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The Census Taker at the Door

7th grade nonfiction passage about the census and fair representation: 264 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction the census and fair representation 264 words

The Census Taker at the Door

In 1790, shortly after the United States was founded, officials on horseback rode from house to house with paper and ink, asking who lived inside. They were conducting the first census, a count of everyone in the country. The United States has repeated this count every ten years since then, and the reason is written into the Constitution.

The main purpose is fairness in government. The number of people in each state decides how many seats that state receives in the House of Representatives. When a state's population grows faster than others, it may gain seats, and a state that grows more slowly may lose one. Without a regular count, the map of power would slowly drift away from the real map of where people live.

The census also guides practical decisions. Cities and states use the numbers to decide where to build schools, roads, and clinics. Governments use them to share money among communities. If many families in a neighborhood are left out of the count, that neighborhood may receive less than it needs for years afterward.

Because people worry about privacy, the law protects what they tell the Census Bureau. Individual answers cannot be used to harm a person and are kept secret for many decades. Only summary statistics are published.

Today most households answer online, by mail, or by phone, and workers visit only those who do not respond. The census is a reminder that being counted is a small act of citizenship. It costs only a few minutes, yet it shapes how a community is represented and served for ten years.

Questions

  1. How often does the United States hold a census? in the text

  2. What does a state's population decide about its role in the House of Representatives? in the text

  3. What are two things communities use census numbers to plan? in the text

  4. Why could a neighborhood suffer if many families are left out of the count? think about it

  5. How does the census help keep the government fair? think about it

  6. How does the law protect the privacy of people who answer? in the text

Words to know

census
an official count of all the people living in a country
population
the total number of people living in a place
representatives
people chosen to speak and vote for a group
clinics
places where people go for basic medical care
citizenship
the role and duties of being a member of a country
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 225 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6

In 1790, soon after the country began, officials rode on horses from house to house. They carried paper and ink. They asked who lived inside. This was the first census, a count of everyone in the country. The United States has done it every ten years since. The Constitution says to.

The main goal is fairness. The number of people in a state decides how many seats it gets in the House of Representatives. If a state grows faster than others, it may gain seats. If it grows slower, it may lose one. Without a count, power would slowly drift away from where people really live.

The census also helps with plans. Cities and states use the numbers to decide where to build schools, roads, and clinics. Governments use them to share money. If many families in a neighborhood are not counted, that neighborhood may get less than it needs for years.

People worry about privacy, so the law protects what they say. Answers about one person cannot be used to harm them. They are kept secret for many decades. Only summaries are shared.

Today most homes answer online, by mail, or by phone. Workers visit only homes that do not answer. Being counted is a small act of citizenship. It takes a few minutes. But it shapes how a community is served for ten years.

▲ This passage · 264 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.4

In 1790, shortly after the United States was founded, officials on horseback rode from house to house with paper and ink, asking who lived inside. They were conducting the first census, a count of everyone in the country. The United States has repeated this count every ten years since then, and the reason is written into the Constitution.

The main purpose is fairness in government. The number of people in each state decides how many seats that state receives in the House of Representatives. When a state's population grows faster than others, it may gain seats, and a state that grows more slowly may lose one. Without a regular count, the map of power would slowly drift away from the real map of where people live.

The census also guides practical decisions. Cities and states use the numbers to decide where to build schools, roads, and clinics. Governments use them to share money among communities. If many families in a neighborhood are left out of the count, that neighborhood may receive less than it needs for years afterward.

Because people worry about privacy, the law protects what they tell the Census Bureau. Individual answers cannot be used to harm a person and are kept secret for many decades. Only summary statistics are published.

Today most households answer online, by mail, or by phone, and workers visit only those who do not respond. The census is a reminder that being counted is a small act of citizenship. It costs only a few minutes, yet it shapes how a community is represented and served for ten years.

■ Harder · 283 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 11.7

In 1790, shortly after the United States came into being, officials traveling on horseback went from house to house carrying paper and ink and inquiring who resided inside. They were conducting the nation's first census, a count of everyone in the country. The United States has repeated this count every ten years ever since, and the requirement is written into the Constitution itself.

The central purpose is fairness in government. The number of people living in each state determines how many seats that state receives in the House of Representatives. When a state's population increases more rapidly than that of other states, it may gain seats, whereas a state that grows more slowly may forfeit one. Without a regular count, the map of political power would gradually drift away from the actual map of where people live.

The census additionally guides a variety of practical decisions. Cities and states rely on the figures to determine where to construct schools, roads, and clinics, and governments use them to distribute money among communities. If many families in a neighborhood are omitted from the count, that neighborhood may receive less than it requires for years afterward.

Because people are understandably concerned about privacy, the law safeguards what they report to the Census Bureau. Individual answers cannot be used to harm a person and remain confidential for many decades, and only summary statistics are published.

Today most households respond online, by mail, or by telephone, and workers visit only those who fail to reply. The census is a reminder that being counted is a modest act of citizenship. It demands merely a few minutes, yet it shapes how a community is represented and served for an entire decade.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put census, population, representatives, clinics and citizenship on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 3 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 4 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Census Taker at the Door"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 264 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 8.4. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 3 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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