Persevering through “Hard Times”: Overcoming Poverty(Grades 3-5) by Tara Bendettp

Inquiry Questions

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:35:00 UTC

How does poverty affect student achievement?
What barriers do people living in poverty face when trying to get an education?
How does poverty affect students' reading comprehension and vocabulary?
Does poverty lead to increased bullying in the classroom?

Rain School by James Rumford

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:38:56 UTC

Rain School is a story about a boy named Thomas who lives in Chad, Africa and is eager to start his first day of school. When he gets to school, there is no school (building or desks) just the teacher who tells the children their first lesson is to build the school. The children and the teacher work together to gather straw and mud to build the school room and desks. The students begin to learn to read and write without school supplies or books, but the teacher has them learn to say the alphabet and write letters in the air until she finds them some notebooks. Once the year has ended, the children leave with knowledge filled brains just in time for the summer rains to come. The rains wash away their school and they will build it again next year so they can learn more. Thomas' story shows the challenges kids in poverty stricken countries must overcome to learn.

Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:39:28 UTC

This is the story of a girl who has been forbidden to attend school in Afghanistan after the Taliban takes control of the country. Her father is kidnapped and her mother leaves to find him, leaving her heartbroken and refusing to speak while living with her worried grandmother. Knowing how important schooling is for Nasreen, her grandmother finds a secret school for her to attend. While attending the school is secret and hiding from the soldiers, she begins to speak again, make friends and learn to read and write opening her and her mind to all the possibilities of the world.

That Book Woman by Heather Henson

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:40:10 UTC

This story is about a boy named Cal who lives high in the rural Appalachian Mountains away from town and too far from the school to attend. His family is very poor so he has to help his father take care of the animals and working chores at home, so he has had no opportunity to learn to read until a woman on a horse changes everything. She is part of the Pack Horse Librarians who travel to remote areas bringing books for children to read. Cal reluctantly asks his sister to teach him to read and when the book woman returns with more books, he reads to her a book he sees for the first time. It's a story that shows how learning to read can change one's perspective and empower others to learn.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:41:39 UTC

This book tells a similar story to That Book Woman, except that it is a chapter book and told through a different lens. This story is told from the perspective of Cussy Carter, a 19-year old girl who becomes a Pack Horse Librarian. Along the way Cussy deals with prejudice and discrimination as she travels through the remote hill areas of Appalachia trying to help the impoverished people get the things they need like books, food medicine and information.

Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:41:58 UTC

This book depicts the hardships experienced by a young boy who's been living in a jail in India with his mother who was falsely accused of a crime. The one bright spot in Kabir's life is school, where his teacher is kind and tells him about the world. Upon being released into the world alone he must over the obstacles and hardships that await him on the streets alone.

When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton, and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:42:39 UTC

This book shows the great lengths that the underprivileged and poverty stricken will go to in order to learn to read. The character Olemaun is only eight when she leaves home to go to school away from her impoverished home in the Arctic. She endures many hardships as the nuns who run the school change her name, cut her hair, and force her to do many chores trying to break her will. However, her determination and desire to learn to read will not be wavered as she overcomes these hardships and perseveres in order to learn.

What is poverty?

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:43:25 UTC

This video explores the concept of poverty through a compassionate lens and allows students a window into what life is like for many less fortunate individuals around the world. It can be used to build background knowledge or stimulate conversations around children and poverty in the classroom.

Education for All

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:44:56 UTC

This video shows the importance of education in order to fight or overcome poverty. By showing other countries and examples of how education has benefited some individuals of other countries this TEDx for kids provides talking points and background for the students.

Supportive Text Poor: Grit, Courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief by Katriona O'Sullivan

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:45:24 UTC

This text would not be appropriate for 8 year old's to read, but offers some great insight for discussion starters and topics to bring into the classroom. Parts of Katriona's story can be read and discussed with the class to build background knowledge and supplement learning.

Inquiry Questions

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:47:06 UTC

Is poverty a choice for families?
Does poverty have an effect on family relationships? Why?
How does family size affect poverty?
Which family structures are most affected by poverty?

