You are sitting in your enormous window filled office sipping your first cup of morning coffee when, all of the sudden, the fax machine starts to print.  You have just found out that you-- yes you, have been appointed a member of the chief executive's cabinet for population research. Your report will be read by the president of the United States himself!
 
 

    Your new responsibilities include researching, predicting, and report writing on findings related to population growth and/or decline for a fifty-year time span.  While upset with this enormous project you have just assigned, you try and take a positive outlook, at least you will get to do one thing you love, READ! Yes, read another book titled Among The Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is sure to provide great information for your final report to the chief executive. 

1. You will research population trends using the web sites listed below. You will specifically be looking for the United States total population numbers for the years: 1980, 1990, and 2000

2. When you find these numbers you will construct a graph. Remember to use TAILS when constructing your graph. Also please note the president will be able to understand your information better if you used different colors to indicated the different years on your graph.

3. After you have created your graph, analyze the information. Part of your assignment is to predict for the president how the population in the United States is going to change. Add your predicted numbers to the graph.

4. The next thing you will need to do to prepare for your report to the president will be to identify at least three possible problems of country may face in the future due to population growth. Also brainstorm a possible solution for these problems. Remember you are dealing with the president of the United States, your ideas must be well thought out and detailed. You may want to use the Novel Among the Hidden to help you brainstorm along with other resources.

5. Lastly you must prepare the formal report for the president. Be sure to include your graph and anticipated problems and solutions. One more thing…… The President want to know if there is anything that he can do know to prevent the problems from happening in the first place….. be sure to give him some of your ideas.
 
 

Student Resources:

The U.S. Census Bureau provides the 1990 and 2000 population data.
http://www.census.gov/statab/www/poppart.html

This site provides a table titled Population: 1790 to 1990.
http://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-4.pdf

This site breaks the census population from 1790 to 1990 by U.S. regions and division and then by individual states.
http://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-16.pdf

This site is a table that breaks the population from 1900 to 1990 into urban and rural by region and then by state.
http://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/urpop0090.txt

This site provides annual projections for the total population from 1990 to 2100 with a middle, low and high estimate projection.
http://www.census.gov/population/projections/nation/summary/np-t1.pdf
 
 

Although you may have worked with partners or groups to gather your information, it is your individual work that will be handed over the man in charge. To be sure that your work is thought highly of be sure to double check the criteria for a successful presidential report below.
 

Organization/ grammar/ neatness           10 Points
1st problem and 1st solution                    20 Points
2nt  problem and 2ntt solution                20 Points
3rd problem and 3rd solution                 20 Points
Graph                                                   20 Points
Current recommendation for President    10 Points
 
 

Among The Hidden

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/haddix.htm

http://www.kidsreads.com/features/010620-haddix-margaret.asp

http://www.sfsite.com/09b/amo41.htm

http://staff.norman.k12.ok.us/~kperry/Author%20Study%20Example/sld003.htm

Census Resources

This site allows the user to identify the population of specific counties within a desired state from 1900 to 1990.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts.html

The Population Reference Bureau tracks population trends in the U.S. and internationally. Topics range from health and nutrition to mortality, poverty, and crime statistics.  This site includes links for QuickFacts, Educators, and a DataFinder.
http://www.prb.org/

The Populations Reference Bureau The Population Handbook, Fourth Edition, is a quick guide to population dynamics for journalists, policy makers, educators, students, and other people interested in people.
http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2841