Poverty+ELA+Assignment+1

Assignment 1: Modern Views of Poverty

Time needed: One 90 minute Project block Key Idea: Understanding factors that influence/create poverty Key Vocabulary: Poverty Procedure: Teacher will begin class by reviewing the definition of poverty with the class. The class will then read the Washington Post article “As Teen Pregnancy Dropped, So Did Child Poverty” available at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51337-2005Apr13.html

The class will then answer the following key questions (in a format determined by the instructor):


 * What is the relationship between Teen Pregnancy and Poverty?
 * What factors indicate whether a teenage parent will end up in poverty?
 * What are the local and global ramifications of teen poverty?

Students will then search for additional articles online for causes of poverty (drug use, violence, etc.) and draw comparisons between the two. The class will then come to a group discussion on what they think society can do to combat these factors.