Hunger in the United States

Framework

Every year the United States government reports on hunger in the United States. The 2008 data surprised people because it showed much more hunger than in previous years. In this lesson, students will learn about some of the report’s findings. They will try out different ways of presenting the data graphically so that they have a deeper understanding of it. Then, they will analyze the data before learning about different approaches to dealing with hunger.  Finally, they will evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy of those approaches.

Additional Resources

You can read more about hunger issues by visiting these sites:

• Food Security in the United States: Key Statistics and Graphics [1] 
• Share Our Strength: Hunger in America’s Classrooms [2]
• Federal Food Programs [3]
• President Obama’s Response to Food Security Report [4] 

Early Grades [5]

Middle and High School [6]

Standards

Civics

Standard 10. [7] Understands the roles of voluntarism and organized groups in American social and political life

Standard 11. [8] Understands the role of diversity in American life and the importance of shared values, political beliefs, and civic beliefs in an increasingly diverse American society

Historical Understanding

Standard 1. [9] Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns

Language Arts

Standard 4. [10] Gathers and uses information for research purposes

Standard 7. [11] Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Life Skills: Working with Others

Standard 1. [12] Contributes to the overall effort of a group

Mathematics

Standard 1. [13] Uses a variety of strategies in the problem-solving process

Standard 3. [14] Uses basic and advanced procedures while performing the processes of computation

Standard 6. [15] Understands and applies basic and advanced concepts of statistics and data analysis