Students collect data using the United States Census Bureau. They organize data in a spreadsheet and interpret the data collected by ordering, comparing, and writing the numbers in multiple ways. Students analyze the data by finding range, median, and mode.
Individual Lessons
Lesson 1 - Exploring Our County
Students access and investigate data using the World Wide Web. Students take part in a scavenger hunt as they gather and analyze U.S. Census data.
Lesson 2 - What Counties Are Your Favorite?
Students use their knowledge from the previous lesson to gather data on ten of their favorite counties (places they might like to live, visit, etc.) within a specific state. Students will hone their place value skills by representing numbers in various ways including standard, written, and expanded form.
Lesson 3 - Spreadsheets and Census Data
Students organize the data collected about county populations into a spreadsheet and create a graph to help them better understand the data.
Lesson 4 - Comparing Counties
Students use the data from previous lessons to find the range,
median, and mode of the populations. They then compare their data with
their partner's data.
As a culminating activity, this lesson combines the data and activities performed during this unit. Students are involved in class discussions and comparisons of the population data.
