miniQUEST

Maryland Learning Outcomes:

Write information reports for an intended audience and purpose that frames a key question, present a literal understanding of the topic. (MLO-W)
Compare data sets to answer a question. (MLO-M)
 

Technology Indicators:

To gather, evaluate, and analyze information/data and report results. 5.0
Efficiently use electronic information resources for collaboration, research, publication, communication, and productivity. 5.1

Your uncle is moving to Maryland.  He will be working in Baltimore City and he has two teenage sons.  He wants to buy a home in a county that is not too crowded and he does not want a long commute to work.  His computer is broken and he has asked you to research some counties for him.

Step 1

First, you need to find out which counties are close to Baltimore City.  Click on the link below to look at a map of Maryland counties.  Locate the four counties that are closest to Baltimore City and write them on your paper or in a spreadsheet program such as AppleWorks.

Step 2

Now that you have chosen 4 counties, you need to gather information about the population of each county.  Click on the link below.  Scroll down to the chart of all the counties.  You will be looking in the first column.  Find the name of each county and record the population total next to the name of the county.

You will now analyze the data from the four counties.  Determine which county has the smallest population and which county has the largest population. But is this enough information to make a decision as to the best place for your uncle to move? Visit this site and record other census information for your uncle to use to help with his decision.

Conclusion

Now that you have all the necessary information about the population of the surrounding counties, write a letter to your uncle explaining what you found.  Make a recommendation about which county he should live in and justify your recommendation.

Recommended for Grade 4 Math/Social Studies
A graphic organizer is not needed for this miniQuest.
See Notes to the Teacher.