‘Beyond the Barchart’A DfES IU Project
Comparing Childhood
Overview
Comparing childhood is a series of three activities aimed at comparing the experience of children from different parts of the country or world.
1. Comparing your day
A data handling project lasting 4 to 6 lessons aimed at Year 8. This activity uses information about different children to compare childhood in different countries. There is an excellent video that would enhance this project.
2. World Statistics
This activity is a Data Handling activity which could last 4-6 sessions and involves interpretation of world statistics and comparison of different countries.
2. Census at school
This activity aims to encourage the use of the Census at School website through completion of Census at school questionnaire and the comparison of results to those on the website. This activity could last 4-6 lessons and is aimed at Year 8.
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Teachers’ notes
Curriculum links
Geography
Citizenship
Learning objectives
- To calculate percentages and draw and compare pie charts
- To develop an awareness of the experience of childhood in other countries.
Resources
Resource sheets:
1 Pupils’ brief and table for pupils to complete details of their day
2 table for piechart
(3 table for percentages)
Information Sheets:
a Christoforou’s day: a case study of a child in Cyprus
b Abdul’s day: a case study of a child in Bangladesh
c Sandy NG’s day: a case study of a child in Hong Kong
d Craig Jacobs: a case study of a child in St Lucia
Optional: Geography Junction. Video Penpals. Produced by Channel 4 schools. (these are lovely videos and would enhance the activity).
Equipment
Angle indicators, rulers and paper or exercise books.
Description
Pupils need to work out what they do over a 24 hour period on a school day. Resource sheet 2 may be useful for this. They need to decide categories for the activities that they do. Sensible categories could include: sleeping, lessons, playing or socialising with friends, washing, dressing and eating, homework, work for family, paid work outside home, religious worship. They should then draw a pie chart for their day. They then need to do the same with a case study (Information sheet a,b,c or d) and compare their own day with that of the child in the case study. They should ask what they spend most time doing, least time doing, what are the similarities and differences between their day and the child in the case study.
Pupils in the class should work in groups, each group using a case study of one of the children. Groups should then present their work briefly to the rest of the class in order to promote discussion around comparisons of the different children.
Alternatively mixed groups could be set up, with one person who has looked at each child and findings discussed and then shared with the whole group.
Some suggested questions for pupils:
Why does Sandy NG only go to school to in the morning?
Do the other children spend more or less time at school? More or less time on domestic tasks? Can you think of any reasons for this?
Alternative activity: instead of drawing piecharts pupils could use resource sheet 3b and compare percentages.
Comparing childhood almost best version1 of 16CB / MA
‘Beyond the Barchart’A DfES IU Project
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Resource sheet 1
For each time of the day record what you usually do at that time on a school day.
Name: My day
Time / Activity / CategoryCompare the activities you do with the child in the case study you have been given.
Decide on 6 to 8 categories for the main things you and the other child do. It may be that some categories do not apply to both of you.
Use resource sheet 2 or 3. Work out how many hours a day you spend on each category, and complete the rest of the table.
Comparing childhood almost best version1 of 16CB / MA
‘Beyond the Barchart’A DfES IU Project
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Resource sheet 2
Category / Hours spent in one day / Calculation / Angle on piechartsleeping
Total / 24
Category / Hours spent in one day / Calculation / Angle on piechart
sleeping
Total / 24
Now compare your day with the child in the case study by drawing a piechart and comparing the time spent on activities in your days.
What are the similarities? What are the differences?
Comparing childhood almost best version1 of 16CB / MA
‘Beyond the Barchart’A DfES IU Project
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Resource sheet 3
Category / Hours spent in one day / Calculation / percentagesleeping
Total / 24
Category / Hours spent in one day / Calculation / percentage
sleeping
Total / 24
Now compare your day with the child in the case study by comparing the percentage of time spent on different categories of activities.
What are the similarities? What are the differences?
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Information sheet a
Christoforou lives in a small town in Cyprus with his mother, father and his older sister. He goes to the newly built local secondary school which is just outside the town on the mountainside. His lessons include Greek, Maths, DT, and RE. At breaktime he plays football. After lunch he enjoys helping his family by making cheese or picking fruit. In the early evening he goes into town to socialise and play with his friends.
Christoforou’s day:
Time / Activity / Category6.00 / Get up and have breakfast
7.00 / Travel to school on the school bus
7.15 / Lessons
8.30 / First break
8.45 / Lessons
10.00 / Second break
10.15 / Lessons
11.30 / Third break
11.45 / Lessons
13.00 / Go home on the school bus
13.15 / Have lunch
14.00 / Help make cheese
15.00 / Do homework
15.45 / Play
16.30 / Pick fruit
18.00 / Walk with friends
20.00 / Dinner
20.30 / Wash and get ready for bed
21.00 / Bedtime
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Information Sheet b
Abdul lives in a village in Bangladesh with his parents and his 5 brothers and sisters. His family make a living from growing food and fishing. Thay have their own pond to wash and swim in. As well as going to school Abdul goes to the Mosque to pray and read the Koran. He helps his family by looking after the water buffalo, he has to collect food and feed it and take it to the river to wash. In the evening he plays games outside with the other boys in the village.
