Discover Discussion Debate - Poverty

Discovery Discussion Debate
Poverty
This is about child poverty in Canada. The base story is a report on that issue. The student will DISCOVER ideas from the title, DISCUSS the topic through guided questions, and prepare to DEBATE their ideas formed from the discussion. Dr. Paul R. Friesen
Title: Seeking the Common Good - Canadian Issues Child Poverty in Canada
Discover Ideas
( Outline)
Discuss the Story

(3 Question Levels)
Create Opinions
Poverty
Design Dr. Paul R. Friesen 2013 Original Story copyright of original author Graphic organizers from MS Office templates
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Discovery Discussion Debate Before you start

Look through the idea, front to back. The ideas in red are just ideas. Students should add to these. There is an outline page for Discovery. There are graphic organizer pages for the Discussion and Debate sections. The reason for the worksheets, at the end of the book, is to help you work systematically through the material. Worksheets are helpers and can be a distraction from the rhythm and sequence in your teaching. By putting them at the end they become support pages versus places to stop, giving a smoother presentation.
Discovery
In the beginning of each story you will have a few questions to discover what you know, or think you know about a story. The Title of the article/ story will be given and you will be asked to discover the story by asking good questions. In the second part of discovery you will be asked to find words which you do not know. Some of these may be highlighted already in bold. Definitions will follow to help you discover what the writer is talking about. Discovery will help you form a plan for the discussion and debate.
Discussion
Discussion is not a debate, though it can quickly become one if there are strong opposing ideas in the group. Discussion can be a part of the discovery before you read the story. It may also come after to discuss the ideas of the story. Sometimes a persons views may change after reading the article, which is a good way to start a discussion. Discussion is interaction without a lot of structure. Be careful not to confuse discussion with argument. Debate is about argument. Discussion is about sharing your views and interacting with others who want to expand or give a differing viewpoint.
Debate
Debate is a structured idea. It means that only one person speaks in turn, and with a specific point to address. It also has a time limit, so the speaker must be precise in their argument. In a debate the key is to listen and be prepared to oppose the other teams ideas. It takes research, a lot of work, and patience. In the following story we want to begin with discovery ideas. What can you know from a title, if you dont know about the topic?
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In discovery you will form ideas to create basics ideas for an outline. In discussion you will ask questions to help you build an outline for your viewpoint. In debate you will separate the outline into two sections, for and against. At each stage you will be able to use what you have learned before, to expand on your ideas and understand both sides of the issue.
Category ~ Poverty
Discovery
Title: Seeking the Common Good - Canadian Issue Child Poverty in Canada
What can you know from the title? . . . . It is children and poverty. The lady has a lot of stress. Its about a Canada problem. It was about balance.
What do I know about this topic? Nothing! I have enough food. People want to take care of poor children. Only in Canada! . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ What do I think about poverty? . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ Have you ever been poor? For how long? Why? No! I have always had enough. Why?
Design Dr. Paul R. Friesen 2013 Original Story copyright of original author Graphic organizers from MS Office templates Page 3 of 18

