lesson 1:

What is poverty?

Language & Religion Unit

Lesson title: What is Poverty?

Summary & Background Information:

In this lesson students will be introduced to some of the many definitions and measurements of poverty. They will begin the lesson by using an online simulator to highlight the difficult choices those living in poverty have to make. They will come to understand that poverty can be difficult to define and even harder to identify. Students will be introduced to the close reading strategy and employ it to examine a text regarding the measurements of poverty and their pros and cons. Finally, students will reflect on the reading and simulator tool, in conjunction with scripture, to determine what is missing from the reading and tool and how God identifies with the poor.

Curriculum Links:

Language - Reading for Meaning

1.1 read a wide variety of texts from diverse cultures, including literary texts, graphic texts, and informational texts.

1.2 identify a variety of purposes for reading and choose reading materials appropriate for those purposes.

1.3 identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand increasingly complex texts.

1.5 develop interpretations about texts using stated and implied ideas to support their interpretations.

1.6 extend understanding of texts by connecting, comparing, and contrasting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them.

1.7 analyse increasingly complex texts and explain how the different elements in them contribute to meaning.

1.8 make judgements and draw conclusions about ideas in texts and cite stated or implied evidence from the text to support their views.

1.9 identify the point of view presented in texts; determine whether they can agree with the view, in whole or in part; and suggest some other possible perspectives.

Religious Education:

Grade 6:

LS2.3: Identify situations of injustice in society, our country and the world which oppose the virtue of human dignity and fundamental human rights and use examples to describe social justice which reflects the principle that “everyone should look upon his neighbour (without any exception) as another self’.”

Grade 7:

LS2.2: Describe the forms of solidarity which can effectively address socio-economic problems and explain through example how these forms of solidarity can promote social change and respect for the common good.

Grade 8:

LS2.3: Define the Church’s social teaching with respect to personal responsibility and participation in public life and give examples of how each promotes the good of individuals and the common good of society.

Catholic Graduate Expectations:

3. REFLECTIVE, CREATIVE AND HOLISTIC THINKER who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

6. A CARING FAMILY MEMBER who attends to family, school, parish and the wider community.

Guiding Questions:

What is poverty? How do different individuals and groups define it?
What are the causes of poverty?
What is the impact of poverty on marginalized people and children? Are they affected differently?
As Catholic Christians, how can we make a positive contribution to society and the world?
How can we work for the common good of all people and be the change we want to see?
How do we ensure we are acting charitably and also seeking justice?
How can using a variety of reading comprehension strategies aid in understanding texts?
How can identifying and understanding an author's points of view help in understanding texts?
How can connecting, comparing, and contrasting the ideas in texts to our own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around us help to extend understanding?

Learning Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

understand the definition of poverty in relation to various perspectives.
identify and understand the causes of poverty and assess our individual and societal responsibilities and how these impact our communities.
use a variety of forms (e.g., oral, written, graphic, multimedia) to communicate learning and ideas to a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes.
employ a variety of comprehension strategies to make inferences and extend understanding of a variety of texts.
identify and understand various points of views held by authors of texts examined.
connect, compare, and contrast the ideas in texts to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them to help extend understanding.
develop attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and act to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.
become models of Christian living for all those we encounter in our daily lives.
understand the difference between justice and charity and the need for both.

Success Criteria:

I can…

understand what poverty means to different people/organizations.
identify and understand the causes of poverty and how societal and individual actions affect my community.
communicate my learning in a variety of ways (speaking, writing, drawing, recording).
use comprehension strategies to make inferences and extend my understanding of texts.
identify points of view in the texts I examine.
connect, compare, and contrast the ideas in texts to my own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around me to help extend understanding.
better understand Catholic social teachings and act to promote responsibility and solidarity for the common good.
become a model for Christian living for my school and local community.
demonstrate that I understand the difference between justice and charity.

Activities

Part A: Minds On - Can you make the month? (Approx. 20 min)

Vocabulary:

Absolute poverty is when household income is below a certain level, which makes it impossible for the person or family to meet the basic needs of life including food, shelter, safe drinking water, education, healthcare, etc. (Habitat for Humanity)

Common good is that which benefits the whole community not just a single person or a privileged group.

Dignity is a person’s right to be treated and respected as a human being.

Low income cut-offs are income thresholds below which a family will devote a larger share of its income on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than the average family. (Government of Canada)

Market Basket Measure is the Official Poverty Line used by the Government of Canada. The MBM definition states that a "family lives in poverty if it does not have enough income to purchase a specific basket of goods and services in its community." (Government of Canada)

Poverty "is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.” (United Nations)

Relative poverty considers your location and what it means to be poor in a particular society. It measures if your income falls below the minimum amount needed for you to maintain the average standard of living in the society you live in.

Social justice is fair and just distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.

1. Simulation - Living in Poverty

Tell students that they will be exploring the topic of poverty over the next series of lessons.
Ask students to reflect on what they think poverty means and what images come to mind when they think of poverty.

Have students share their responses (Teacher note: many students may say images from media of children from foreign countries who have little food and access to services).

As a class or in pairs (depending on access to devices) have students explore the "Make the Month" living in poverty simulator from United Way (see the teacher notes below to help guide the activity).

2. Post-Activity Discussion

Following the "Make the Month" simulation from United Way ask students the following questions:

What stood out to you about the simulator?
Did you find it difficult to make it to the end of the month?
What were some of the most difficult decisions you had to make?
Think back to the definitions of poverty you and your classmates shared. Does this activity challenge your perspectives on poverty?
Do you think this simulator is a valuable tool? Why or why not?
Is there something you think might be missing or overlooked?

