Education Pays

Meagen FarrellAuthor of Teaching Adults: A 2014

GED® Test Resource Book

Please Note:This is an interdisciplinary lesson plan intended

to be facilitated with a group by a trained adult literacy or GED® Test Prep instructor. For more background information on this method, please watch the presentation Preparing Low Level Learners for the GED Test.

Interdisciplinary Lesson

Poverty

Social Studies Content

Data & Calculation

Video & Text

Write a Response

• One person talks at a time.• We do not have to agree.• Everyone can share their thoughts and feelings.• Respond to the topic, not to others’ comments.

Are there rules you want to change, delete, or add?

How Do We Want to Act as a Group?

• Look deeper at the words, numbers, and experiences that define poverty.

• Understand statistics that show the relationship between education level, income level, and unemployment.

• Reflect on what we can do about poverty.

Objective

What Does Poverty Mean To You?

Why is Poverty Important?Some Questions to Consider:• Why does the U.S. measure how many

people are in poverty?• What social services are provided for

people in poverty?• How could someone get out of poverty?

We’re going to look at three definitions of poverty:

1. The words in the federal definition from the U.S. Census Bureau.

2. A video about the experience of rural poverty from World Vision.

3. The numbers from that define the federal poverty guidelines.

The United States Census Bureau offers the following definition:

Following the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

The Words: What is Poverty?

Source: World Vision, Rural Poverty in the United States, 7/10/2010

The Experience: Rural Poverty…

• “World Vision has the ability to bring those ideas into a community in a culturally sensitive way and help leaders adapt their approaches to poverty in a way that is more effective, leading people out of generational poverty.” –Ruston Seaman

• “I think we want to live productive lives. I think we want our children to be happy and well adjusted. We want them to be able to pursue or chase their dreams. I think we want to be able to provide for their needs. I think we want to be able to live comfortably without not knowing where your next meal is going to come from or whether your lights is going to get cut off.” –Ernestine Skiffer

The Experience: Rural Poverty…

The Numbers: Poverty Guidelines 2013For the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia

For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,020 for each additional person.

From the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/13poverty.cfm

Persons infamily/household

Poverty guideline

1 $11,490

2 15,510

3 19,530

4 23,550

5 27,570

6 31,590

7 35,610

8 39,630

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

One High School Diploma Can Bring A Family of Four

Above The Poverty Line

Out of The Unemployment Line

What is Poverty? What Can I Do About It?

• Everyone take an index card and pen or pencil.• Write for five minutes about what poverty

means and what you can do about it.• Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation. Just

write down your thoughts.

Share Your Thoughts:

• Each person share one thought or idea that came from your reflection.

• (You don’t have to read your card out loud!)

Responses? Questions?

Thank You!

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