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ . Now read the story. . Create an outline of the story / paragraphs. . There are words you will find following the story. . Look in the definitions, which follow the story. . Discover the words you dont know.
Poverty
Susan L. Eaton is an adult educator with a special interest in social policy and international development. She currently resides in Toronto. There is surely nothing more resides than the faces and the facts of children in poverty. Children going to sleep hungry; children without warm clothes in a cold climate; children living in sub-standard housing; children who belong to poor families these are images we associate with countries ravaged by war or endless, systemic poverty. The awful truth about our society today is that in a wealthy country like Canada, ranked by the United Nations as one of the best places to live, 20% of children -- more than 1.5 million -- live in poverty (Canadian Council on Social Development) What is particularly disturbing is that the problem of child poverty in Canada is getting worse. In 1989, all Parties, in the Canadian House of Commons, voted
unanimously to work toward eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000. It was a laudable resolution, but according to the Child Poverty in Canada Report Card 1998, produced by Campaign 2000, a coalition of groups
working on child poverty issues, between 1989 and 1997: the number of poor children in Canada increased by 58% the number of children in families experiencing long-term unemployment increased by 47% the number of children in working poor families increased by 43% the number of children in families needing social assistance increased by 68%
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the number of poor children in two-parent families increased by 57% the number of poor children in lone-parent families increased by 64% the number of children living in families with incomes of less than $20,000 increased by 45%
Poverty and economic insecurity pose grave threats to healthy child development. In a 1996 report, Child Poverty: What are the consequences? the Canadian Council on Social Development noted that overall, lack of income decreases a childs chance for healthy development. The Council came to the following conclusions: Poor children have poorer health than other children. Poor children are more likely to be born prematurely; to have low birth-weight; and to have a greater risk of physical, emotional and conduct disorders. They are more likely to be hyperactive, to
exhibit emotional conduct disorders, and to have trouble with the Law;
Poor children leave school sooner and receive less education, overall, than other children. The school dropout rate of poor children is double that of non-poor children. Poor children face greater risks to health and safety as a result of living in an unsafe environment. Their homes are more likely to require major repairs; and poor children are more likely to live away from their families, under the care of Childrens Aid or in foster homes. Poor children engage in riskier behaviours. They are more likely to use drugs, have a drinking problem, or smoke tobacco. Teens from poor families are less likely to use condoms when having sex, and teenage girls from poor families are five times more likely to become pregnant as girls from higher income families. In 1997, the Community Health Promotion Network Atlantic (CHPNA) undertook research on the realities of child poverty in the four Atlantic Provinces. Funded by Health Canada, the results of the study mirror the reality across the country. Simply put, CHPNA found that child poverty is increasing; that children, in families headed by a female lone parent, are more likely to be poor; and that the rate and depth of poverty for aboriginal children is more severe than for children, in general. The study also found that there is a lack of information on the status of black and visible minority children and that information on the situation of youth who are not part of the mainstream is severely lacking, even though the needs and numbers of this group are increasing.
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One of the most significant results, of the Atlantic study, was a re-thinking of the whole issue of child poverty. CHPNA Coordinator Mary Simpson says, "We quit talking about child poverty because children are not poor, their families are poor, and usually it is women-led families that are poorest." We don't want to think about it this way, but child poverty is simply an indicator of the hardships being experienced by an increasing number of Canadian families. Children are poor because a growing number of Canadian adults are poor. Children are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of high unemployment and underemployment. In an era of down-sizing, coupled with the rise of non-permanent and part-time job creation, too many people have no work, not enough work or work that pays too little to maintain a decent quality of life. "At one time I was a single mom working full time for minimum wage," begins the letter to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. "I came to rely on my local food
bank to help me feed my children. I cannot remember how many times I cried
myself to sleep, wondering how I was ever going to survive, is often the case with one parent families, I went hungry to feed my children, but I knew there were times they went to sleep hungry, too. Now I am working at a better job, remarried, and although we live like most working families, paycheque to paycheque, I know how fortunate we are." The situation described, in the letter to the Food Bank, is not unusual. Lorina Dyck, Director of Communications for the Vancouver Food Bank, says "Weve seen a 20 per cent increase, in usage, in each of the last four years. The trend shows that more post-secondary students are using our services and we are seeing more of the working poor, or people working full time for minimum wage who are barely getting by." Fully one-third of the people, who benefit from the Vancouver Food Banks services, are children. Other factors that affect the rate of child and family poverty include cutbacks to federal and provincial social programs such as health care, education, Employment Insurance, and housing. Most anti-poverty advocates agree that a broad, multifaceted strategy is needed to address what is clearly a disturbing trend. In a May 1997 article posted on the website of Child & Family Canada, the Canadian Child Care Federation noted that "Addressing child poverty requires that Canadian families have access to stable employment, appropriate training or post-secondary educational opportunities, and adequate income and social support." Just over one hundred years ago, American poet, writer and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, "Pretty much all the honest truth-telling there is in the world today is done by children." As the number of Canadians in poverty increases, it seems that

once again it is the children who are pointing out our shortcomings and demanding a change in direction. The woman who wrote to the Vancouver Food Bank concluded her letter by describing how she and her family now contribute to various charities, including the food bank. "Besides helping to teach my children the value of giving and that they can make a difference, we are also helping those whose shoes I have been in. Then I think, maybe I just saved a mother from crying herself to sleep tonight." There is clearly a need for the kind of compassion and commitment that this woman and her family demonstrate. But eliminating child and family poverty will take action on several fronts simultaneously. "The level of child poverty in this country is a disgrace," said Finance Minister Paul Martin in 1997, "and there has got to be a great national effort to deal directly with that." Few people will disagree with the Ministers statement, but acknowledging the problem is a very small first step. At some point, the people, followed by the politicians, will have to take the kind of action that will bring about change. In one sense, there is not a problem of child poverty in Canada; there is a problem of basic human inequality. As the gap between the rich and the poor increases, we will continue to see an escalation in the numbers of the victims of a badly orchestrated economic war: the women, the children, the elderly, and those who are considered "disadvantaged" in any way. An economy based on justice looks to the weakest and most vulnerable as its first point of intervention. So far, we have failed miserably. Addressing the fundamental issues about access to power and decision-making, and accepting our collective responsibility for the good of our neighbours, could make a significant difference. Our children are counting on us.
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Special Note
There are words listed with CAPITAL letters, as a first letter. These will tell
you that the word refers to a proper noun, or name. When you write this is important, as the lower case letter will communicate a very different idea. In some languages this is not important, but in English it is an ESSENTIAL.
Vocabulary Definitions
resides This is a place you live, either temporary or permanent. The noun version
is a residence, often used for dormitories.
sub-standard Sub indicates below, and standard is a measure of quality.

