Excerpted Articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1]
Article 23: You have the right to work, to be free to choose your work, and to get a salary that allows you to live and support your family. If a man and a woman do the same work, they should get the same pay. All people who work have the right to join together to defend their interests.
Article 25: You have the right to have whatever you need so that you and your family: do not fall ill; do not go hungry; have clothes and a house; and are helped if you are out of work, if you are ill, if you are old, if your wife or husband is dead, or if you do not earn a living for any other reason you cannot help. Both a mother who is going to have a baby and her baby should get special help. All children have the same rights, whether or not the mother is married.
Article 29: You have duties towards the community within which your personality can fully develop. The law should guarantee human rights. It should allow everyone to respect others and to be respected.
Overview
Often Americans believe that hunger issues take place in other parts of the world, not in the United States (US). This lesson guides students to recognize food insecurity and hunger issues here in the US, possibly even in their own communities. The activities enable students to recognize the differences between food scarcity (a challenge in Potou) and food insecurity (a challenge in the US).
Essential Questions
● Is food insecurity a silent challenge for US citizens? If so, why?
● In what ways can you ‘see’ signs of food insecurity in the US?
● How does food insecurity or food scarcity impact a community?
● Is it possible for communities in different parts of the world to solve their issues of food scarcity and food insecurity by using similar strategies?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Recognize and investigate hunger and food insecurity issues in the United States
● Identify ways in which their communities, or neighboring communities, combat issues of hunger
● Make tangible connections around issues of food between the United States and Potou, Senegal, after watching the photographer’s statement
Common Core State Standards
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
MVP Glossary
● Food Scarcity: A scarcity of food may result when not enough food is produced, such as when crops fail due to drought, pests, or too much moisture.
● Food Insecurity: People experience food insecurity when they have no reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
● Hunger: A weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food.
● Community: A group of people who live in a common geographic area and/or share common values or beliefs.
Materials for Instructor
Materials for Students
● MVP Journals
I. Class Discussion (5-7 min.)
Lead a discussion with the class about what defines a community. This is a good time to go back to the MVP Glossary and point out the definition of community.
II. Visual Inquiry (10 min.)
Step One
Project onto the board the Potou Photo Grid representing a community, and have student spend a few minutes viewing the photographs:
1. Kids playing in the dunes
2. The market
3. People working in a field
4. Teenagers hanging out in the shade
Step Two
Ask students:
● How are these images related?
● What different parts of a community do you see in this grid of photographs?
● How do these photos represent different elements of a community?
Have students write down their thoughts and observations of the photo grid in their MVP Journals for three to four minutes.
Step Three
Turn and talk:
● Ask students to turn and face a partner to share what they have written with each other.
Step Four
Ask students to share their observations and thoughts on how the images represent the idea of community.
III. Watch Danny Wilcox Frazier Photographer’s Statement Video (14 min.)
IV. Danny Wilcox Frazier Photographer’s Statement Video Discussion (7-8 min.)
● The photographer talks about the importance of stories from rural and remote areas. Why do you think these stories aren’t in the headlines?
● What does the the photographer mean when he uses the term “food deserts”?
Target Answer: An area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.
● Did it surprise you that the photographer did not see a difference between food deserts in Senegal and food deserts in America?
● In the photographer’s story, how did he say the farmers from Senegal confronted and held the seed brokers accountable?
Quick MVP Journal Writing Activity (5 min.)
Have students take a few minutes to reflect on the following:
● What did Danny Wilcox Frazier mean when he spoke about the difference between a ‘hand-up’ versus a ‘hand-out’?
● How does this noted difference apply to the MVP goal of self-sustainability in the villages?
Sharing and Reflection (remainder of class)
Have students share their journal entries.
V. Homework
Find an article about food insecurity or hunger in America. Write down three new things you learn from the article about food issues. Let students know that they will be using this article in the next lesson.
Extension Activities
Homework follow-up from Lesson Two
Remind students of what they learned in the last class. Review the MVP Glossary words, food scarcity and food insecurity. Lead the class in a discussion about the articles they chose for their homework assignment. Students will synthesize information from their selected news articles to further understand the complexities of food insecurity and hunger in the United States.
Entry-point questions to homework follow-up include:
● Did you find the information in your article surprising? If so, how?
● Did anyone find an article that connects directly to our community? If so, please describe.
To explore these topics further, students can search websites such as moveforhunger.org to see how individuals are getting involved in the effort to fight hunger.
Students can complete a homework extension activity in which they survey the types of food/diet in their homes and school.
[1] Amnesty International USA. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Amnestyusa.org. https://www.amnestyusa.org/training-materials/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/ (accessed September 28, 2018).