What is poverty? Definitions
Curriculum Links Lit Geog
To be able to understand and be able to describe the differences between needs and wants. To begin to understand the difference between absolute and relative poverty.
Citizenship Num Cit Literacy
To be able to create and explore a word definition.
PSHE
equality
P4C
needs & wants
Intro
Divide the pupils into six groups, and hand out the sets of 24 laminated needs/wants cards and sheets with need/ want tables into each group. Ask the pupils to choose 12 cards. Then ask them to place their cards into two categories and put them on the needs/wants table. Ask for feedback from each group and keep a tally of how many times each item appeared in each category. According to the frequency, compile a list of 8/10 most commonly identified needs. Then, addressing each of these items in turn, ask the children to consider how the absence of each of these needs would impact on people’s lives and what can the absence of particular need cause. It is likely that the children will mention the concept poverty during this discussion.
Big Ideas
Ask them to think about what poverty means, and to discuss in their groups a definition of poverty. After a few minutes of discussion, suggest that it is difficult to find just one meaning, and that there might be more than one definition. Ask them to try and write a definition(s) on a small white board or on paper. Share the definitions from each group. Now ask the groups to think of examples of poverty and discuss these examples in relation to the different definitions of relative/absolute and extreme poverty (NB see ‘Definitions of Poverty’ sheet, which can be shared with pupils). For example, if pupils suggest that ‘poverty is lack of money’, talk about the difference between no money at all (extreme poverty) or not as much as everyone else in their community (relative poverty). Or if somebody doesn't have enough food, that is absolute poverty, but what about if they have enough food to eat, but it doesn’t provide enough nutrients for them to stay healthy. Also discuss that poverty can be seen in our own country or town (relative poverty).
Plenary
Summarise the children’s ideas, and explain—with reference to their ideas—the differences among the three different definitions of poverty. Look at the children’s original group definitions of poverty - do they want to add or amend anything? Create a class definition of poverty that everyone agrees with. At this point you could raise questions and run a P4C session. Extension ideas Look at the other definitions of poverty (in red) to expand ideas on what poverty really means ... Look up other definitions on the Internet and compare.
Example P4C questions
Is there the poverty in our country? Does everyone have the same dreams in life? If you’re poor, whose fault is it? Card sorting
Stimulus / Resources / Worksheets
Six sets of ‘needs/wants’ cards, six printed ‘needs/wants tables’, definitions of relative, absolute and extreme poverty, Small white boards to record group definitions on.
A project funded by the European Union and led in England by CDEC