2016 Census Adult Education Kit – Activity 1: What is the census?

View the most recent version.

• Overview
• Specific learning objectives
• Materials
• Activity
• Modifications
• Next steps

Overview

In this activity, students will practise language skills while learning how the 2016 Census will benefit communities. They will learn what the census is, and develop an understanding that the information gathered impacts the allocation of government services.

Estimated completion time: 60 to 90 minutes

Census knowledge

• Understand basic concepts about the Census of Population, including what it is, why it is important and who is required to participate.
• Learn about some government services offered in communities.
• Learn about the role the Census of Population plays in identifying the changing needs of communities.

Specific learning objectives

Speaking

• Give detailed descriptions. (Canadian Language Benchmark 5)
• Ask for and give information related to routine daily activities. (Canadian Language Benchmark 5)

Listening

• Understand factual details and some implied meanings in descriptive or narrative topics. (Canadian Language Benchmark 5)

Reading

• Get information from simple two-to-three paragraph texts. (Canadian Language Benchmark 4)

Writing

• Describe people, places, objects, situations, events or daily routines in five to eight sentences. (Canadian Language Benchmark 3)

Essential employment skill areas

• Communicate orally
• Work with others
• Think, find information

Materials

Supplies

Pens or pencils

Handouts

• What is the Census of Population?
• Community snapshot (Canadian community map)
• Community snapshot legend
• Census and services worksheet
• Census vocabulary

Activity

1. To begin this activity, provide students with a copy of the What is the Census of Population? handout.
2. Ask students to work in partners or alone to read the description of the census and highlight new or unfamiliar words. Encourage students to use the Census vocabulary handout as a reference. Review any new or unfamiliar terms as a class and discuss the questions below.
   Alternatively, based on your students' needs, anticipate challenging vocabulary before beginning the activity and post key terms and definitions in the classroom. These can be reviewed before reading the handout, or referenced as the class reads together.
   Discussion questions
   • Who participates in the Census of Population?
   • How often does the Census of Population take place?
   • How is the information gathered from the census used?
   In Activity 2: The census process, students will learn additional information about how they will be notified when the census is taking place, and about resources for support while responding to the census questionnaire.
3. Explain to students that they will be looking at a sample community. They will consider how the information gathered by the census would be helpful in supporting that community and in making decisions about the services it needs.
4. Provide students with the Community snapshot and Community snapshot legend handouts.
5. Using the first column of the Community snapshot legend handout, ask students to identify the places on the checklist at the bottom of the Community snapshot handout.
   If possible, display the illustration on a screen or monitor and point to different buildings so students can use the legend to identify them. This can also be done in pairs by students using printed handouts.
6. Discuss the community as a whole.
   Possible questions
   1. Does this community have a name?
   2. What size is this community? Is it crowded or heavily populated? Does it look urban, rural or like a suburb? Define these terms if necessary.
   3. Who do you think lives in this community (e.g., young families, urban professionals or retired couples)?
   4. What types of homes are in this community? High-rise or low-rise rental apartments? Houses? Condominiums?
   5. What else is in this community (e.g., retail establishments, community centres, recreation centres or libraries)?
   6. How do people get around within this community (e.g., walk, drive, bike, public transportation)?
   7. Does this look similar to or different from your own community? How?
7. Break the class into small groups or partners and assign each group a different type of service to consider, using the Census and services worksheet handout. Complete one or two examples from the handout as a class.
   The worksheet has two columns. In one column, examples of services provided to communities are listed. In the other column, census topics are listed with a checkbox for each topic. Using the worksheet, ask students to place a check mark in the census topic boxes that they feel would provide information about each service.

Modifications

If students require additional support:

• Read the What is the Census of Population? handout as a class, and encourage students to use the Census vocabulary handout as a reference.
• Discuss the purpose of the census (instead of using the handout) and focus on the map and checklist portions of the activity.
• Before comparing 'Youville' with the community in which students live, practise comparative vocabulary (e.g., large, larger, small, smaller, more, less, etc.).

If students require an additional challenge:

• Create a comparison chart highlighting the differences and similarities between the fictional community of 'Youville' and their own community. This could also include differences and similarities in the kinds of services available in their community. (For example, Youville does not have a bus system, but we have a lot of public transportation where I live. We do not have a senior community centre where I live, but it would be good to have one for my mother-in-law. There are more parks and farm space in Youville.)

Next steps

• If resources are accessible, have students choose one of the services discussed in class and learn more about a particular service or program that falls under that category. Ask students to look online or go to a local community or service centre to learn more about it and share their findings with the class. Talk about why this service is important or useful in their community, based on the population that lives there.
• Look at the statistics available online from the 2011 and 2006 censuses of population to learn more about the people who live in the province, their families and languages spoken. Make predictions about how the community might be different in five years.)
• If resources and interests allow, encourage students to investigate the history of their community by accessing resources at a local library or speaking with neighbours (for example, what it was like 10, 20, or 50 years ago). Ask them to investigate how the community has changed and how services have changed over many years.