This guide is targeted to teachers of intermediate or advanced English as a Second Language (ESL). It provides three 1-hour lesson plans on the topic of the importance of participation in the 2000 U.S. census. The paper asserts that it is critical for minorities who have historically been undercounted and under-represented in the U.S. Congress to participate and be counted, that this is especially important in light of court challenges to the 'majority-minority' congressional district in North Carolina. Furthermore, it is especially important to count the 300,000 residents of Latino origin who have settled in North Carolina since the last census. The goal is to help ESL teachers provide their students with information and the chance to reflect critically so that they can understand if their interests are represented by their elected congressional representative, to understand how this controversial issue of redistricting affects them directly. The first lesson explains the census and asks who should be counted and why it is important. The second lesson provides concrete examples of what happens when people are counted and undercounted. Finally, the third lesson asks students to formulate their positions on the issues discussed in the previous two lessons and to act accordingly. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (KFT)