Grade 7 Social Studies PEOPLE AND POPULATION – FIELDWORK Notes

FIELDWORK — People and Population (Social Studies, Kenya)

Target age: 12 years | Context: Kenyan schools (villages, towns, markets, farms, Nairobi, counties)

What is fieldwork?

Fieldwork is going out to collect information about people and population where they live or work. It means observing, asking questions, counting and making maps to learn about how people live, move and use land.

Why do we do fieldwork?

• To find real information about population (e.g., how many people, where they live).
• To learn reasons for migration, types of work, family size and use of land.
• To check facts from books or the internet with real observations.

Planning your fieldwork (simple steps)

1. Choose a clear question — e.g. "How many people live in this village?" or "Why do people move to the town?"
2. Decide the area — one village, one market, one school zone, or one street in Nairobi.
3. Pick methods — transect walk, questionnaire, interview, observation, sketch map or counting.
4. Prepare tools — clipboard/notebook, pencil, tally counter or phone, ruler or measuring tape, watch, map, and permission letters.
5. Safety & consent — ask permission (teacher, parent, local leader) and explain your work politely to people.

Common fieldwork methods (easy examples)

• Transect walk: Walk in a straight line across an area and note features you pass (houses, shops, farms, schools). Good to see changes from town to countryside.
• Household survey (questionnaire): Visit homes and ask short questions about number of people, jobs, and where children go to school.
• Interviews: Ask local leaders or elders about migration, market days, or history of the area.
• Observation: Watch the market, school or bus stop and record how many people come and when.
• Sketch maps: Draw a simple map showing houses, roads, shops and mark where people live.

Tools you can use

Notebook, pencil, clipboard, stopwatch or watch, simple camera or phone (with permission), ruler/measuring tape, tally sheet.

How to do a household survey (step-by-step)

1. Introduce yourself and show permission from teacher or local leader.
2. Ask if it's okay to ask 4–6 short questions. Keep questions polite and short.
3. Use a simple questionnaire and write answers clearly.
4. Thank the people and give a short explanation of why you asked.

Recording and presenting data (simple ways)

• Tally marks for counting people: |||| = 5 (4 vertical + 1 diagonal).
• Table — write area, number of households, total people.
• Simple chart — use bars of emojis to show numbers (see example).

Simple calculation — Population density

Population density = Number of people ÷ Area (km²)

Ethics and safety — very important

• Always tell the truth about who you are and why you ask questions.
• Ask permission from parents or guardians for children.
• Do not ask very private questions (money, illness) without teacher guidance.
• Stay in groups and follow your teacher’s instructions for safety.
• Respect local customs and be polite — say thank you!

Fieldwork activity ideas for class (Kenyan examples)

• Count households and people in your village area and draw a sketch map showing where most people live.
• Do a transect walk from a river to a farm and note how land use changes (fishing → farming → houses).
• Visit the market on market day and record the busiest time (helps learn about movement and jobs).
• Ask elder residents why some young people move to towns — collect reasons and make a poster.

Short checklist before going out

• Question sheet and pen ready
• Permission note from teacher/parent
• Charged phone/camera (if allowed)
• Water, hat, shoes — dress for the weather
• Know the area and the safe meeting place

Homework / Reflection

Try a mini-survey: Ask 5 households near your home the sample 6 questions above. Write results and draw a simple bar chart using emoji people to show how many children (0–14) you found in total.

Good fieldwork is careful, kind and honest. Enjoy learning about people and population in your area!