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Overview:
The idea for this lesson plan was inspired by Dreama Shumate of Pineville Middle School in Pineville, West Virginia, who received a teacher grant from the National Geographic Education Foundation in support of a year-long project called TAG, Geography's It!
This lesson introduces students to programs that exist to address the complex problem of world hunger. They will read articles about specific initiatives and projects, and will be asked to discuss these projects and whether they think they are effective. Students conclude by writing statements they would make to friends or relatives who think the world hunger problem may be irresolvable.
[Note: This lesson is not intended to provide students with a thorough understanding of world hunger. Rather, its purpose is to give them an overview of a few ideas for dealing with the problem and to encourage them to formulate some ideas of their own.]
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"
Time:
Two hours
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss some of the reasons why people go hungry;
- read overviews of three organizations that are fighting world hunger, and write sentences describing what each organization does;
- read articles on projects aimed at alleviating hunger;
- label maps with the places mentioned in the articles;
- discuss the articles as a class; and
- write statements to friends or relatives who might find the world hunger situation hopeless.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students to name some of the reasons why they think people go hungry and why hunger is still a problem in the world today. List as many ideas as they can think of.
Share with students some of the facts mentioned at the World Food Program's Facts and Figures page. It is important for them to understand that there is no single cause of world hunger and that it is a very complex issue.
Emphasize that, as students probably know, hunger is a problem not only in developing countries but also in the United States. In this lesson, however, they will learn about some organizations that are working to help people in other countries escape hunger.
Development:
Closing:
Discuss these questions as a class:
- What problems did the teacher notice among his students?
- What is the purpose of the microfinancing program? How is it helping the women involved?
- Why does Heifer International give its recipients livestock rather than simply giving them food or money? Do you think this is a good way to use the organization's resources? Why or why not?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to imagine that a friend or relative has said to them "It's such a pity that so many people are hungry in the world, but what can be done? It seems hopeless to me." Ask students to write statements they would make to this person. Their statements should describe some of the activities that may help alleviate world hunger.
Extending the Lesson:
- Divide the class into groups, and have groups brainstorm ways that might be successful in helping the hungry. Ask them to list as many ideas as they can think of, including things they have learned in this lesson.
Ask groups to prepare oral presentations that do the following:
- describe the ideas they have listed;
- compare and contrast their ideas to the specific examples they have read about in this lesson; and
- choose one idea on their list, and discuss reasons why they think this idea might work as well as reasons why it might not be completely effortless to implement.
- Have students research the issue of hunger in the United States. They can use the Web sites below plus others they find by searching. Ask them to create posters or pamphlets describing some facts and figures hunger in the U.S., the reasons why this is a problem in our wealthy country, and some programs that are attempting to address this problem.
America's Second Harvest
Hunger in America 2001
Hunger Free America
- Have the class find out about hunger in their own community and plan an action they can take to help this problem on a local level. They can get some ideas from the Know Hunger Web site (link to "Information for Students" and then the "Hunger Service Learning Program").
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