Therefore, together the word means below a measure of quality that is considered a basic acceptable quality.
systemic Be careful NOT to confuse this word with systematic. They are VERY
different. Systemic refers to the basic system. Systematic refers to a process.
Parties This CAPITALIZATION is important. If you use parties you will think of a
party. Here the reference is to the political Parties. They have names but using Parties communicates the group, and therefore shorter to write.
unanimously This means there is no opposition, or division of opinion. You say it

you-nan-a-mous-ly. If you say it as an un people will think it is a negative, which may not be true.
laudable Able to be lauded. Another work that uses laud is applaud. Laudable is a
positive, and here it is a decision that was acceptable and to be seen as a positive decision.
coalition - An agreement between two groups of people. Usually it is to bring

pressure to change a decision, or some political person in power.
overall Dont confuse this with overalls. The plural refers to clothes. Overall is in
reference to a whole. It can be an assessment of a meeting, which would communicate there was a 50% or higher level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. conduct Be careful with this word. The stress will communicate what you want. The stress on con will communicate a positive or negative value of an action. Stress the duct and you will communicate a different action.
exhibit This is another word that has two meanings, depending on the stress.
Stress here is on the hi. It is a verb. It communicates to show.

Childrens Aid This is CAPITALIZED because it is a name. It is an organization
which supports children who are not able to care for themselves.
foster To foster a person is to care for them like your own. Children are put
together with other families, who care for them, because they have trouble in their own family, or they have no family. The Government will support the family for the extra costs. These are called foster families.
Atlantic Provinces In Canada there are Provinces which have one

border on the Atlantic ocean. In America they are called States.
aboriginal These are people who are native to a land. In Canada they are called
First Nations people. (Indians)
in general This is at the end of the sentence, so it refers to the subject just before
it. (Children) This is to stress that the subject is not specific.
black Black is a color. It is also a reference to a group of people. Here it is linked to

minority, which is also a group of people. We dont say brown, yellow, etc. It is used for people of African origin.
era This is a time word. It is a period of time. It is often linked to a fashion or music
trend.
food bank This is where poor people go when they need food to take home. The
food is free to the poor people. It is therefore like a bank, except the exchange is food, not money.
post-secondary - Primary is considered elementary school. Secondary is middle

and high school. Post means after, so after high school.
cutbacks To cutback is to lessen the space, or lessen the money paid out, etc. Sometimes it is positions in a Company are deleted and not replaced. advocates An advocate is someone who fights for you. addressing - Stress is again important here. Stress the dressing and it means to
speak to a group of people. Stress the add and it means to write an address on something.
escalation This is to speed up a process of something. Just like an

escalator will bring you up to the next floor in a Store or Mall.

vulnerable To be vulnerable means you are weak. People can make you do things
easily.
intervention This means that something comes between you and another to
stop an action. Here it is a point in time, when a relationship gets too stressful.
Discovery
What do I know about this topic?
List at least four (4) different ideas you have found in this story about the gold rush.
. __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________

