Electronic Resource Magazine
Volume 7: Summer 2: Global Education Project: Impoving Maternal Health: Addressing World Hunger	Printer Friendly Version

Improving Maternal Health

Addressing World Hunger

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/18/g68/tghunger.html

  This lesson, from the National Geographic, 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.

During the lesson, student will discuss some of the reasons why people go hungry.   They will read become familiar with 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.

Note:   While the lesson is not intended as an exhaustive look at world hunger, it provides a good introduction to the issue.  

This lesson would be suitable for students in Social Studies 8, Unit 4:   Interdependence.

Curriculum Objectives

Social Studies 8, Unit 4:   Interdependence

Topic 2:   Interdependence and our Basic Needs

• Know that individuals' basic needs are met through interdependent relationships. 
• Know Collaborate with others.
• Draw conclusions using prior knowledge.
• Classify information.
• Write to express understanding.
• Brainstorm to generate ideas and information.   
• Develop an awareness of their need for interdependent relationships.
• Accept the need for cooperation and collaboration among people and groups.

Evaluation Links

Saskatchewan teachers have been provided support resources for student assessment and evaluation from the provincial ministry of education, Saskatchewan Learning. Specifically, teachers have been provided with the document Student Evaluation: a Teacher Handbook, in print format. Chapter 4 on specific student assessment techniques contains a variety of ready-made rubrics, rating scales, checklists, portfolio set-ups and templates that could be adapted to each task developed in your classroom. This resource is available on-line at: http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/evergreen/policy/studeval/chap4001.html. The simple templates outlined on this Saskatchewan Learning site, will help you tailor your assessment to match any activity and ensure that your objectives are being met.

Another source of easily adaptable evaluation material is Discovery School located at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html.  The site has both subject specific evaluation tools and evaluation instruments for process oriented tasks.  You will also find rubric builders, portfolio evaluation instruments, graphic organizer evaluation strategies, etc. all at this site.

Another rubric generator can be found at http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/.  And, for a discussion on the value of using rubrics in the middle grades, teachers may want to go to http://www.middleweb.com/rubricsHG.html.

Produced with the support of the Government of Canada through
the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).