identifies skills, objectives, national standards, and curriculum areas for each lesson. This way, you can easily find lessons that support your classroom goals. Map, computer, and library icons allow you to quickly see which lessons interface with the We Count! wall map, and those that 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 9-12 have attained different degrees of mastery, the lessons in each strand have been stepped (one lesson aimed at grades 9-10; one lesson aimed at grades 9-10; one lesson aimed at grades 11-12), 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 is an important part of our democracy. 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 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 print it 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.