Time / Activity / Category6.00 / Wash the water buffalo
6.45 / Tea and biscuits
7.00 / Mosque
8.00 / Collect food for the water buffalo
8.30 / Wash
9.00 / Breakfast: rice, dhal and curry
9.30 / Help family
11.45 / Walk to school
12.00 / Lessons
16.15 / Walk home
16.30 / Collect food for the water buffalo
17.30 / play
18.30 / Feed water buffalo
19.30 / School work
20.30 / Dinner
21.00 / Prepare for bed
21.30 / Bed
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Information sheet c
Sandy Ng lives in Hong Kong. She lives on the 8th floor of a apartment block in the Taiwan district. She has no brothers or sisters. Her apartment is small and there are not many places to play.
In Hong Kong there is morning school and afternoon school in the same building. Some children attend in the morning and some in the afternoon. Sandy goes to AM school. At school she speaks Cantonese but has English lessons every day. There are approximately 1000 pupils in the school.
She has 1 or 2 hours of homework every day. For Maths homework Sandy uses an abacus to help her.
The rainy season in Hong Kong lasts from June to September, when it rains nearly every day. If it is windy as well it is called a Typhoon, then school is closed and she has to stay indoors. Sometimes there is a heavy rain called a black storm.
She gets 10 dollars for pocket money.
Time / Activity / Category6.00 / Get up
6.15 / Breakfast; milk and bread
6.45 / Buy noodles to eat
7.00 / Catch bus with friends
8.00 / School starts
1.00 / AM school finishes
PM school starts
1.30 / Lunch
2.00 / Homework
4.00 / Library
5.00 / Reading
18.30 / Dinner
19.00 / Help wash and tidy
19.30 / TV
20.30 / Wash and change for bed
21.00 / Bedtime
Comparing Childhood: Your Day
Information Sheet d
Craig Jacobs lives with his grandmother and great grandmother in St Lucia. His mother and father live in New York.
He speaks English at school, patois with friends. There are 37 boys in his class. He gets up early to do his chores and homework. He has chocolate tea and bread for breakfast before school starts at 9 a.m. He goes home for lunch which his grandma cooks for him. He likes to eat fried plantain, fish and peas. On Friday school finishes early and he goes to play football or swim in the sea with his friends.
On Saturdays he goes to the market with his grandma to buy fruit and vegetables that people from nearby villages have brought to sell.
He likes living in St Lucia because the beach is nearby.
Time / Activity / Category6.00 / Get up, wash
6.15 / Wash dishes
6.25 / Say prayers
6.35 / Sweep yard
6.45 / Study books
8.00 / Iron school shirt
Get dressed
8.15 / Breakfast
8.30 / Leave for school
9.00 / School starts
1.00 / Lunch at home
2.00 / School
15.30 / Play football with friends or go swimming
18.30 / Dinner
19.30 / Read
20.30 / Wash and change for bed
21.00 / Bedtime
Comparing Childhood: World Statistics
Teacher’s notes
Curriculum links
Geography
ICT
Citizenship
Learning objectives
- Calculate, present and analyse statistics from data, using ICT as appropriate
- Raise awareness of legal and human rights and responsibilities
- Carry out an analysis of sources investigating political and social issues
Resources
Resource sheet
Information sheet
Further information can be obtained from United Nations website, Infonation on the UN website, The World Factbook from the CIA and the Unicef site.
Description
Pupils use the information provided to compare countries within Latin America and the Caribbean. They can use statistical tools appropriate to their ability to compare life expectancy, literacy rates, school enrolment rates. There should be some discussion, possibly drawing on work done in humanities or citizenship around possible reasons for differences. They could go on to say what they would expect in other regions/countries and investigate using suggested resources.
Students can answer questions using the following
- Tally charts, frequency tables, bar graphs,(level 3) mode and range, filters on Excel (NC level 4)
- Use of averages (mode, median and mean) and range to compare data(NC level 5)
- Use of averages (mode, median and mean) and range to compare data(NC level 5)
- Scattergraphs (level 6)
E. At level 7 pupils should be able to specify and test their own hypotheses and take account of bias or variability.
The questions get more difficult from A to E so students should be encouraged to work on questions appropriate to their ability. Pupils should work in groups and present their findings to the class.
