Northern Ireland Census
This week we would like the children to learn about the Northern Ireland census. The census happens only once every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in Northern Ireland. The last census was in 2011 and counted 1,810,900 people living here. The next Northern Ireland census begins this month with Census Day on Sunday 21st March 2021. We are going to be using the Let’s Count! materials developed by CCEA in partnership with Census 2021 and supported by NISRA.
Monday
The children should begin by watching the 'What is the Northern Ireland census?' video on the CCEA website (click on the link below).
They should learn more about the census by looking at the following slides:
The children should complete Resource 1: Home Sweet Home (pages 4 and 5) from the Monday Resources PDF below to find out more about Northern Ireland. All of the answers can be found on the map. If you aren't printing out the sheets, your children can just point to the screen for Question 1 and trace with their finger for Question 8.
They should then complete Resource 2: Places of Interest (pages 6 and 7). Again, this activity can be completed without printing out the sheets. They can search online if they don't recognise some of the tourist attractions.
The answers for both of these activities are at the bottom of this page. We would also love to see any photos if they previously visited any of these tourist attractions or any others in Northern Ireland for Facebook and Twitter if you are happy to share them.
Tuesday
The children are going to learn today that the census tells us that people live in settlements of different sizes, classified as urban and rural. Northern Ireland has six counties, but the population is not spread evenly across them. 63% of the population live in a settlement described as urban.
They should read through the following slides:
The children should complete the table and answer as many of the questions as they can on Resource 2: Urban or Rural? (page 5) using the information in Resource 1: Settlement Data (please note this is a separate document below). The information needed to complete the Description and Population columns can be found in the Census Band and Description information on Resource 1. The number of settlements can be found in the Settlement Name column. The census bands above the red box are urban and the ones below are rural.
The answers for this activity are at the bottom of the page.
Wednesday
The children are going to look at how Northern Ireland can be broken up into different areas such as Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCT), Local Government Districts (LGD) and Wards. They should look at the slides below about Carrickfergus to see how this works:
The children are now going to explore their local area by using the Maps section of the NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) website (see link below). They are going to complete Resource 2a and Resource 2b (pages 6 and 7) by following the instructions on the two sheets. They will need to use Google Maps or similar to complete the tables.
Thursday
The children are going to learn about the difference between quantitative data (measurements and numbers) and qualitative data (characteristics). They are also going to look at the changes in occupations in Northern Ireland over the lifespan of the census such as the change in working age, male/female balance and occupation increase or decrease and appearance or disappearance. They should begin by looking at the following slides:
The children are going to use Resource 1: Timeline and Timeline Images (pages 4 and 5) to create a timeline. They should write the name of someone one generation older than them, e.g. a parent, on one of the 'was born' squares and the name of someone two generations older, e.g. a grandparent, on the other 'was born' square'. This can be done on a piece of paper if you don't want to print the sheets. The completed timeline should resemble the slide at the bottom of the page.
Friday
We would like the children to complete the first section on Resource 2: Ask the Babies (pages 7 and 8) and then interview a parent for the second section answering the questions about when they were the same age. If possible, they should interview someone two generations older, e.g. a grandparent, for the third section. They should then list three technology changes in the last 20 years. We would love a few photos of the children with the people they have interviewed along with their work for Facebook and Twitter but you don't have to of course!
There is an optional interactive game, Data about Northern Ireland, on the Let's Count webpage which allows the children to explore the difference between quantitative data and qualitative data. Click on the link below and then click on Lesson 4: Working for it (Occupations). It is the first resource.
Answers
