Activity 1: Family History

1. Discuss the term genealogy with the class. Explain that genealogy is the history of a particular family, showing how the different members of the family are related to each other.
2. Ask the students, "What are some reasons to learn about your family's history?" Discuss the following possible reasons:
   • It gives you a connection to your heritage.
   • It can help you trace genetics and family health patterns.
   • It can help you develop a sense of personal identity.
   • It can help you discover family connections to historical events.
   • It can help to preserve family stories.
3. Discuss the term agribusiness with the class. Explain that agribusiness is the business or industry of farming or agriculture and includes people that grow, process, deliver, and sell food, people who teach about agriculture, scientists who study food and farming, bankers who lend money to farmers, and people who build farming equipment.
4. Provide each student with the Family Tree and Family Map activity sheets. Explain how to develop a family tree for this activity:
   • Gather information about your family (names of parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, the state they lived in as an adult, whether or not they worked in agribusiness). Ask members of your family to help.
   • Record the information on the Family Tree activity sheet.
   • Draw stars next to the names of family members who live(d) on a farm.
   • Circle the names of family members who work(ed) in agribusiness.
   • After completing the Family Tree, transfer the information to the Family Map.
5. Provide each student with the Family Data Comparison. Have each student choose one of their relatives who lived in a different state to compare that state's data with their own state using the Census Data Webpage. If all of their relatives lived in the same state as them, they may choose a state that interests them for the comparison. Have the students use their age to compare the data and complete the table. (If the student is 9, they will use the data for 9 year olds. The age of their family member does not matter.)
6. When the tables are complete, ask students to share their findings.
7. As a class, predict the data for the 2020 Census. Use the following questions to guide the process:
   • Do you think the population will increase or decrease in 2020? Why?
   • Do you think there will be more or less students your age?
   • Based on the states our class researched, which state do you think will have the largest population? The smallest?
   • Which state researched has been a state the longest? Create a timeline to compare statehood dates.
   • How are the population and the number of people per square mile related?
   • Do you think the number of ice cream stores will increase or decrease?
8. Ask the students to write and share a question they wish the census would ask.

Activity 2: American Farmers Count!

1. Have the students read the American Farmers Count! Reading Page either individually, with a partner, or as a class.
2. Instruct the students to fill out the American Farmers Count! Comprehension Page.
3. Discuss how the Census of Agriculture and the decennial census are alike and different.
4. Discuss the importance of each census.
5. Discuss why participation in Census 2020 is the law and not just our duty.