Sarah and Joshua take over

Articles reporting figures on names for babies appear periodically in the newspaper. This one could be the starting point for various classroom activities particularly relevant for the upper primary level. Some possibilities include:

1. graphing results for the names;
2. working out the percentage of the total represented by the numbers given and discussing how many names might be included in the rest;
3. doing some research to find figures for the "all time" most popular names;
4. surveying the class or school for names of students or names of newborn siblings.

Although this topic may not seem particularly relevant for older students, younger students are interested in topics related to themselves. Names are part of their developing identities and this topic should create interest.

Where to next?

Student Questions for this article
Newspaper article
Index - Related articles
Index - Data Representation
Numeracy in the News - Main Index