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Making Sense of the Census: Ideas for Classes Across the Curriculum

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Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.

Note: The article we are using for this lesson comes from the March 15, 2010 issue of The New York Times Upfront. Upfront is a news magazine for teens published by Scholastic in partnership with The New York Times.

Overview | Is the census an integral part of American democracy? What is its impact on government policy, society and the economy? In this lesson, students consider the purpose of the census and the importance of participating in it. They then examine the issues surrounding the 2010 census and engage in one of several multidisciplinary activities designed to make the census relevant to their experience, perspective and learning.

Teachers | Will you address the census in your classes this year? How? Share ideas here.

Materials | Video projection equipment, computers with Internet access, map of the U.S.

Warm-up | Tell students that this month, the 2010 U.S. Census forms will be mailed out. Ask students what they know and have heard about the census and why it is conducted.

Then explain, if necessary, that every 10 years, the government reports the number of people who live in the United States by conducting a count called the census, which is required by the U.S. Constitution and has been taken since 1790.

Then choose one or more of the following ideas to give students a bit of context before they read the New York Times Upfront magazine article “Counting America,” below.

-Tell them that this year, the U.S. Census Bureau is running an advertising campaign that represents the most extensive and diverse outreach campaign in U.S. history, with advertisements appearing in 28 languages. Show them “A Musical Take on Mailing It Back” and/or “A March to the Mailbox”, both of which are commercials that are designed to persuade citizens to participate in the census survey.

Invite students to share their impressions and further consider the framework and significance of the census. Ask: Were the commercials informative? What did you learn about the census from the spots? Were they persuasive? Why is it important to participate in a census? How and by whom do you think the numbers and other information that are collected are used?

-Have students fill out the U.S. Census Bureau’s 10 Questions in 10 Minutes, then discuss the questions and have students consider why each one is included on the survey.

-Read aloud the April 21, 1910 New York Times article headlined “Ten Census Takers Quit From Nerves: Daily Tilts With Irate Housewives Too Much For Them, So They Resign.” How many of these same issues still exist for census takers 100 years later? What new issues might there be?

-Give students the following demographic categories: non-Hispanic white, black, Hispanic, Asian and other. Have them quickly sketch a pie graph to show roughly how they think the U.S. population (estimated at nearly 309 million) breaks down in these categories. Then reveal the 2010 (projected) pie chart in the graphic “Then and Now: A Snapshot of the Nation” to see how close students got to the actual breakdown. Then, comparing it with the 1980 graph, ask: How has our national changed demographically in the past 30 years? Are you surprised by any of the figures? How close did you come in accurately estimating how the population breaks down by race? What story do these chart tell you about the change in U.S. population in the past 30 years? What do you think the projected data is based on? How closely do you think our town reflects the national numbers?

Related | In the New York Times Upfront magazine article “Counting America,” Patricia Smith provides an overview of the history of the U.S. census, analyzes its significance and asks “Why is the 2010 census sparking such intense debate?”:

With an army of 1.4 million census takers and a budget of $15 billion (yes, billion), the 2010 census is being billed as the largest peacetime mobilization in American history. Planning for the census has been going on for 10 years, and Washington is spending $340 million on a national advertising campaign in 28 languages.

The goal of all this time, money, and effort? Simply to get as many people as possible to fill out the 120 million questionnaires that will begin landing in Americans’ mailboxes later this month.

A national head count may sound like a pretty dry exercise, but the census actually has an enormous impact on our daily lives. It determines everything from how many Congressmen your state gets to whether a new Gap opens near your house and which channels cable companies offer in your area.


Questions | For discussion and reading comprehension:

  1. How is much money, time and effort is being spent on the 2010 Census?
  2. What “political impact” do the census results have? How else, and by whom, are the data used?
  3. Why and how do Democrats and Republicans differ over on how to conduct the census?
  4. How was the census form changed for 2010, and why?
  5. What are some of the challenges and controversies raised by the census? What communities have particular concerns, and what are they?

Activity | Following are some multidisciplinary ideas for weaving the 2010 Census into your curriculum.

History, Social Studies and Mathematics

-Have students consider how historical events are reflected in census data, and have them search the New York Times archives back to 1851 to look for interesting and telling stories from particular census years. For example, how does this short news item from the 1910 census reflect events at that time in women’s history? How does this September 14, 1940 article show the impact of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression? How does this June 5, 1960 article chart the mid-century movement of families to the suburbs? Choose an event from American history to see how census data, and census reporting, enriches the “story” of that time and place. Here, for example, is a current article that analyzes what demographic trends say about how Americans live today and why.

-Using the questions asked in the 2010 census, students create their own 10-minute, 10-question surveys that could help them to create a portrait of their school and/or community. Ask them to consider and develop a rationale for how this information could be used to improve school and/or local services and facilities. Our lesson The Minority Majority provides suggestions for how to create such a survey. After they develop and administer the survey, they then parse the results.

