LESSON 3-2005 Guide

In this introductory lesson students learn how widespread the hunger problem is and discover that one of the reasons it continues is the lack of attention it receives in the media. 30,000 children die everyday from hunger. (This figure fluctuates depending on world events such as wars, famine, natural disasters, political unrest, economics, etc.) Some comparison exercises help students grasp the enormity of this statistic. The day’s newspaper is examined for any mention of these unnecessary deaths and a discussion focuses on why so many people are unaware of the scope and causes of hunger.

NOTE: Included here is a list of videos. If possible choose one to use with this lesson, since seeing the effects of hunger is a powerful part of helping young people understand that behind every abstract statistic is a real human child and that the victims of hunger are not responsible for their situation. Solving the hunger problem requires all our concentrated efforts.

1. Ask students how they think the world would react if 30,000 children died today in some sort of disaster.

2. (If using a video play it now and tell students that everyday 30,000 children die of hunger. Allow them time to respond. How did the images make them feel? Did anything about the video surprise them?) If not using a video ask students what their reactions are to this enormous problem.

3. List any questions students have about hunger in a permanent space on the board titled: QUESTIONS ABOUT HUNGER. Over the course of this hunger study they can research and answer their own questions.

4. If 30,000 children die everyday from causes related to hunger, how many children perish every minute? Hold one minute of silence to reflect on this fact. How many classes the size of yours equal 30,000 children? How many schools?

5. Ask students to speculate on whether most people are aware that so many children perish everyday from hunger.

6. Page through the day’s newspaper looking for the headline and article that let the world know that 30,000 CHILDREN DIED OF HUNGER TODAY! (and yesterday, and tomorrow, and the next day…)

Are there hungry people in your community? Are the causes of their hunger explored on the local news?

Nearly 1 BILLION people around the world do not get enough food to become and remain healthy. HOW MUCH IS 1 BILLION?*

B. If you started counting to 1 BILLION, counting a number every two seconds, how old would you be when you finished? (ANSWER: 62 plus the student's present age.)

C. If 1 BILLION children climbed onto one another's shoulders to form a tower, how many times would that tower reach to the moon and back to earth? (Figure an average of four feet for the height of the children because they are standing on shoulders, not heads. There are 5,280 feet in a mile. The moon is approximately 239,000 miles from Earth.)

(ANSWER: The tower would reach to the moon, back to Earth, and to the moon again.)

The first step in helping end hunger is talking about hunger. Begin teaching your family and friends what you know about hunger. As you learn more, develop and teach hunger workshops to students in other classes and other schools. Educate your community by writing letters to newspaper editors and local government officials.

* Sources: Math problem B above is from Kids Ending Hunger by Tracy and Sage Howard. Problem C is from How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz.