Understanding Poverty

Essential Questions of the Unit

What is poverty and does it currently exist in the US?
If poverty exists today, what factors have assisted its existence?
How can poverty be combatted?
Guiding Question(s) for the Lesson
How does the distribution of wealth in the US foster poverty?
Standards
3.E.1understand how the location of regions affects activity in a market economy.
3.H.1understand how events, individuals and ideas have influenced the history of local and
regional communities.
Objectives
Students will participate in a class discussion about the distribution of wealth in the United States.
Students will participate in a Take a Stance activity about the topic of how wealth should be
distributed in the US.
Resources
Chairs
Exit ticket
Activities
Today we are going to do a simulation about the distribution of wealth in the US.
Have 10 students come to the front of the classroom and sit in 10 chairs facing their peers.
Each of these chairs represents 10% of the wealth in the United States. Each one of your
classmates represents 10% of the population. When one students occupies each chair the
wealth in America is distributed evenly. However, in the US 10% if the population has 70% of the
wealth.
How can we show that using this model? Allow time for student responses.
After the discussion have one student lay across 7 of the chairs and have the other 9 students
cram themselves onto the remaining 3 chairs.
Have students return to their seats.
Have a class discussion with students on the following questions. Ensure that students are
engaging in a discussion appropriately, agreeing or disagreeing respectfully, building on oneanothers ideas, etc.
o What did this activity simulate?
o How does this simulation make you feel about wealth in America?
o What is a fair way to distribute the wealth in America?
o After students have given possible answers to the question What is a fair way to
distribute the wealth in America? take the two extremes (distribute the wealth evenly or
allow it to stay how it is) and do a Take a Stance activity where students must stand on a
spectrum for how they feel the fairest way to distribute the wealth is. Have students from
each side and the middle share their reasons.
Students will complete an exit ticket about the question What is poverty?
Assessment Plan
Students will be assessed informally during the class simulation, discussion and take a stance.
Students will also be formally assessed through the use of an exit ticket. The simulation,
discussion, take a stance and exit ticket all address the topic of what poverty really is so if
students can participate in these activities and accurately answer complete an exit ticket it will
show that they understand the essential question What is poverty and does it currently exist in
the US?
Lesson adapted from page 150 of Social Studies in Elementary Education by Walter Parker