-At The Times’s Visualization Lab or IBM’s Many Eyes, students can create a map of the United States that depicts the states with the following: largest elderly population, largest minority population, highest income and lowest income. They should select an icon to represent each of these categories and visually illustrate the map, using Population Boom as a visual model.

-Using the maps provided by Scholastic’s 2010 Census: It’s About Us, the State and County QuickFacts database, and the New York Times interactive graphic Immigration Explorer, students highlight those states which have grown most rapidly because of immigration over the past decade. They then make projections for the next decade using the Diversity in the Classroom. Have students view the U.S. Census 2010 “Toolkit for Reaching Immigrants” to examine how the government has tried to anticipate and respond to issues around reaching and counting all immigrants.

-Working with historical census data available at American Fact Finder’s Population Finder, students compare the nation’s population trends to those of their state, county, and, if available, town over the past decade. Have them plot this data out on a chart.

-The Many Eyes database contains various infographics featuring census data. Have students create their own visualization using and comparing historical data of their own choice about a particular demographic from the U.S. Census Bureau. Ask them to analyze the significance of their datasets.

Fine Arts, Media Studies and Creative Writing

-The census site features a library of TV commercials and PSAs. After viewing several commercials, students create posters, a PSA or a television or radio advertisement illustrating the 2010 Census tagline “It’s In Our Hands.” (If they make videos, they can upload them to SchoolTube.) Ask them to consider: What is the meaning behind this message, and how can it best be conveyed to persuade more people to complete the census survey?

-Have students watch videos showing ads from past censuses. They might then write essays commenting on what the changes in advertising strategy tell them about how American culture and society, and the art of advertising itself, have changed over the years. What might the census ad of 2050 look like?

-The census is intended to create a “portrait of the nation.” Have students create drawings, paintings, collages, photo essays, creative narratives or feature articles that depict the America they live in. The New York Times series Remade in America can be an inspiring starting point. Alternatively, students do our Culture Shot activity with any day’s edition of The Times.

Going further | Organize an “It’s About Us” exhibit at your school, featuring the multimedia projects created by students. Invite members of the community and parents to attend and provide a special booth for people to stop in and fill out their census forms. Have students create certificates, invitations, a logo, and other promotional materials to encourage members of their community to participate in the 2010 census.

Standards | From McREL, for grades 6-12:

1. Understands ideas about civic life, politics, and government
10. Understands the roles of voluntarism and organized groups in American social and political life
25. Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights
29. Understands the importance of political leadership, public service, and a knowledgeable citizenry in American constitutional democracy

United States History




9. Understands the nature, distribution and migration of human populations on Earth’s surface
10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaics
11. Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth’s surface
12. Understands the patterns of human settlement and their causes
18. Understands global development and environmental issues


  1. 1. March 12, 2010 1:49 pm Link

    The census is an important piece if information to know. This is because it shows the progression of the US’s changing population. This allows for everyone to know if the population is growing or staying relatively consistent. With this information one can compare a census from 2001 from one of 2010. The country is changing, and with the census we as citizens can be prepared for anything the country needs.

    — Robyn W.
  2. 2. March 12, 2010 3:03 pm Link

    The history of the census and its origin in the U.S. Constitution is also an important topic for study. Learn more here: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/why/constitutional.php

    — Census Staff
  3. 3. March 15, 2010 3:40 pm Link

    Coming from someone who opposes most big government, the census will just will just help the government better know the country they serve.

    — Jacob M
  4. 4. March 16, 2010 9:36 pm Link

    This is a fantastic lesson plan outline, and I think it can easily be combined with discussing the overall US 2010 budget with this infographic: http://www.wallstats.com/deathandtaxes/

    Thanks NYT

    — Jared T
  5. 5. March 16, 2010 10:00 pm Link

    Terrific ideas for lesson plan. I’m using it Thursday. Love the math tie in. I love this web site.

    One quick note, I think you made a tiny mistake with the us population. I believe it it 309 million not billion. Thanks, Bill

    Bill: Yikes! Thanks for calling that to our attention! –Katherine

    — bill atwood
  6. 6. April 6, 2010 2:56 pm Link

    Hi to all the teachers out there,

    I’m the Community Manager for Scholastic’s TeacherShare and I have a group talking about the census and sharing resources. (http://teachershare.scholastic.com/groups/2010-census) I’d love to get input from more teachers and have you join our community.



    — Stav
  7. 7. April 18, 2010 1:58 pm Link

    Does anyone know if it is a punishable crime to present false information about yourself on the Census? Has there ever been any social movement that includes tampering with the Census? Does anyone believe that the Census is NOT beneficial to society? Why?

    — Nia
  8. 8. April 20, 2010 11:50 pm Link










    — Mara

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