Learning activities
Note
Sources 3 (a map
of the area) and 4 (a photograph of coastguards further along the
coast in Southwick) are not used directly in the activities. They
could be projected onto the whiteboard as a backdrop while children
are working with the census pages.
Starter activities
Starter activity Sa (Links to any main
activity)
Tell the class that they have recently been named as king or
queen of a small kingdom. What would they want to find out about
their residents? How would you make sure that roads, schools,
hospitals were paid for (lead to - they would be paid for by
taxes)? How would you collect this information? Children to record
their suggestions. Teacher to then show the original and/or
transcript of Source 1, a census page, and discuss the collecting
of census information - its purpose and the nature of the
information collected.
Starter activity Sb (Links to any main
activity)
Look at the original census pages (sources 1a and 2a) either on
interactive whiteboard or paper copies. What is it? What
information can the children glean from the sources? Analyse the
sources, for example handwritten, old style of handwriting,
jobs which are uncommon now, abbreviations used, and so on. Ask the
children why they think this information was collected.
Main activities
Main activity Ma (Links to any starter)
Look at the census pages (originals and/or transcripts). Design
a passport for one of the Victorian children listed in the census.
Make a family tree to accompany this showing who their parents are
and so on. This could include ages and relationships to each other
in the family. See Children's Activity Sheet Ma.
Main activity Mb (Links to any starter)
Organise children into groups. Each group picks from a bag a
number which corresponds to a house, and is given a copy of the
census page (originals and/or transcripts) for their house. Each
member of the group takes the role of one of the residents and
investigates the census to work out who they are, their ages, jobs,
where they were born, and any other information about their
families. Children to role play being that person. Teacher could
link the number of children to residents in a particular house, or
children could role play that a resident is ill/at work/away and
such like.
Main activity Mc (Links to any starter)
Working alone or in groups, children to be given a copy of the
census pages (originals and/or transcripts). They will then
complete the census crimes activity. See Children's Activity Sheet
Mb.
Children could design their own scenario. Teachers could also
add further elements by putting objects in a feely bag - some props
may need to be made.
Plenary activities
Plenary activity Pa (Links to Ma)
Share some of the children's family trees and passports. Discuss
issues such as the census information is not made available to the
general public for a period of time.
Share Queen Victoria's family tree and complete a census page
for her family in 1851.
Plenary activity Pb (Links to Mb)
Teacher to act as the Census enumerator. Travel around to each
house and collect the information asking key questions, for
example 'Where were you born?', 'How old are you?'
and What do you do?'.
Plenary activity Pc (Links to Mc)
Share the children's solutions of the census crimes - Who are we
going to arrest? Children could design a wanted poster.