Still a Family by Brenda Reeves Sturgis

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:47:23 UTC

This book is told from the perspective of a little girl whose family is homeless and forced to live in two separate shelters. She talks about her daily experiences and how they are still a family even though they have no home and are sleeping in two different places. She also talks of some of the hardships like shoes that are too snug and waiting in line to get food while they scrimp and save their money trying to get to a better way of life.

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:47:36 UTC

This book shows what life is like for one struggling family is has lost their home is forced to make some difficult choices for the good of their family. It is a good example of how family bonds and relationships can help to persevere through hard times and end up stronger. In this story a homeless man reluctantly builds a relationship with a family of homeless children who seek refuge in his home under a bridge.

A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk by Jan L. Coates

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:47:47 UTC

This book is a little high for the students to read on their own, but would make a good read aloud for the class. It tells the story of a young refugee boy who finds strength through his mom's words and realizes that education is his path to a better life. The respect and relationship he had with his mother carries his through hardship and poverty to a better life.

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:47:56 UTC

Dolly Parton’s book is based on her childhood in the poverty stricken Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. In the story the girl is made fun of when she wears a coat that her mother made for her from old rags and pieces of cloth to school. She is made fun of because she is poor, but her strong family bond provides strength and positivity that shines through her love of the coat that her mom made for her.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lại

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:48:06 UTC

This story shares a family's journey of immigration to America through the lens of a little girl named Ha. Her family leaves their home in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigan and move to Alabama. Her changing life is shown through her experiences in her new home and depicts the strength of family relationships as she misses the comforts of home like friends, the markets and traditions she used to know.

A Place to Stay: A Shelter Story by Erin Gunti

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:48:17 UTC

This book tells the story of one child's experiences of poverty that lead to her families homelessness. Her story provides students with a child's perspective of going to a shelter with her mother and how the bond of love and a mother's strength gets her to overcome her fears. It also gives some facts and information about homelessness and hardships that lead to it.

Poverty From a Child's Perspective

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:48:33 UTC

This short video shows first-hand personal accounts of children's experiences and daily life in other poverty stricken communities around the world. It gives students a window into the challenges and hardships that these children deal with on a day to day basis.

The Brain on Poverty

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:48:45 UTC

In this TED talk video Jessica Sharp talks about how poverty effects the brain and the connection of poverty and education on the family.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:49:07 UTC

Each chapter highlights a family from somewhere in the world and shows what they eat in a week. Students can learn about how they cook and shop, as well as why they eat the way they do. Also included are essays connecting diet and disease, or global food patterns and the environment.

Engagement Activities

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:49:28 UTC

Have the students create a family tree and pick one member of their family to interview and create a presentation for the class. They will write about their family member's life and why they chose to write about them.
As a way of incorporating some math and tying that core subject into this topic, I would have the students bring in a recipe from their family and in class we would work on gathering prices for the items needed in the recipe. Then using local store flyers, would determine the cost of buying those items to help them see how poverty may pose challenges to feeding families.
The students will pick one of the characters from the stories we have read and create a character trait poster for the character. They will include physical outward traits as well as intrinsic traits for their thoughts, feelings and personality.

Inquiry Questions

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:50:00 UTC

How is immigration connected to family poverty?
What can we do to help immigrant families living in poverty?
How does poverty differ between our country and third world countries?
What are some negative impacts of growing up in poverty?

A Different Pond by Bao Phi

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:50:46 UTC

This book is told from the perspective of young boy whose father is an immigrant from Vietnam. The story follows the boy and his father on an early morning fishing trip where he learns that his father has to work a second job because America is very expensive. He learns that both his parent s have made sacrifices so that their family can live in America.

Home by Tonya Lippert

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:51:05 UTC

This story shows how family relationships and the love between two sisters help them overcome and deal with situations caused by poverty. These two are thrust into the hardship of moving over and over with an uncertain future living in motels, shelters, and other uncomfortable places. Together they deal with critique and awkward questions showing the strength of family bonds and determination.

