Hunger & Poverty Unit
- Kate Strein
- Feb 27, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 19, 2022
a globally-competent lesson unit for 8th grade ELA students
Unit Summary: Students will learn about hunger and poverty around the world: the multifaceted reasons that hunger and poverty exists, how hunger and poverty affect the individual and community, organizations, groups, and governments that have attempted to end hunger, poverty, and possible solutions to combat hunger and poverty around the world. A variety of articles, documentary clips, skype sessions, and written reflections will be done through the learning to assess understanding and investigate hunger in different areas of the world. The unit concludes with students choosing from one of five projects to take action and demonstrate their understanding of hunger and poverty.
Students will be able to independently use their learning to: Communicate their understanding related to the human rights violations that took place during the Holocaust, investigate the organizations and government policies that aim to stop human rights from being violated, and take action to make sure stereotyping, racism, anti semitism, and human rights violations do not happen in their community.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
Q1: what causes chronic hunger?
Q2: how is hunger and poverty different in different parts of the world?
Q3: What can one person do to help people who suffer from hunger and malnutrition?
Q4: If there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone, why do people still go hungry and suffer from malnutrition?
Q5: What are the physical, social, and emotional consequences of living in poverty and/or having chronic hunger?
Q6: What solutions have been attempted by organizations or governments?
Q7: How were these projects successful or unsuccessful?
Teaching Plan
Read articles about hunger and malnutrition in different regions of the world
Identify causes and effects of hunger/malnutrition
Watch video clip from Middle Ground Haiti - malnutrition clinic
Virtual Guest Speaker - founder and director of Middle Ground Haiti (middlegroundhaiti.org)
Identify what MGH has done to educate the community about proper nutrition as a way to prevent malnutrition
Watch documentary “Dollar a Day”
Poverty simulation to help our understanding of the complex issues of poverty
Read articles on projects and organizations that have focused on combating hunger and malnutrition through sustainable practices and education
Watch Youtube video of Canadian farmers teaching sustainable farming practices in Africa
Explain how education helped a community recover from hunger through sustainable farming
Skype interaction with sustainable farmers in either Columbia or Haiti - write a reflection on what that person/organization did to educate the community and equip them with resources to be able to provide for their community.
On-campus field trip - Culinary students take small groups of ELA students through school’s hydroponic garden. Culinary students explain how the hydroponics work and how they are sustainable growing practices good for urban areas or places with limited resources
Belouga.org assignment - watch short videos on thinking global and acting local, respond to videos by following prompt
Bug Day - students sample different forms of alternative protein and reflect on how alternative proteins can help impoverished areas attain sustainable nutrition
End of Unit Project - choose your challenge
Create an Infographic to educate others about a topic of hunger
3-5 major points that are related to hunger across the world or in one specific region OR
Describe a program that has been designed to combat hunger in the world
Volunteer in the Abacoa Community Garden – 2 hours (limited to 10/Saturday)
Attend one of these days: Feb 22, Feb 28, March 7, March 14
Work from 9-11 am – MAKE SURE TO BRING SIGNED FORM
Create a poster for the FAO World Food Day Poster contest
Follow contest guidelines
Will be submitted to contest in October 2020
Create a video PSA to educate others about a topic of hunger
45 to 90 seconds
Created & edited by students
ONE topic of hunger: reasons, effects of, ways to end hunger, etc…
3 days of “garbage analysis” in the cafeteria (limited to 2/class)
Sit by one garbage can through the lunch period
Keep track of each food item thrown into the garbage
Take photos
Create tables/graphs to show how much food was wasted during the 3 days you observed
Make estimation (based on data) of how much food is wasted at the school each day (4 lunches, ? garbage cans/lunch), each month, and each year
Comentários