Getting ready for the Census: 2006 Teacher's Kit > Lesson Plans >

Activity 7: That's Easy for You to Say! — Survey Project

Download activity 7 in PDF format (PDF)

Overview
Class time required
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
Materials
Getting started
Census activity
Teacher hints

Overview

This activity demonstrates to students through hands-on experience many aspects of planning, conducting and reporting a survey.

Students will learn what goes into the production of statistical information, how individual responses on a questionnaire are merged to create summary data, and how the summarized information is used.

This activity could take the form of a full count of the student body. If this is too ambitious, a small survey or an opinion poll of a sample of the student population or specific class may be more appropriate. Use topics of interest to students and teachers.

Since Census Day is May 16, 2006, schedule the completion of this activity or parts of it (data collection) to closely coincide with this date, if possible. If you intend to have the students conduct a survey or census, remember to allow yourself enough lead time.

Note: See the Teacher's Guide for general background on the census and census vocabulary.

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Class time required

Four class periods before conducting the survey; one or two periods collecting the data; three or four periods after collecting the data. (Times will vary with the complexity of the questionnaire and the size of the group surveyed.)

or

Two or three class periods if the activity is restricted to using the prepared questionnaire (worksheet 2) in one or two classes.

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Learning objectives

• Understand the stages of designing, conducting and processing a survey.
• Design, conduct, process and report on a survey of their own.
• Write a report analysing the results of a survey.
• Work as a team to reach mutually agreed decisions and to resolve issues.

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Vocabulary

Census, complete count, confidentiality, data, enumeration, privacy, questionnaire, sample, survey, undercount

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Materials

• Teacher's Guide
• Worksheet 1: That's Easy for You to Say! (printer-friendly format)
• Worksheet 2: Student Survey on Future Plans (printer-friendly format)

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Getting started

1. Ask your students to write down what they think the population of Canada was in 2001. Give them a moment to do so and then write the figure on the chalkboard. (Answer: In 2001, the population of Canada was 30,007,094.)
2. Ask several of the students to comment on how their estimates compared to the actual figure.
3. Ask students how they think the 2001 population figure for Canada was determined. (Answer: Every five years Statistics Canada conducts a census — a complete count of the country's population.)
4. Ask the class to concentrate again on the 2001 population figure. Ask them to estimate the time it took to produce this figure. Now distribute Worksheet 1: That's Easy for You to Say! for all to read.
   Note: The 2001 Census took place on May 15, 2001. The first results — population counts — were made publicly available in March 2002. The remaining information dealing mostly with socio-economic topics was released in stages from July 2002 to May 2003.

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Census activity

1. Discuss the stages of the survey process listed on the worksheet. You may wish to show a flow chart such as the one below, listing the questions in the worksheet below each stage.
   Define > Design > Collect > Process > Report
2. This is the point at which the class should decide whether they want to plan and conduct their own survey or use the one in worksheet 2. If the class decides not to create their own survey, continue with the rest of item 2 and end the lesson. If the class does want to create their own survey, skip to item 3.
   1. Distribute Worksheet 2: Student Survey on Future Plans
   2. Before students answer the prepared questionnaire, have them discuss how they will process their answers (electronically or by hand) and what they will want to report. Ask them to consider what summary information they would like to analyse and what their tables will look like. Ask students to identify interesting questions that summary data could answer. For example: “Do male and female students in the class have the same career goals?” To answer this question they must be able to cross-tabulate question 2 with question 7. This can be a tedious job if the processing is done by hand. Manual tallying may limit them to looking at the simple frequencies for single questions, such as “Do you plan to get married?” Access to a computer and statistical software will provide greater flexibility.
   3. Have the students answer the prepared questionnaire. Ask the class to follow through on their processing and reporting strategies for worksheet 2.
   4. The class may wish to conduct the same survey with a larger group to learn how the data compare with the whole grade or the whole school. How students process the data, what they report, and how much time they have will dictate the response here.
3. 1. For students conducting their own survey, have them re-examine the full range of questions in worksheet 1. Some key questions to consider are:
      1. How big is the project going to be?
      2. Who will be surveyed about what?
      3. How much time will the class invest in conducting, processing and analysing the survey?
      4. Will the results be shared?
   2. Distribute Worksheet 2: Student Survey on Future Plans.
   3. Ask students to consider the merits of the prepared questionnaire by taking note of its concise questions, multiple-choice format, and lack of open-ended questions. The prepared questionnaire may be used as a model for the survey form the class will design.

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Teacher hints

If the students design their own survey, limit the number of questions to about 10.

Avoid fill-in-the-answer (open-ended) type questions in favour of questions where answers may be checked or circled.

Include several “demographic background” items so that students can correlate data and make statements such as “Female students are most likely to say . . .”

Try to centre the survey on student and school concerns.

Take time to test the questionnaire through role-playing or small sample surveys to ensure that the questions make sense and provide useful answers.

Try to make the survey part of some larger event such as a display, special assembly or open house so students can see that other people are interested in the survey results.

Note: Be sure that the survey has been approved/registered in advance by your school's administration.

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