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:51:17 UTC

This auto biography accounts Javier's experiences as he makes his rough journey to America from El Salvador at the age of nine to reconnect with his parents. This portrays the many hardships he had to overcome like dangerous boat trips, dehydrating hauls through the desert, men with guns, deceit and the uncertain outcome of his journey. His two month trek shows his dedication to overcome adversity for the hope of living a better life in a new country.

Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:51:32 UTC

This is a story of people who were forced into a life of slavery and poverty as African Americans. It shows the experience of becoming freed but still facing many hardships such as homelessness, descrimination, and poverty. The book shows students how perseverance can help people overcome hardships.

The Long Way to a New Land by Joan Sandin

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:51:58 UTC

This realistic fiction provides students a story that conveys the many struggles of European immigrants in the 19th century leaving Sweden in the hopes of a better life in America. Their poverty stricken life in Sweden forces them to trek over sea and across land after selling all of their belongings and facing many difficult hardships in hopes of a new better life in America.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:52:08 UTC

In this story the character Wanda Petronski is a poor Polish immigrant who is bullied by her classmates for being different and wearing the same dress every day. She deals with the discouraging hardships of being poor and different until one girl decides to make a difference.

Helping Others

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:52:38 UTC

This video can be used to show students that helping other is important and poverty is a universal hardship that affects people of all communities. It can be a great lesson starter or shown to get conversations started on the topic of poverty and needs versus wants.

Life as an Immigrant

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:52:48 UTC

This video provides insight for students as to what life is like for the immigrants and their experiences. It can be used to start discussions on immigration and the hardships they may face as immigrants.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:53:13 UTC

Meet Young Immigrants

These scholastic news articles provide some stories from children who immigrated from other countries. This can be used to give the students a window into the feelings and experiences of actual child immigrants and the hardships they may have faced.

Inquiry Questions

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:53:44 UTC

What community resources, such as food pantries or thrift stores, are available to help people meet basic needs?
How does the environment and location affect the availability of necessary resources such as water?
Do people living in other countries have the same access to resources as we do in America?
How does poverty and lack of food effect students ability to learn?

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:01 UTC

This books demonstrates the struggle that children face when other kids make fun of them for not having things that they can afford. Jeremy is made fun of because he doesn't have cool shoes like the other kids at school, but his grandma tells him they only have money for things that they need not want. He tries to find shoes like the other kids have, but it does not work out. Ultimately, he learns that he needs to be thankful for the warm boots that he has and that there is a difference between needs and wants.

A Good Trade by Alma Fullerton

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:10 UTC

This story is about Kato, a boy who lives in Uganda dealing with many hardships like drought, war, and poverty. One day on his long journey to gather water for his family he runs into an aid worker delivering supplies for his village. He receives a pair of shoes and is so touched by the kindness of a stranger that he in turn gives the worker a flower.

One Plastic Bag by Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:17 UTC

This is a delightfully inspiring story of how one woman chose to fight the overgrowing problem of pollution and its effects on her village's resources. The women of Gambia began collecting plastic bags that were polluting their area and found a use for them by using them to weave into purses and other forms of artwork in order to repurpose them.

Maddi's Fridge by Lois Brandt

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:25 UTC

This book tells the story of two friends growing up with two different versions of access to food. Sofia's family does not have the access to food that Maddi's family has and it effects her ability to do physical activities like Maddi. When Maddi discovers that Sofia has no food, she a is sworn to secrecy by Sofia who is embarrassed. Maddi tries to help her by learning what foods help kids grow strong. Everytime she brings sofia something in her backpack, she comes across an issue in delivery. In the end they find a common solution and Maddi is happy having helped Sofia.

It's a No Money Day by Kate Milner

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:32 UTC

This book shows the benefits of food pantries and how one family takes a trip there. The little girl and her mother have no money for food, so they head off to the local food pantry for help. Along the way the little girl enjoys some of the free things they can do for fun. This combines learning about resources for the needy and the bond between mother and daughter as they work their way through this hardship.

