Kids Count!

By: Brenda Arauz, Colleen Bannon, Brooke Hammer, Carmie Kua and Estela Vasquez

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, the students will be introduced to the word census. The teacher will discuss with the class the meaning and importance of this word. The students will be given a map of the United States with population numbers of children ages 5 to 9. They will also fill in a worksheet with the correct population numbers and state names.

Part 1: Preparation and Goals

Number of Leaders: 1 classroom teacher

Grade of Student Participants: 4th Grade

Number of Sessions: 1

Length of Session: 50 minutes

Materials: Map of the United States with children populations, map worksheet, and three colored pencils for each child.

California State Standards in Mathematics Grade Four: Number Sense

1.1 Read and write whole numbers in the millions.

1.3 Round whole numbers through the millions to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, or hundred thousand.

Student Objectives:

The students will be reintroduced to the concept of place value in relation to population. They will have the opportunity to read large numbers in word form and then write these numbers in standard notation. The term census will be presented and the importance of being counted will be explained. The students will also be able to look at a map of the United States with state abbreviations.

Part 2: LESSON PLAN

Central Activity: (50 minutes)

The teacher will begin by explaining the concept of a census and will share the importance of being counted. She will tell the students that a census is conducted every ten years to help determine population. The teacher will explain to the students that it is extremely important for children to be counted as well. She will ask the children to think about what kinds of things a place would need to have if there were a lot of children. If the students have difficulty with this question the teacher could suggest things like, schools, day care centers, playgrounds, etc. She will then tell the children that government agencies use census information to determine the number of these services to provide. The teacher will inform the students that they can work in pairs for the following activity. The teacher will then hand out the map to the students and explain that each state is abbreviated and that the number on each state is the amount of children ages 5-9. She will tell the students that the information on this map was taken from the census done in 1990. She will then pass out the worksheet with the population numbers in word form and with the state names. She will explain that the students will use the map to fill out this worksheet. She will tell the children to look at number one and to read the number and then write the number in standard notation. She will then tell the children to find this population number on the map to see which state it corresponds to. She will also tell the children that after they have finished the worksheet, they need to choose three colored pencils. She will instruct the students to fill in the three boxes in the key with three different colors. One color for “Most,” “Fewer,” and “Fewest.” The populations with 500,000 or more will be considered most, 150,000 to 499,000 will be considered fewer, and the populations with 149,999 or less will be considered fewest. After the children have finished coloring their maps, they will have a visual representation of kid populations.

Closing:

The teacher will circulate around the room and check the student’s progress to ensure they understand the assignment. Once most of the children have finished, the class will correct the worksheet together and discuss the maps. The teacher will discuss with the class the possibility of updating the population totals for children using information from the U.S. Census Bureau’s website.

Works Cited:

“Kids Count.” Teacher Vision. n.d. Web. 7 March 2012. http://www.teachervision.fen.com/math/printable/4459.html?detoured=1