Teacher Lesson Plan

Description:

This is a quick lesson to teach how statisticians compute the birth rate. It uses the baby boomers as the prime example. It is useful to explain the baby boom for U.S. History, but it is also useful in the Equal Opportunities unit in NSL-B, when talking about using demographics to make policy.

Outcomes/Core Learning Goals:

Ummmm . . . This lesson fits into so many different objectives that it doesn't seem to hit any one Core Learning Goal. It generally builds data analysis skills and asks students to think about how statistics can be used in government policy. Use your imagination and use it where you see fit.

Time Frame:

About 30 minutes, if done by the students individually. This can be even quicker if you do it on a multi-media projector at the front of the classroom.

Materials/Technology/Teacher Differentiation:

Students can do it alone or in pairs in a computer lab, or you can use it as a set activity at the front of the classroom, by projecting the information on a multi-media projector.

Teacher Preparation:

Go through the lesson yourself first, to make sure everything works. Email me if there is a problem (Mary Wagner on First Class or Mary_Wagner@fc.montgomeryschoolsmd.org).

Check out the "Concluding Thoughts" and decide if you want to create a homework assignment or just have a class discussion and go on.

Student Differentiation Options:

I firmly believe that this skill is one all students should have, so I would try it with all levels. Even the math is pretty basic.

Student Prior Knowledge and Skills:

Students need to know how to read a column graph and do basic math.

Lesson Design/Learning Sequence:

Students will look at graphs of three statistics, and will use basic math to compute their own. Then they will evaluate whether those statistics are appropriate for creating policy.

First, they will look at a graph of the number of live births in the U.S., 1910-1998. They will notice that although the number of births was quite high in 1950 and 1960, it was just as high in 1990 and 1998 (the latest year for which we have this data).

Second, students will look at population statistics for the U.S., 1910-1998. They will note the steady increase in population.

Third, students will use the formula [Births / Population = Birthrate x 1000 = Birthrate per 1000 people] to compute the birth rate for 1960 and 1990.

Finally, they will check their answers and look at a graph of the birth rate in the U.S., 1910-1998. This graph clearly shows the baby boom in the 1940s and 1950s.

In conclusion, students will think about the implications of this manipulation of data for creating policy.

Lesson Evaluation: