2026 Census Adult Education Kit
Activity 2: Census guessing game

Lesson overview

This interactive vocabulary review activity is designed as a follow-up to Activity 1: Understanding key Canadian census terminology and provides a fun, engaging way to reinforce key terms. It helps learners whose first language is not English build familiarity and confidence with important census-related vocabulary. Through a team-based guessing game, students will describe and identify terms using simple English definitions and clues. The activity promotes oral language development, teamwork, and a stronger understanding of the vocabulary needed to complete the Canadian Census of Population.

Learning objectives

By the end of this activity, learners should be able to:

• Recognize and use key vocabulary related to the Canadian Census of Population
• Strengthen their oral communication and listening skills in English
• Build confidence using English in a supportive, interactive setting

Key vocabulary and suggested forbidden words

(See Census vocabulary definitions (teacher's copy))

Key vocabulary and suggested forbidden words

Word	Forbidden words
Census of Population	Numbers, people, government
Dwelling	Building, stay, roof
Household	Family, home, group
Non-permanent resident	Live, country, from
Immigrant	Arrive, move, passport
Occupation	Job, work, office
Commuting duration	Minutes, distance, time
Ethnic or cultural origin	Tradition, roots, language
Marital status	Couple, partner, wedding
Sex at birth	Baby, male, female
Population group	Heritage,Identity, appearance
Indigenous group	First Nations, Métis, Inuit (Inuk)
Religion	Denomination, faith, belief
Resident	Home, address, place
Enumerator	Ask, form, worker
Census Day	Date, event, calendar

(Educators may adapt the list to match methods of instruction and level of language proficiency)

Materials needed

• A printed copy of the Census vocabulary worksheet (cut out ahead of time)
• Whiteboard or paper to keep score
• Optional: Timer or stopwatch

Lesson procedure

1. Vocabulary worksheet (individual or in pairs) (15 to 25 minutes)

• Review the vocabulary words as a group.
• Ask students if they remember what the words mean.
• If helpful, ask students to say the meaning in their first language or give an example.

2. Explain the game (5 minutes)

• One student from each team comes to the front and picks a word card.
• That student describes the word using English only. They cannot say the word itself.
  • Optional challenge (for intermediate or advanced students): The student also avoids the "forbidden words" written on the card.
• The team has 1 minute to guess the word.
• Each correct answer = 1 point.
• If the student says the word or a forbidden word, they skip that card (no point).
• Teams take turns.

3. Play the game (10–20 minutes)

• Keep playing with different students each round.
• Write each team's score on the board.
• Help students if needed and encourage them to try their best.
• For extra challenge or a second round, use the forbidden words rule.

4. Wrap-up (5 minutes)

• Ask students which words were easy or hard to describe.
• Go over any tricky vocabulary together.
• Optional: Give students a handout or flashcards to take home for practice.

Adaptations and differentiation

• To simplify: Let students use gestures or basic sentence frames (e.g., "You can find this in a ___"). You can also remove or reduce the number of forbidden words.
• To increase difficulty: Add more forbidden words to make the game more challenging. Encourage students to use full sentences when giving clues.
• For language support: Allow students to work with a partner who speaks the same first language. They can check understanding together before playing.

Possible extensions

• Have students create their own word cards using census-related vocabulary they think is useful, including "forbidden words."
• Ask students to write simple sentences or a short paragraph using new vocabulary (e.g., about their household or community).
• Play a roleplay game where one student acts as the enumerator and the other as the respondent to practice using census terms in context.