Wednesday 15 May 2013

“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. "
Nelson Mandella
But what is poverty? And more importantly, what can we do in our classroom to help people living in poverty?

***Don't forget to leave a comment ***

Monday 13 May 2013

Can you find where theses children are from?



Using Google maps can you find where these children are from?

http://maps.google.ie/

Facts about Poverty

The World Bank estimates that over 1 billion people across the world are living in a state of extreme poverty (earning <$1 per day), with the majority of these people primarily located in Sub-Saharan Africa & Southern Asia.

"People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural and social) are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society generally. As a result of inadequate income and other resources people may be excluded and marginalised from participating in activities which are considered the norm for other people in society." This is the Irish Government's definition of poverty in its National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-20161.

What it means is that people are living in poverty if they do not have enough money to do the things that most people in Ireland take for granted. Poverty can mean not having the money to buy enough food for your family, not being able to afford to heat your home in winter or having to buy second-hand clothes because you can't afford new ones. Poverty is more than not having the money for material things. It can also mean that you don't have the money for social activities like going to the cinema or having a meal out with friends or to have a holiday. This can lead to people feeling cut off from the rest of society because they don't have the money to participate.

Think-Pair-Share
Any ideas you have after reading this!

What is poverty?


Using these slides we will find our WALT and WILF and our learning intentions and a brief introduction to poverty.


Wednesday 1 May 2013

What do you think?

Think-Pair-Share Activity
In your table groups you are going to record what you understand the meaning of poverty to be using the tool we learned earlier on in the week; Popplet. In your answers you should include some of the following:
  • Could we tell if someone is poor or living in poverty from a photograph? 
  • How could we tell they are living in poverty? 
  • What clues would you look for to tell you they are living in poverty? 
  • What expressions do you think they would have to tell you they are living in poverty??
And remember if anyone needs help; just ask!