2021 Census Adult Education Kit—Activity 2: Creating a personal profile

Overview

In this activity, students will learn relevant vocabulary for the Census of Population. They will create a personal profile for a fictional character and will practise answering some questions from the census.

Census knowledge

• Review the questions asked in the 2021 Census of Population.
• Identify the significance of questions asked in the 2021 Census of Population.
• Practise answering the kinds of questions that will be asked in the 2021 Census of Population.

Specific learning objectives

Listening

• Respond to requests for facts relating to informational texts (Canadian Language Benchmark 5).

Speaking

• Summarize and report back information (Canadian Language Benchmark 5).

Reading

• Find information in forms or questionnaires, tables, and directions (Canadian Language Benchmark 3).

Writing

• Fill out simple forms or questionnaires (Canadian Language Benchmark 2).

Essential employment skill areas

• Use documents
• Communicate orally
• Work with others

Materials

Supplies

• Scissors
• Pens or pencils

Handouts

• Quick census questions
• Personal profile cards
• Census vocabulary from the Instructor's guide
• Profiles of Canadians handout from the Stand-alone activity: Profiles of Canadians (optional)

Activity

1. To begin this activity, distribute the Quick census questions and Census vocabulary handouts.

Give students time to review the questions from the 2021 Census questionnaire.

Some students may require clarification of the following terms. Review these terms with students and post the terms and their definitions in the classroom for reference.

• Family name: your last name. This may also be called a "surname."
• Given name: your first name. This is often the name friends or family will call you.

2. Ask students to adopt the persona of a fictional person, such as a character on a television show or movie (e.g., Sherlock Holmes or Robin Hood). Alternatively, students may use one of the profiles from the Profiles of Canadians handout included in the Stand-alone activity: Profiles of Canadians. Students will use this persona to complete the activity below.

3. Give students time to practise reading the questions out loud to one another, and suggest that they pay attention to pacing, intonation and pronunciation.

When completing the 2021 Census of Population, respondents will need to provide this kind of information for everyone in their household, so it is a good idea to include people of all ages and backgrounds in the profiles created for this exercise.

4. Encourage students to work with a partner. Ask them to read each census question out loud, and then use the discussion questions below to discuss the census questions with their partner.

Discussion questions for each census question

• To check comprehension, ask: What information is being requested in this question?
• To consider the significance and purpose of the question, ask: Why is this information important?
• To consider how the information will be used, ask: How will knowing this information help our community?

Sample response

• Understanding different age ranges in the population helps with making decisions about the kind of medical services a community may need, and support for daycare programs and funding for different levels of education.

5. Distribute the Personal profile cards handout and ask students to use them to complete a personal profile. These cards can be cut out and completed and used in various ways.

Option 1: Use the personal profile cards to act as enumerator and respondent

• Have students complete and select appropriate profile cards for their persona, to be used as a visual aid.
• Ask students to work in pairs, sitting back to back, or face to face with a visual barrier between. Have one student ask questions to the other to complete the Quick census questions handout. The person playing the respondent can use their profile cards to prompt their responses.
• After the interview, ask students to compare the form and profile information to assess communication and comprehension.

Option 2: Mix and match profile responses to create original profiles

• Ask each student to complete the information on the Personal profile cards handout.
• Ask students to cut out their cards and mix and match profile responses with their classmates to create original profiles.
• Encourage students to act as enumerator and respondent, using the profile cards for responses and the Quick census questions handout as a sample form.

Modifications

If students require additional support, try the following:

• Walk students through questions and responses as they select and complete the information on the Profiles of Canadians handout included in the Stand-alone activity: Profiles of Canadians. Note new vocabulary or expressions on the board for reference.
• Encourage students to experiment with and practise reading the questions with different tones of voice, body language and pacing. When completing the census, enumerators must read the questions exactly as they are written, but it's important for them to speak clearly, naturally, and in a tone that makes respondents feel comfortable sharing information.
• Provide and model examples of polite, objective ways to ask personal questions, demonstrating word choice, body language and tone of voice. Discuss how to tell whether someone feels uncomfortable with the conversation through their body language or tone of voice, since this may differ from culture to culture.

If students require an additional challenge, try the following:

• Ask students to roleplay a complete door-to-door enumeration interview or phone call, including introducing themselves, showing identification and assuring confidentiality. Have students work in pairs to create a dialogue that includes expressions of encouragement or clarification for a respondent.
• As a review of content from activities 1 and 2, provide students with the Quick census facts handout from the Instructor's Guide. Encourage students to read the handout with a partner and ask each other questions. Students can also divide the text on the Quick census facts handout by folding the paper in half, with each partner reading a different side. Students can then exchange information with their partners.
• As a follow-up activity, encourage students to think about different ways to ask the same questions in a social situation. Enumerators conducting a census must ask respondents questions exactly as they appear on the questionnaire, but in everyday conversation, these questions may seem blunt or unnatural to a listener. Discuss and demonstrate differences in word choice and tone in professional and informational conversations compared with social conversations.

Next steps

• Encourage students to create a vocabulary list of new words, synonyms and expressions they encountered during this activity.
• Encourage students to complete the Quick census questions handout for other members of their households or people that they know, using fictional names to protect their privacy.
• Ask students to select a profile described by their classmates and use the information they've gathered to write a biographical paragraph, like those that are used for book covers, social media profiles or professional profiles. This paragraph should incorporate information from the questions found on the Quick census questions handout (as appropriate) and should include new and interesting information about that person and their role in their family or community.