Comparing Childhood: World Statistics
Resource sheet
Use the table provided to investigate the following:
Group A: Use bar charts and tally charts and find the mode.
What is the life expectancy in Latin America/Caribbean?
Group B: Use bar charts, averages and range.
Compare male/female literacy rates or primary enrolment rates.
Group C: Find the average adult literacy rates in Latin America/Carribean.
Group D: Do the literacy rates correlate with primary enrolment rates?
Does Infant Mortality Rate correlate with Life Expectancy?
Group E: Devise your own question or hypothesis.
Present your findings to the rest of the class. How do you think they compare to the UK or other regions, and why?
Further work:
Collect data from another region and compare to Latin America/Caribbean
Comparing Childhood: World Statistics
Information sheet
Country / Region / Life Expectancy in years (1999) / Adult Literacy as % (1999) / Female Adult Literacy as % (1999) / Male Adult Literacy as % (1999) / Net Primary Enrolment (1995-1997) / Infant Mortality per 1000 live births (1999)Argentina / Lat/Car / 73 / 77 / 70 / 97 / 97 / 19
Bahamas / Lat/Car / 69 / 73.6 / 65 / 96 / 96 / 18
Barbados / Lat/Car / 77 / 78.9 / 74 / 97 / - / 14
Belize / Lat/Car / 74 / 75.3 / 73 / 93 / 93 / 35
Bolivia / Lat/Car / 62 / 63.8 / 60 / 85 / 79 / 64
Brazil / Lat/Car / 68 / 71.8 / 64 / 85 / 85 / 34
Chile / Lat/Car / 75 / 78.5 / 73 / 96 / 95 / 11
Colombia / Lat/Car / 71 / 74.6 / 68 / 92 / 92 / 26
Costa Rica / Lat/Car / 76 / 79.2 / 75 / 96 / 96 / 13
Dominican Republic / Lat/Car / 67 / 70 / 65 / 83 / 83 / 43
Ecuador / Lat/Car / 70 / 72.8 / 68 / 91 / 89 / 27
El Salvador / Lat/Car / 70 / 72.9 / 67 / 78 / 76 / 35
Guatemala / Lat/Car / 65 / 67.7 / 62 / 68 / 61 / 45
Guyana / Lat/Car / 63 / 67.5 / 59 / 98 / 98 / 56
Haiti / Lat/Car / 52 / 55.4 / 49 / 49 / 47 / 83
Honduras / Lat/Car / 66 / 68.8 / 63 / 74 / 74 / 33
Jamaica / Lat/Car / 75 / 77.1 / 73 / 86 / 90 / 10
Mexico / Lat/Car / 72 / 75.8 / 70 / 91 / 89 / 27
Nicaragua / Lat/Car / 68 / 70.8 / 66 / 68 / 70 / 38
Panama / Lat/Car / 74 / 76.6 / 72 / 92 / 91 / 21
Paraguay / Lat/Car / 70 / 72.3 / 68 / 93 / 92 / 27
Peru / Lat/Car / 69 / 71.3 / 66 / 90 / 85 / 42
Suriname / Lat/Car / 70 / 73 / 68 / 93 / - / 27
Trinidad and Tobago / Lat/Car / 74 / 76.5 / 72 / 94 / 92 / 17
Uruguay / Lat/Car / 74 / 78.3 / 71 / 98 / 98 / 15
Venezuela / Lat/Car / 73 / 76 / 70 / 92 / 92 / 20
Comparing Childhood: Census at School
Teachers’ notes
Curriculum links
Geography
ICT
Citizenship
Learning objectives
- Construct graphs and diagrams to represent data, on paper and using ICT
- Calculate statistics from data, using ICT as appropriate
- Investigate the diversity of identities in the UK
Resources
Phase 4 Questionnaire
Census at school website:
Activity
Carry out phase 4 questionnaire with your students and put results on a spreadsheet.
Some suggested questions for pupils to investigate:
1. What is your class’ favourite type of book?
2. What is your class’ bed time?
3. Which do you class trust more the police or the press?
4. Is there a correlation between trusting television and the press, or political parties and national government?
There are many other questions that you or your pupils may want to investigate.
Students can answer questions using the following
- Tally charts, frequency tables, bar graphs,(level 3) mode and range, filters on Excel (NC level 4)
- Filters on Excel or as above (NC level 3/4)
- Grouped data, use of averages (mode, median and mean) and range to compare data(NC level 5)
- Pivot tables, scattergraphs (level 6)
- Use relative frequency as an estimate of probability (level 7)
- At level 7 pupils should be able to specify and test their own hypotheses and take account of bias or variability.
Now compare findings with other schools on the census at school website. Ideally put your own results on there too.
Comparing childhood almost best version1 of 16CB / MA