The Three Pillars of Food Security

Subjects Social Studies, Reading Comprehension, Listening and Speaking

Grade Level 3-5

Student Learning Students will gain an understanding of hunger and its causes. Students will read true accounts of hunger in Oklahoma. Students will summarize and categorize these stories. Students will discuss causes of hunger in Oklahoma.

Performance Task 1. Make sure students understand the meaning of hunger and can differentiate between momentary hunger and chronic hunger. (See glossary.)

2. Introduce the three pillars of hunger. Compare food security to a bridge that is supported by three causes: Food Availability, Food Accessibility, and Food Knowledge. Give a brief explanation of each of the pillars. (See glossary.) Post/write the names of the three pillars somewhere students can see them. (See included visual aid.)

3. Distribute provided Hunger in Oklahoma stories to students or groups of students. Have students read their stories to the class or summarize them for the class after reading them individually. Be prepared to help students understand words they may not recognize.

4. Help students decide if the hunger described in the story is caused by availability, accessibility, or knowledge problems. Use the questions “Is there enough food for everyone?” “Can everyone get food?” “Does everyone know how to get and use their food?” (See story sorting guide.) Keep tally of how many stories fall under each pillar, or place the stories on the board under the pillar names to give students a visual idea of the major causes of hunger in Oklahoma. (For stories that fall into multiple categories; help the students choose the category that seems to be the biggest issue.)

5. Help students identify and discuss Accessibility as the major cause of hunger in Oklahoma based on the stories.

Pass Skills The student will interact with the words and concepts in a text to construct an appropriate meaning.

The student will express ideas and opinions in group or individual situations.

The student will read to contrast meaning and respond to a wide variety of literary forms.

Common Core Standards

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

Read and comprehend social studies informational texts in the appropriate complexity band proficiency.

Report on a topic or text using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

If time is limited, focus on steps 1-3 and 5.

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1

2

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 1

Ann’s family moved to Oklahoma last year. Ann has four brothers and sisters. Ann’s dad works hard, but his job doesn’t pay enough money to feed his big family. It’s hard to pay for things like rent and utility bills each month. It’s even harder to find money for groceries. Ann’s family doesn’t get many big trips to the grocery store.

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 2

David lives with a lot of people. His family moved into his grandma’s house last year. Now there are ten people living under one small roof. David’s mom loves him and his brother more than anything. It’s been hard for her to give them everything they need. With so many people, it’s very hard to feed everyone. Often, there isn’t enough food in the house.

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 3

Daniel is seven years old and just started the second grade. His favorite subject is spelling. He's pretty good at it, too. When Daniel doesn't get enough to eat, it's hard for him to concentrate. His parents both have jobs, but they don’t always have the money to buy all the food the family needs. Often there isn't enough food for all six of them. H

un

ge

r in

Ok

lah

om

a

Story 4

Jeremy and his dad live with Jeremy’s grandfather, Grandpa Ben. Grandpa Ben used to serve in the Air Force. He also worked for many years as a painter. He got married and had seven children. Now he is retired. Four years ago, Jeremy’s grandmother passed away. Jeremy’s dad is having a hard time finding a job. Grandpa Ben doesn’t get enough money to pay for his bills, medicine, and food.

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1

3

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 5

Ariel loves her Grandpa Max and Grandma Molly. They have been married for 57 years. They tell her stories about the churches they built. They used to help people all over the country. They retired thirteen years ago. Now Grandpa Max and Grandma Molly only get a small check every month. Grandpa Max has been sick. His medicines are very expensive. It’s very hard to find enough money for food.

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 6

Nelly doesn’t like summer vacation. She lives with her mom and baby brother. Her mom lost her job three months ago. At her new job, she can only work two days every week. All of her money has to go to utilities, rent, and gas. It’s always hard to find grocery money, but it’s the worst in the summer when Nelly doesn’t get to eat breakfast and lunch at school.

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 7

Jason’s grandfather was a farmer, but Jason doesn’t know very much about running a farm. He and his wife moved onto the family’s old farm. They want to grow their own food and sell the extra to pay bills. They didn’t know it would be so hard to learn how to take care of their crops. They haven’t been able to grow enough food for themselves and don’t have any way to pay their bills.

Hu

ng

er

in O

kla

ho

ma

Story 8

Emmanuel was born in Mexico. Last year his family moved to Oklahoma. Emmanuel’s dad works maintenance jobs as much as he can. It’s been hard for him to find good work because he doesn’t speak English. They don’t always have enough food. Emmanuel’s mom heard that there are places that help families that need food. She doesn’t know where they are, though.

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1

4

Story Sorting Guide

Story Pillar of Food Security

Explanation

1 Accessibility There is plenty of food available in the area (like at the grocery store) and Ann’s family knows how to get and use the food, but because they don’t have enough money, the food isn’t accessible to them.

2 Accessibility Because David’s family doesn’t have much income and has so many people to feed, they don’t have access to enough food to keep them food secure.

3 Accessibility Daniel’s family doesn’t have access to the food in their area because they don’t have enough money to buy it.

4 Accessibility Jeremy’s family can’t access the food available in their area because of his father’s unemployment and his grandfather’s fixed income.

5 Accessibility Ariel’s grandparents must choose between medical expenses and food. Because of their fixed income, if they choose to pay their medical bills, they no longer have the means to access the food they need.

6 Accessibility Without access to school meals, Nelly sometimes goes hungry in the summer. Her family’s bills prevent her mother from using their money to access the food at the grocery store.

7 Knowledge Accessibility

Jason doesn’t have the knowledge he needs to produce food on his farm. This also limits his income, which prevents him from accessing food available at the grocery store.

8 Knowledge Accessibility

Emmanuel’s family doesn’t have the knowledge they need to obtain regular employment or get the aid their family requires. Because of this, they also don’t have money to access the food in their area.

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1

5

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1

6

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1

7

HUNGER 101: ACTIVITY 1