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Activities Overview Math History/Social Studies Geography Sociology English Home and Distance Learning Activities Grades K - 2 Grades 3 - 5 Grades 6 - 8 Grades 9 - 12
Constitution Day and Apportionment Create with Data Data Access Tools Fun Facts Games Historical Documents and Images Kahoot! Games Learn About the Decennial Census Maps Monthly Highlights Videos Visualizations Warm-Up Activities
Overview Math History Geography Sociology English
About Us Program Benefits Census 101 for Students Teacher's Guide to Tools Partner with SIS Contact Us

Poverty in America

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Poverty in America

Activity Description

hs1_160

Students will explore census data, including infographics and reports, to better understand rates of poverty in the nation.

Suggested Grade Level

10-12

Approximate Time Required

60-90 minutes

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify the difference between the “official” poverty measure developed in the 1960s and the “supplemental” poverty measure developed in the 2000s.
  • Students will be able to use U.S. Census Bureau resources to identify changes in rates of poverty and analyze other poverty data.

Materials Required

  • The student version of this activity, 17 pages (which the teacher will likely choose to print in color)
  • A computer with Internet access for each student

Activity Items

The following items are part of this activity. The items, their sources, and instructions for viewing them online appear at the end of this teacher version.

  • Measuring America — How Census Measures Poverty
  • Poverty in the United States: 2023
  • Income in the United States: 2023

This activity also uses the following online Excel tables:

Download Teacher Version
Download Student Version

Teacher Notes

Blooms Taxonomy

Analyzing
Blooms Taxonomy

Students will analyze poverty and its impact on the U.S. population.

Subject

High School Sociology

Topics

  • Poverty

Skills Taught

  • Comparing and contrasting data
  • Making inferences
Page Last Revised - January 6, 2025
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