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Assessing Quality of Life

Overview

This exercise encourages students to identify and infer possible trends indicated by data. High school students will learn to locate and compare quality of life indicators. They will also improve their data analysis skills.

Contributor: Julia E.W. Hengstler, Gulf Islands Secondary School, British Columbia

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Objectives

• To use the Internet or print-based materials to access Statistics Canada information
• To locate and compare domestic quality of life indicators—life expectancy at birth and infant mortality rate—from 1931 to the most recent year
• To identify possible trends indicated by the data
• To infer possible causes of indicated trends
• To identify, from international comparisons, three countries with the highest and lowest quality of life

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Suggested Grade Level and Subject Areas

Grade 11 — Secondary
Mathematics, Business, Computer Science, Social Studies

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Outcomes

Students will

• rank the listed countries according to quality of life, from highest to lowest;
• locate and compare international quality of life indicators, such as infant mortality rate; and
• make inferences and convincing arguments that are based on data analysis.

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Vocabulary

Gross domestic product (GDP) — the unduplicated value of current production of goods and services originating within the boundaries of a country.
Life expectancy — the average years of life remaining for a person at a specified age, if the current age-specific mortality rates prevail for the remainder of that person’s life.
GDP per capita — GDP divided by the population. It usually masks the extremes of poverty and wealth as it is an average measure.
Unemployment rate — number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force.
Infant mortality — the number of deaths of liveborn children under one year of age divided by the number of live births. It is usually expressed as a rate per 1,000 live births.
Quality of life indicators — a concept of standard of living that includes material and non-material well-being.

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Materials

• Canada at a Glance (online or print version)
• Student Worksheet
• Computers with Internet access
• Adobe Acrobat

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Classroom Instruction

1. Have students view Canada at a Glance online at /english/freepub/12-581-XIE/free.htm. Specific instructions for viewing the files are included on the student worksheet. Acrobat Reader must be installed on the computer to view the files. This should be done ahead of time.
2. Class sets of the Canada at a Glance booklet (maximum of 30 copies) can be ordered from the Statistics Canada website. (allow three to four weeks for delivery). To order,
   1. access Statistics Canada’s home page at www.statcan.ca;
   2. go to Our products and services and select Browse or order from our online catalogue;
   3. in the first search box type in “canada at a glance” (all in lower case) and select within title;
   4. click on identifier 12-581-XPE;
   5. click on Order button;
   6. complete form, adjusting the quantity to 30 or fewer, as required;
   7. disregard the method of payment as this product is free; and
   8. submit order.
   
   
3. Introduce new vocabulary words/terms to class as a whole.
4. Have students form working groups of two to three.
5. As a team, have students predict meanings of words/terms and share with class.
6. Fill in any gaps in definitions.
7. Have students complete definition segment of worksheet based on class discussion.
8. Have students proceed to data collection from Statistics Canada’s website or their individual booklets to complete worksheet.
9. Have students come together as a larger group to share observations with the class.

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Evaluation

1. Individual worksheets can be collected for marking.
2. Marks can be awarded for participation in class.
3. Students could e-mail predictions/comments to a discussion group.

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Please e-mail comments or examples of how you used this exercise in your class.

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