August 23, 2023
Explore these resources that highlight census statistics pertaining to observances like Back to School, Constitution Day and Hispanic Heritage Month.
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Did you know about 74 million children and adults were enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2021—from preschool to college? Or that 375,000 businesses in the United States were Hispanic-owned in 2020? This fall, boost your students’ civic and statistical literacy by using real-life census data to supplement what you are already teaching.
B. Blanton, a Statistics in Schools ambassador and educator with more than two decades of experience, recently introduced his high school students to census data with our colorful wall maps, intended to help students understand the U.S. population and show data capitals, population density, and more. In addition to the maps, the Kentucky-based educator’s favorite resource to use with students is our United States Through the Decades Slide Rule that shows population changes and the addition of states as our country has grown.
“The experience is great,” he says, “and the easy use of the materials has been valuable to all of our students in many classes.”
Looking to share the same experience with your students? Explore these resources that highlight census statistics pertaining to observances like Back to School, Constitution Day and Hispanic Heritage Month.
As the nation gears up for another year of learning, discover interesting school-related facts with our Back-to-School Fun Facts. Explore data on how many students are attending school, the amount of spending per public school student, and more. The accompanying teaching guide suggests ideas to use with students. For example, have them determine how much money your school spends on needed things using the spending-per-pupil amount identified in the fact sheet.
Do this warm-up activity with students to discover how the educational attainment of U.S. adults has changed over the years. You will find which degree had the largest increase from 2001 to 2021 for people age 25 and over.
For this activity, elementary school students will conduct a survey of the number of girls and boys in their classroom who play sports, take lessons and participate in clubs. They will compare their findings with similar U.S. Census Bureau data for kids across the U.S.
Did the percentage of adults who completed high school in the last 10 years increase or decrease? What was the average annual salary of workers with a bachelor’s degree? Have students test their knowledge on these and a variety of other educational statistics powered by U.S. Census Bureau data.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with your students by sharing our Fun Facts handout with interesting information about the Hispanic population, such as the three states where 62.6 million of the nation’s Hispanic population lived in 2020, and the population of places where famous Hispanic Americans were born. The accompanying teaching guide includes cool, easy-to-use activity ideas for students at every grade level.
Let the fun continue with a little trivia! Students can test their knowledge with our Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia Kahoot! Game. Help students build their data analysis skills and recap what they’ve learned from our fun facts handout. Who will get the leading score?
Did you know that conducting a mandatory count of the population every 10 years, also known as a decennial census, is written into the U.S. Constitution? In addition to the activities listed here, take a look at our Constitution Day webpage, where you will find more resources and materials to teach students about the U.S. Census Bureau and its connection with the U.S. Constitution.
Interact with students using this handout that shares real census data related to Constitution Day, such as the amount of state and local government taxes collected per person in 1880 and the number of U.S. counties that share the same last names of the founders of the Constitution who also served as U.S. presidents.
Did you know apportionment is one of the most important functions of the decennial census? This video explains how apportionment works—the process of distributing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the apportionment population counts from the 2020 Census.
For this warm-up activity, students use our interactive map with historic apportionment data to discover population changes and population density for their states over multiple decades.
For this activity, take a few minutes with your class to explore data on voter participation, such as voting patterns of men and women in presidential elections dating back to 1980. Then, students can answer questions about the data and have an open discussion with their peers.
It’s hurricane season, so make sure you’re prepared! This activity gives students the opportunity to learn how the U.S. Census Bureau helps emergency responders provide support during natural disasters. It also provides data students need to complete key tasks, such as creating an emergency preparedness kit and determining states with the highest risk for hurricanes.
Celebrate Labor Day by asking students what occupation they would like to pursue. Then share this warm-up activity with them to compare earnings of men and women in select jobs—including hairstylists, registered nurses, taxi drivers and electricians—and answer questions about their findings.
Sharing materials from Statistics in Schools with students is a great way to teach them about U.S. holidays and observances! Be sure to check out our website for additional free, fun and engaging resources to increase students’ statistical literacy and help them prepare for future learning and careers in our increasingly data-driven world. We offer a variety of activities that can be used in the classroom from grades K-12, which include subjects such as math, history/social studies, geography, sociology and English.
Get the new school year started off on the right track with more resources on topics such as classroom management, social-emotional learning, family engagement, supporting English-language learners, building successful community schools, and more.
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Bring your class to life by using real data in the classroom. The U.S. Census Bureau's Statistics in Schools (SIS)program offers K-12 teachers free online activities.
