Apr 20 All About the Census, by Lola, age 14
Our most recent Connect Unit* was all about the U.S. Census and demographics. We learned about this topic for different reasons, one of them being the fact that it is something that occurs in not only our community, but all over the United States. For nearly 10 weeks, we studied many topics that helped shape the modern census, including the Louisiana purchase, school attendance of black and white students, and post Civil War populations.
The main project for our census unit made what we learned relevant to us in that we were able to explore and learn about the people in our own neighborhood. We went into our neighborhoods and talked with neighbors, promoting and completing our own census. Instead of being stuck in a classroom, we were able to leave and go out into the real world to understand the role of a census worker. After we did this, we created a project where we compared the data we collected. I created five different types of graphs and charts and learned so much about the people in my community from our unit on the census. Going into it, I truly did not know much about it, but after finishing the unit, I had a thorough understanding of the U.S. Census.
(Editor’s Note: Connect Units are six-to-eight week interdisciplinary units of study, based on student and faculty interest, as well as relevance to the community. These units complement our studies in traditional, grade-level subjects, such as algebra, science, world languages, and literature. We call these “Connect Units,” because they integrate multiple subjects, meet numerous academic standards, and connect us to our community.)