South Carolina ETV

South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

The Survey Says (Grades 8-12)

Master Teacher

Charlie Miller

Time Allotment

Five class periods, 90 minutes each

Overview

Students know little about how statistics are developed. They know even less about how the U.S. Census figures are used. In this lesson, students will go to the Census Bureau's site and explore the variety of information presented there. In pre-selected groups of three students, they will select a particular interest area and prepare a questionnaire on that topic to be used to survey members of the school community. Students will then construct a survey questionnaire on that topic and choose a target audience. They will produce the questionnaire, distribute it, collect it, and tabulate the data. Using EXCEL, the group will graph the data in order to present it to the class.

Subject Matter

Mathematics

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

design a survey
collect, tabulate, and graph survey data
present their results to the class orally and on paper using graphs to support reports

South Carolina Standards

Visit the South Carolina Department of Education for the South Carolina Mathematics Standards.

Science—Grade 8

I. Inquiry

A. Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

3. Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

7. Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.

8. Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.

Mathematics—Grades 9-12

VI. Probability and Statistics

G. Construct and draw inferences from charts, tables, and graphs that summarize data from real-world situations, using technology whenever appropriate.

H. Design a statistical experiment to study a problem, conduct an experiment, and interpret and communicate the results, using technology whenever appropriate.

Media Component

Web site

U.S. Census Bureau. In the area "Especially for Teachers," you will find an array of educational resources using census data.

Equipment

Each group of students will need an Internet- capable computer with a version of Microsoft EXCEL.

Prep for Teachers

Bookmark the census site on each computer prior to the lesson.
Using the order information on the site under the heading "Especially for Teachers," order the teaching materials from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Prepare" the school by warning the principals and teachers in advance that your students will be conducting surveys with this project.

Introductory Activity: Setting the Stage

Step 1

In a class discussion format, survey the class for information on the U.S. Census. Poll students for information about it.

Step 2

Discuss the history of the Census using the materials from the Census Bureau and any other resources you may have. Explain the uses that the information is put to and the legal safeguards that surround its collection procedures and uses.

Step 3

Send students to the Census Web site to explore the information that is available. Tell them to notice what is not available to the public, too. Of particular interest to them might be the section on names.

Learning Activities

Step 1

Divide the students (or allow them to divide themselves) into teams of three.

Step 2

Let each team choose an area about which they would like to survey a sub-population of the school. If they are stumped, you might want to "prime the pump" by making some suggestions. These might include different models, ages, numbers, colors of automobiles; levels of education within families; number of siblings; part-time jobs; places to shop for clothes, most popular brands/teams/vocal groups, etc. Certainly you will have to guide some students away from areas that are too sensitive for them to survey.

Step 3

Design the survey instrument, which could be as simple as a tally sheet or as sophisticated as a survey with an NCR response sheet or even an on-line survey.

Step 4

Distribute the survey and then collect and tabulate the results.

Step 5

Using EXCEL, prepare graphs of the results.

Culminating Activity/Assessment

Have each team present the results of its survey to the class (or a larger audience) in an oral presentation.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

English/Writing: Each group will write a persuasive paper utilizing their survey results to justify a decision, e.g.: which car to buy, reasons to seek a particular level of education, best places to eat/work/live, etc.

Community Connections

Have a community member who worked in the collection of the 2000 Census data come talk to the class about his/her experiences in helping with the collection. (You may even have a colleague who helped. Some of these census takers have some great "war" stories!)
Have a member of a municipal government, or even someone from the school district office, explain how vital this count is to funding efforts by local governments.