Poverty in Raleigh

Essential Questions of the Unit

What is poverty and does it currently exist in the US?
If poverty exists today, what factors have assisted its existence?
How can poverty be combatted?
Guiding Question(s) for the Lesson
Does poverty currently exist in North Carolina?
Standards
3.E.1understand how the location of regions affect activity in a market economy.
3.C.1understand how diverse cultures are visible in local and regional communities.
Objectives
Students will participate in a class discussion of the article Poverty Rate Soars in Raleigh, Other
NC Metros.
Students will write about and present their arguments for and against the issues presented in the
article and vote on the issues.
Students will participate in a class deliberation about the issues presented in the article Poverty
Rate Soars in Raleigh, Other NC Metros.
Students will create a decision tree about the issues presented in the article and the best way to
solve them.
Resources
Poverty Rate Soars in Raleigh Article
Chart paper
Markers
Decision trees
Activities
As a class read the article Poverty Rate Soars in Raleigh, Other NC Metros. Read this article
aloud to students to ensure that all students will be able to participate.
Have the students identify the facts presented in this article and write these facts on chart paper
to refer back to as necessary. Make the distinction between facts and opinions as necessary for
the completion of this activity.
o In 10 years the number of Raleigh residents living in poverty has doubled.
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o Raleigh is ranked 3 nationally for poverty growth.
o More than 16% of Raleighs population lives in poverty.
o People are leaving rural areas and moving to the Triangle.
Have the students identify the issues presented in this article. Some possible issues:
o Who should be responsible for decreasing the amount of people living in poverty in
Raleigh?
o Who are the people that are living in poverty?
o How did these people end up living in poverty?
As a class vote on the issues to select one (example: who is responsible for helping them) that
requires a decision be made about it.
Allow time for students to write down their reasons for and against each issue before voting and
share with the class. Have a class discussion about these reasons.
Have the students deliberate the chosen issue in the following format:
o Identify a range of alternatives
The government should help these people
They should help themselves
We should help them
o Predict the consequences for each alternative
Government: laws are proposed, possibly struck down or passed, poverty rate
lowers
Them: some are able to get out of poverty, other are stuck there
Us: donations made to existing programs (soup kitchens, shelters, etc.) that
better their living conditions

Discuss what the best alternative is and have students independently create a decision
tree for that alternative.
Assessment Plan
Students will be informally assessed during the whole class discussions, voting, and the
deliberation. Students will also formally be assessed through their individual decision trees.
These assessments will help students address the questions of What is poverty and does it
currently exist in the US, and How can poverty be combatted. Students are seeing a current
example of poverty in their community and this should reflect in their discussions and
deliberations. The students are also deliberating numerous ways that poverty can be combatted.
Lesson adapted from page 216 of Social Studies in Elementary Education by Walter Parker