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. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE STRAND 1: MAP LITERACY LESSON: Greater States(Grades K-2) OBJECTIVE: Students will learn how to use a map key and will practice comparing mathematical values. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Geography, Math SKILLS: Reading map keys, comparing mathematical values STANDARDS*: Patterns and Relationships, the World in Spatial Terms, and People, Places, and Environment. LESSON: Kids Count(Grades 3-4) OBJECTIVE: Students will read a special map and practice place value. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Geography, Math, Civics and Government SKILLS: Reading a special purpose map, using place value STANDARDS*: Geometry and Spatial Sense, Place Value, Places and Regions. STRAND 2: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT LESSON: Where You Belong/Group OBJECTIVE: Students will identify the different groups Needs(Grades K-2) to which they belong and explore group needs. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Civics and Government, Art SKILLS: Recognizing relationships STANDARDS*: Individual Development and Identity, Individuals, Groups, and Institutions. LESSON: Questions for Today/Picture OBJECTIVE: Students will plan and creatively illustrate Tomorrow(Grades 3-4) their futures. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Art, Civics and Government, Language Arts, and Geography SKILLS: Thinking creatively and collecting information STANDARDS*: Civic Ideals and Practices, Power, Authority, and Governance, People, Places, and Environment, Human Systems. STRAND 3: MANAGING DATA LESSON: My Favorite Birthday/Party OBJECTIVE: Students will collect and organize data into Plan(Grades K-2) simple graphs. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Art, Math, Civics and Government SKILLS: Using charts and graphs STANDARDS*: Mathematics as Communication, Individuals, Groups, and Institutions. LESSON: Getting There(Grades 3-4) OBJECTIVE: Students will interpret a pictograph and then create their own. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Math, Civics and Government SKILLS: Using charts and graphs, computing whole numbers STANDARDS*: Whole Number Operations, Mathematics as Communication. *NCSS Social Studies Standards, NCTM Math Standards and * NCSS Social Studies Standards, NCTM Math Standards and the Geography Education Standards Project Geography Standards. TABLE OF CONTENTS Map Literacy-Geography/Math/Civics and Government Lesson 1(Grades K-2) Greater States .................................. 3 Reading Map Keys/Comparing Mathematical Values Lesson 2(Grades 3-4) Kids Count ...................................... 6 Reading a Special Purpose Map/Using Place Value Community Involvement-Civics and Government/Art/Language Arts/Geography Lesson 3(Grades K-2) Where You Belong/Group Needs .................... 9 Recognizing Relationships Lesson 4(Grades 3-4) Questions for Today/Picture Tomorrow ............ 12 Thinking Creatively/Collecting Information Managing Data-Art/Math/Civics and Government Lesson 5(Grades K-2) My Favorite Birthday/Party Plan ................. 15 Using Charts and Graphs Lesson 6(Grades 3-4) Getting There ................................... 18 Using Charts and Graphs/Computing Whole Numbers Additional Resources/State Population Chart ... 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 Managing Data. The Scope and Sequence identifies skills, objectives, 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! map, and those that offer 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 young students possess a vast range of developmental and cognitive skills, the lessons in each strand have been stepped (one lesson aimed at grades K-2; one lesson aimed at grades 3-4), allowing you to tailor your teaching to the individual needs of your students. In addition, depending on your needs, the We Count! map can be hung on the wall, or placed on the floor of your classroom. * Before you begin: This teaching guide is based on a unifying concept: The census helps us learn about ourselves and others. Before you begin using the lessons, write this concept on the board. Explain that information gathered by the census helps us learn more about the people who live in our country. * Extension Activities: Many lesson plan pages contain one or more Extension Activities designed to enhance students' 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 updated state population counts. For example, start 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.