When the World Runs Dry: Earth's Water in Crisis by Nancy F. Castaldo

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:42 UTC

This nonfiction book describes the importance of having water and clean water to drink. It gives students a peek into other communities around the world that do not have access to clean water like we do. Places like Iran and South Africa are explored to show the various ways in which water around the world is in danger. This book calls on students to act and shows how they can make a difference in the world now. It's reading level is a little high for 3rd grade, but gives lots of information that would be beneficial to the class as a whole through a read aloud or in sections.

Animated Summary & Review of Jaffrey Sachs book End of Poverty

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:52 UTC

The video breaks down some of the causes of poverty and how we can help combat the systemic hardships that lead to it. It is an animated version of the book that has been broken down and summarized making it a kid-friendly way to discuss issues of poverty.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:54:59 UTC

In this Britannica Kids online edition there are informational facts and descriptions that provide additional background knowledge for the students. There are also links to images, articles, and videos that give additional information on various areas of homelessness and poverty resources available.

Engagement Activities

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-29 17:55:06 UTC

Students can perform the experiment demonstrated in the video by Nanogirl's Lab. Then they can write a reflection in their journals explaining how the water cycle could be used to help people in areas with unclean water or no fresh water get the water they need to survive.
Students can use their knowledge of the water cycle to create their own water purifying system designs. They can work in pairs or small groups to draw an illustration of their design and explain how it would work to clean water.
Have a discussion about communities that have a lot of homeless and the types of resources they need, like food, clothing, shelter, and education. The students can work in groups to come up with a way to get those needed items to the people of the community that need the the help. They can create a digital poster or paper pamphlet that could be distributed to the community informing them of the plan.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-30 21:07:08 UTC

This book can be used to help students understand some of the challenges people face as a result of poverty. It will provide background knowledge to students and show them what life is like for people facing these challenges as well as things they can do to help.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 00:48:48 UTC

Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home by Michelle Mulder

This nonfiction text gives facts and insight into how communities around the world can improve conditions for impoverished areas by getting resources to the people like access to clean water.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 00:53:52 UTC

Water: How Can We Protect Our Freshwater? by Catherine Barr

This book can be used to build students' background knowledge of causes that lead to of lack of clean water. Issues such as climate change and pollution are addressed as making it difficult for areas to find clean water necessary for their survival. It also provides facts and tips for facing these challenges. Perfect as a supplemental text to support their understanding of limited resources.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 00:54:10 UTC

Coping With Homelessness by Marcia Amidon Lusted

This nonfiction text will give students factual information about homelessness through history and today. Topics like homeless aid programs, vulnerabilities of the homeless, and what can be done to help the homeless are presented in this book.

Engagement Activities

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 01:10:28 UTC

Have students pick one of the characters from the books they have read and write a journal entry pretending they are that character. They should put themselves in the shoes of that character and write in the 1st person point of view about a day in their life at school.
The students will compare and contrast their personal life's educational experience with the educational life's experience of one of the characters in the stories we read about. They will create a venn diagram to present to the class and explain the similarities and differences.
In small groups the students can choose a country to research underprivileged students and what education is like for those students in that country. They can create a Google slide or a digital poster to share their findings with the class.

Supportive Text

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 15:20:17 UTC

This is an illustrated non-fiction book that looks at today's biggest issues and helps explain the crises of poverty and hunger. It shows the many difficulties that children just like them face in the world today and learn about ways they can help.

Engagement Activities

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 15:21:04 UTC

After discussing reasons for immigration, the students can choose a country for them to imagine they are an immigrant from. They will write a journal entry discussing why they are leaving their country, what they are taking with them.
They can create a comic strip that tells the story of an immigrant's journey to America. They should include illustrations with captions that describe a situation that arises as a hardship and how they overcome that hardship.
As a pair or in small groups the students will research an immigrant's story and create a digital poster that they can present to the class telling their immigrant's story and experiences leaving one home for a new life in a new country.

Poverty on the Homefront

tarabenedettoz — 2024-07-31 17:24:45 UTC

This video shows photographs taken by photographer Alison Wright as she traveled across the U.S. to capture pictures of poverty stricken communities. This sheds light on the large number of impoverished children.