Use them when you make your outline.
Discussion
1. Is child poverty more important than adult poverty? Explain! 2. What would you do if you were poor? 3. Whose is responsible for poverty? Explain your reasons. Level II 1. 2. 3. 4. What do people do when there are children in poverty living close? What would be your advice to children in poverty? How many children live in poverty, in your neighbourhood? Do you think that if we spend a lot of money to help poor children their life will change? Why or why not?
Level III 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Solving poverty is not so hard. Do you agree or disagree? Explain. How does your country take care of poor children? When should support for children in poverty stop? How do we balance support for those in poverty with personal initiative? Do you give money to poor people? Why or why not?
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You now have everything you need to fill out your outline. Look at your answers, under Discussion, and fill it out to reflect the new ideas. These new ideas will help you form your debate ideas better.
In debate you will have a statement not a question. You have to react to the statement with facts, not opinions. Discussions are based a lot on opinions and answer questions. This is where these two ideas, though similar, are different. Debate is about facts and statements. When you make a statement, from a story, you must consider what the core issue is. If you have made a good outline, you will have this already discovered. This story is from politics. The core issue could be; social economic political culture In todays world the topics could range from; government social responsibility Churches responsibility Poverty limits Personal attitudes and initiative Culture bias and stigmatism These are all good arguments that you would want to research for your argument, or write in your essay. Build the argument starting from Why? Once you have determined the Why? you can find facts to support your idea.
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People choose to remain in poverty. There should be minimal support. Poverty provides the rest of culture with a feel good attitude. We need people
in poverty.
Minimum wage levels should be raised to get people out of poverty.

Before you start choose one of the above statements to focus on. Choose a for or against position. Research to find FACTS for your position. List the facts. Write out your argument in a long paragraph format. Include the opposite position in your writing.
You need to write out both sides so you can understand the
other sides argument.
Discovery Outline
Main topic ________________________ Find one (1) key idea in each paragraph. (3-5 words) Paragraph 1 ______________________________ Paragraph 2 ______________________________ Paragraph 3 ______________________________ Paragraph 4 ______________________________ Paragraph 5 ______________________________ Write two things about the main paragraph idea. Paragraph 1 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 2 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 3 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________

Paragraph 4 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 5 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ In the introduction you use the 5 paragraph ideas to communicate the order of your argument/ essay. In the conclusion you repeat what you have said about the points of each paragraph.
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Graphic Organization ~ Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics
paragraph 1 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ paragraph 5 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ paragraph 2 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
Main topic
paragraph 4 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
paragraph 3 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
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Discussion Graphic ~ Poverty is not a problem. We will always have it. Answer ~ I think people chose to stay in poverty. There are lots of opportunities to get out and move forward.
Problem /
Poverty
The social costs of poverty are too high.
More food money is a good strategy to help chidren living in poverty.
People choose to stay in poverty because of the free handouts.
Respond
Respond
Respond
Respond
Respond
Respond
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graphic ~ choose one statement from the above. Write it here _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ To make your argument you should understand that they are connected. In the next two charts (1) list your argument facts and ideas, (2) show how your argument connects to both the center point and the other points. list
Facts
For 1 Against
Add more if needed
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graphic ~ choose one statement from the above. c list
If this -- then
If this -- then
Write your statement position here. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________________________
If this -- then
If this -- then
If this -- then
Now start the
As a team choose which points they will speak about. Each person will listen for the opposite point and create a new response to what the other person has said. A: point 1 B: responds to the point and give a new point. C: responds to B and give a new point. After all persons have spoken each person can respond to any point given by the opposite team, or add more points from their team which will need responding to from the opposite team.
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Dear Teacher/ Student, After you have finished this please look for more in this series to challenge yourself. This is only part of a curriculum. It starts with Dr. Roys Everything Grammar. Dr. Roys Everything Grammar Volumes I and II will develop the skills of story and essay writing, while at the same time building a foundation in grammar. The repetition of grammar, combined with reason and speaking, culminating in a story or essay will prepare students for this series. Going beyond this book is a book to expand the outlines into essays. Good essays are able to build and defend an argument. Building a structure for debate will springboard off this skill set.
Dr. Paul R. Friesen
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Discover Discussion Debate - Poverty

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discuss the Story

Discovery Discussion Debate Before you start

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

sub-standard Sub indicates below, and standard is a measure of quality.

unanimously This means there is no opposition, or division of opinion. You say it

coalition - An agreement between two groups of people. Usually it is to bring

Discovery Discussion Debate

Atlantic Provinces In Canada there are Provinces which have one

black Black is a color. It is also a reference to a group of people. Here it is linked to

post-secondary - Primary is considered elementary school. Secondary is middle

escalation This is to speed up a process of something. Just like an

Discovery Discussion Debate

. __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Minimum wage levels should be raised to get people out of poverty.

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Graphic Organization ~ Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics

paragraph 4 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

paragraph 3 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

Discovery Discussion Debate

The social costs of poverty are too high.

More food money is a good strategy to help chidren living in poverty.

People choose to stay in poverty because of the free handouts.

Discovery Discussion Debate

Add more if needed

Discovery Discussion Debate

Write your statement position here. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________________________

Now start the

Discovery Discussion Debate

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

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. . . .

paragraph 4

paragraph 3

Write your statement position here. __________