Called “The Census in Schools” (CIS) program, this effort strives to increase awareness of the Census Bureau’s activities and the use of census data in classrooms. The program is versatile enough to build both geographical and statistical literacy.
Program Objectives
Here are the program’s objectives:
- Create fun and relevant teaching materials that promote the use of the Census Bureau as an information resource and that meet the curriculum objectives of educators.
- Distribute materials to educators via publications, the toll-free request line, the Internet, conferences and workshops.
- Provide professional development to in-service and pre-service teachers.
- Maintain relationships with educational organizations.
Lesson Plans for All Grade Levels
The program – with standards-based supplementary lesson plans – targets all grade levels.
“State Facts for Students” helps pupils in grades 3-5 learn about the states in which they live as they collect, organize, analyze, map and graph a variety of information. In addition, they have a chance to examine data pertaining to youngsters their age. Teachers can download the lesson plan from the accompanying interactive website.
Kids Corner is an interactive website where children can ask questions and take a quiz which offers prizes. The site has eye appeal for children and colorful illustrations, including a population clock. A map of the United States lets children punch on a state and look at fun facts. Examples: 270,242 Florida housing units have no telephones, more than two million Floridians speak a language other than English, less than 25% of residents are over age 60 and there are a million kids between ages 5 and 9. Oh, yes, the state bird is the mockingbird, its flower is the orange blossom and its tree the sabal palm.
Program Activities
These are program activities:
- The Census in Schools program provides K-12 teaching tools for educators. These include lesson plans that correlate with national standards in math, geography, civics and government, history, economics, and language arts.
- Census in Schools staff will direct educators to other resources helpful in achieving their curriculum needs.
- The Census Bureau will provide workshops and professional development opportunities for educators.
- The Census Bureau will provide materials and assistance for in-service and pre-service development courses.
- Census in Schools staff will exhibit at conferences of national education associations.
- Partner with educational organizations and associations as a means of ensuring quality products and distribution channels.
Interested teachers can begin planning by visiting the Census in Schools Website. The overview provides a look at teaching tools, resource materials, and professional development opportunities for educators.
Source: All material courtesy of the U. S. Census Bureau
Rosemary E. Bachelor - Rosemary Bachelor, a prize-winning journalist, has had a career as an editor, feature writer, magazine publisher and author. Her latest ...