Teacher Notes on United Way's Make the Month simulator:

The first of its kind in Canada, Make the Month allows people to simulate the life of someone living in poverty.
The simulation covers 12 different United Way regions encompassing 14 cities and has been adapted to each region, offering up-to-date statistics on the unique effects of poverty in each city.
As the name suggests, you are trying to make it to the end of the month without breaking the bank.
To start, you are asked to pick the life of a single person, single parent family, or two parent family and then must choose which city to live in.
After this decision, you are asked a series of 30 questions (1 per virtual day), each with its own unique financial or other consequence.
Other factors such as stress level, deferred needs, and a strike system are present to make you realize that while the simulation only lasts a month, the effects of your decisions may have long-term impacts.
It’s a realization that everyone goes through tough times in their lives and has difficult decisions to make, but the effects of poverty can often make these everyday choices a whole lot harder.
While it can be easy to treat the simulation as a ‘game’, it’s important to remember that the scenarios and facts presented are reality. A reality that 10% of our population faces every day, every week, and every month.

Adapted from The United Way, Todd Hirsch (Chief economist with Alberta Treasury Bank and the Spokesperson for Make the Month).

Part B: Action - Defining poverty using Close reading strategy(Approx. 30 min)

1. Close Viewing/Reading - Whole Class

Tell students: "Before we view the video and read the text, use the "Questions and Answers" worksheet to jot down questions you have about the topic of poverty in Canada. Write down anything you would like to learn more about or hope to learn as you view the video or read the text. Asking questions helps us to better understand what we are reading."
Once students have recorded questions in the first column, begin viewing the video, "Canadian government looking at redefining country's poverty line" from Global News.
As students watch the video, remind them to jot down any answers to their questions.
After the video is finished ask students to jot down any remaining questions they may still have.
Tell students: "We are going to read a text together as a group."
Read the first two sections of the text "Backgrounder: How do we measure poverty?" from Maytree NGO without stopping to ask or answer questions.
Teacher Note: Next, the text will be re-read with the strategy of close reading in hopes students will notice the difference and reflect on how the strategy of close reading affects their comprehension of the text.
Ask students: "Have you ever heard of a close reading of a text?" (Prompt: "What does the word "close" mean?")
Tell students: "Close reading means to read something carefully, paying "close" attention to the important details."

Go through the "Close Reading" guide in detail with the class.

Tell students: "We will re-read the text "Backgrounder: How do we measure poverty?" from Maytree NGO. We have learned a little about this topic from the video we just watched. Now we are going to begin to deepen our understanding using the close reading strategy."

Discuss with the class how authors and illustrators use words, pictures, colour, and/or symbols for specific purposes. Explain that words, pictures, and graphics are all called signs. Signs in books are similar to road signs, but instead of giving us directions, they tell us what message the author is trying to get across to readers.

Re-read the same first two sections modelling the close reading strategies.
Tell students: "As I read, I am going to ask you to pay close attention to the words, any pictures, phrases, and/or statistics or details in the text. What is the author's message? Explain your thinking."
Once reading is complete, ask: "Did using a reading strategy, like close reading, help you to understand the text better?"

2. Close Viewing/Reading - Independent Reading

Have students complete the rest of the reading from Maytree NGO (p.2-9).
Remind students that during a close reading they are to read carefully and go back and re-read several times. Taking their time and using this strategy will help them to better comprehend what they read.
Remind students to follow the steps and use the symbols as they read the text on their own (share the "Close Reading" guide either on the screen or in the classroom).
While reading online, have students turn off their camera and put their microphones on mute. Remain on screen to assist as needed. In the classroom, circulate to assist as needed.
Make sure to stop and TALK as a whole class or in small groups for each step of the close reading process.
Once students have completed the third column of the "Question and Answer" worksheet, gather back together as a group to discuss what they have learned and how they used the text and symbols to help gain a better understanding of the text.
Revisit the questions and answers on their worksheets. Have the questions been answered? Have students jot down the answers or new questions that may have come up.

Part c: consolidation - catholic connection (Approx. 10 min)

Scripture - Identifying with the Poor

Tell students over the next series of lessons they will be learning more about poverty, how it affects different groups of people; how people view the poor; and how we can work to make a difference.
Ask students to think about the "Make the Month" simulator by United Way and close reading they just completed. There were a lot of definitions of poverty, and this was done intentionally to help them begin to better understand the idea of poverty. What the reading and simulator are both lacking is the face of poverty: the people who suffer greatly.
Show how God identifies with the poor, by reading the scripture passages from Proverbs below. (There is a lot of meaning within these two passages of scripture. Have students look closely at the words that were used.)

"Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honor him." Proverbs 14:31

"If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday."

Isaiah 58:10

Ask students:
- What do you think the message is in the scripture passages?
- How do you think God wants us to treat the poor?
- Why is it important to treat each person with the dignity and respect they deserve?
- How are we rewarded for taking care of the poor? (think spiritually)

Part D: Extension

Ask students to reflect on how their perception of poverty has changed from the beginning of the lesson now that they have been given more information.
Students can respond to the journal prompt: "How has my understanding of poverty changed today?"

Lesson Resources

"Make the Month," The United Way: Link

"Canadian government looking at redefining country's poverty line," Global News: Video

Question & Answer Worksheet: PDF | Google Slides

Close Reading Guide: PDF (Black & White) | PDF (Colour)

"How Do We Measure Poverty?" H. Aldridge," Maytree: Article

Bible Gateway (NRSV), Proverbs 14:31: Link

Bible Gateway (NRSV), Isaiah 58:10: Link

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2. Causes of Poverty

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