2010 Census Lesson Plans

Posted by on January 02, 2011

The U.S. Census Bureau is excited to announce that the first round of 2010 Census data will be released on December 21, 2010. The success of the census is due in part to you. Thank you for raising awareness in your communities about participating in the 2010 Census.

The U.S. Census Bureau is fulfilling its Constitutional mandate through the release of resident population for the nation and states, as well as congressional apportionment totals for each state. The presentation of the new numbers will be available on December 21, 2010, at 11 a.m.

To assist teachers in educating students about the census and congressional apportionment, we have developed grade appropriate lesson plans that describe the role census data play in apportionment decisions. Students will learn how census data help shape the U.S. House of Representatives every ten years. You can view and download lesson plans by grade level at http://www.census.gov/schools/materials_for_schools/lessons_and_maps.html

The U.S. Census Bureau has also created several interactive resources that can be used in your classroom to help guide your students through the concept of apportionment to see how the founding fathers planned equal representation for all.

* The U.S. Census Bureau has created a short animated video that describes how the apportionment process works. This introduction to the constitutional mandate for apportionment and the apportionment formula is a useful tool for civics enthusiasts at all levels. You can view the video by visiting http://2010.census.gov/mediacenter/census-data/census-apportionment-machine.php
* The Census Bureau has also created an interactive map that showcases census data from 1910 – 2010. Students can view population, population density, and apportionment data from a 100 year snapshot for each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia; while exploring trends in the changing population of our nation. To get started and view the map visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/

For more information on the 2010 Census and apportionment visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census/