find to be of interest may vary. A good way to find out is just to give them time to explore and see which maps received the most attention.

Tracking Change in Your Own Community

One possible avenue for investigation might be the international context of your commu- nity: What is the percentage of people who are foreign-born? For any of these studies, it may be helpful to conduct some research within your school to provide some compara- tive data. In this case, how many of your students or their parents were born outside the United States? What percentage of the total number of people in your study would that be? A quick look at data for the St. Louis, Missouri, area shows that in 1970 very few were foreign-born, with almost all areas coded as 1–5% foreign-born and most of the out- lying areas at less than 1%. While the region is hardly as cosmopolitan as New York or San Francisco, there have been notable increases across the area including some pockets now showing over 30% foreign-born. As you and your students observe these changes, pose questions about what might be

causing those changes. In this case, the St. Louis region received an influx of Bosnian refugees in the 1990s. Once that tidbit of information is in play, challenge your students to test whether this had an impact on the population that would be reflected in the maps. How could they do this? Creating a map for 1990 and comparing it to the 2000 data shows dramatic change in certain neighborhoods. Is this where many Bosnians settled? While the free version of the website won’t allow the students to pursue this line of ques- tioning further, perhaps other local resources can be called upon. A good quest will draw on a wide range of information. Another area I have found accessible and interesting to students is the racial composi-

tion of their community. While we are often hesitant to discuss race issues with kids, they live with race-based messages every day. A well-managed classroom discussion can be enlightening for kids and adults alike. A couple of years ago I worked with a sixth-grade student who extended a class study of change in her community by tracking fifty years of racial change, from a time in the 1960s—when Blacks were essentially not welcome—up to today, when her school district is about 7⁄8 African-American. Currently, the city is very divided, with higher levels of education and income in the “White” neighborhoods. By using mapping tools and looking at the underlying demographic data, she was able to come to a strong, data-rich understanding of how her community has changed since her grandparents moved there. Throughout, there is a strong mathematical dimension to these studies that should

not be overlooked. A recent New York Times article noted how even the liberal arts are becoming saturated with data. Here is your chance to bring math into community history. Using the identify button (the green “i”), your students can quickly grab the data from each map. Using whatever spreadsheet or data analysis tools you have, they can make a graph showing the change over time. For example, the impact of reduced segregation in St. Louis over the past fifty years can be seen clearly in graphic form. What do the data say about your community? Linking back to the possible investigations noted at the beginning of this column,

interrogating the past with data can bring an added dimension to your studies. Talking with community elders gives a very human perspective on change; the data give another way to see the past. How do they complement each other? Likewise, as you partner with a local professional on an environmental study, you might note that suburban sprawl has had a large impact on water quality. What do the data show? When and where was the greatest change? What might have caused it? There is never a shortage of good questions in a rich data set. As you and your students explore, you will be helping them to forge a connection to your community’s past.

Bob Coulter is director of the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden. Previously, he was an award-winning elementary-grade math and science teacher. bob.coulter@mobot.org

Here is your

chance to bring math into

community history.

©SYNERGY LEARNING • 800-769-6199 • MARCH/APRIL 2012

Connect • PAGE 15