Conduct a Census

• Ask children to give you ideas on which specific questions you can ask in a classroom census. Avoid sensitive questions, such as the amount of their allowance. Instead, ask them to quantify their pets, clothes size and the books they have read in the last month. Write the questions on the board and ask students to copy them on a piece of paper, answer them and then give you the answers. Accumulate the answers and -- together with the children -- calculate the percentages.
  
  

Stats of Our City

• Enter the U.S. Census Bureau website and write down various statistics of your city, county, state and the U.S. in general. Present the data in class and ask children various questions dealing with multiple math concepts. For example, ask students to calculate the percentage of their city's population in terms of the state's total head count. Another task can be to find out the difference between their county's state median household income and the general U.S. index. Comparison possibilities are limitless, and you will never run out of questions.
  
  

Population Growth

• Consult the U.S. POPClock Projection to find out the country's birth rate, death rate and international migrant rate. These statistics are presented in the form of "one birth every X seconds." Students should rely on their time measurement skills to answer speculative questions, such as, "If the birth rate remains the same, what will be the U.S. population in 2070 or the percentage of international migrants in the country?"
  
  

Charts from Stats

• Students can practice their skill at making charts based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Assign them to create a pie chart of the various minorities in your city, a bar graph of all 50 states showing each state's population or a line graph of the city's population, throughout its history. Divide the class into groups of three or four students, with each group responsible for obtaining the data and designing the graph of a single task.