Poverty Lesson Plans

Students will view a video about the poor in America, analyze the causes and effects of poverty, and explore potential solutions to poverty.

View the video Working Poor; Poverty in America

Discussion Guide

Lesson Plan 1- Poor in America

Objective:  Students will view a video and participate in a discussion about the people living in poverty in the United States

Lesson Plan 2- Causes, Effects and Solutions

Objective:  Students will conduct research and present findings on the causes of, effects of and possible solutions for poverty

Lesson Plan 3- Poverty Solutions

Objective:  Students will learn about several programs that are currently fighting poverty and create their own unique program to address the problems of poverty.

21^st Century Core Content
Economics
Government and Civics

21^st Century Themes
Global Awareness
Civic Literacy

21^st Century Skills
Think Creatively
Work Creatively With Others
Make Judgments and Decisions
Solve Problems
Communicate Clearly
Collaborate with Others
Analyze Media
Work Independently
Be Self-directed Learners
Interact Effectively with Others
Work Effectively in Diverse Teams
Produce Results
Guide and Lead Others
Be Responsible to Others

Additional Resources:
Presidential Candidates on Poverty by 2012Presidential-Candidates.org
Poverty in America likely to get Worse by The Guardian
Poverty.com
U.S. Census Bureau; Poverty
Global Issues.org; Poverty Facts and Stats

Additional Resources from Global Issues in Context:
Poverty
Debt Burden on Developing Nations
Famine and Starvation
Hunger Relief
Unemployment and Joblessness