Apportionment is a big word for young pupils. Use a helpful cartoon video and worksheet with data set to help them understand how the census fuels representative democracy. After examining how the census determines the number of seats a state has in Congress, class members apply the data to their own states to forecast what they think will happen in 2020. 

Concepts

censuses, the census, representative democracy, the house of representatives, the founding fathers, the constitution

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use simulation to show learners how apportionment works
• Offer video to illustrate concepts behind the census

Classroom Considerations

• Lesson is one part of a larger series developed by the Department of Commerce for the 2020 Census

Pros

• Simulation is engaging and easy to understand
• Video is clear and easy to incorporate into instruction

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.3.1 RI.3.3 RI.3.4 RI.3.5 RI.3.10 RI.4.1 RI.4.3 RI.4.4 RI.4.5 RI.4.10