One in Eight explores the importance of food and nutrition in the world, why it is a basic need as well as a human right, and how food waste is increasingly linked to hunger and what we can do about it. This review is limited to sections one and two of the resource, which are as follows;
Section two explores the nature, shape and impact of hunger worldwide – the who, where and why of hunger. It includes three lessons;
Section three begins a discussion on different types of responses to the issue and how we can contribute to its resolution. It includes four lessons;
Students have an opportunity to strengthen a number of skills;
The resource focuses on an issue of critical importance - world hunger - challenges the myths surrounding the issue, helps students understand the complexity of the issue, and challenges students to take action to raise greater awareness of the issue.
The inquiry approach adopted by the resource will encourage student interest and interaction and the teacher background and directions are both helpful and effective.
Global hunger has relevance for any curriculum units dealing with human rights, inequality and injustice, responsible citizenship, sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals.
Teachers may select those lessons that support their particular curriculum charges and time available.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | The resource is based on the assumption that we live in a world with abundant food where there is more than enough for everyone if it is shared more equally and less of it was wasted. . One in Eight has been written to encourage discussion and debate on the broader values associated with the issue of food and hunger. It is written and designed to encourage educational inquiry and discussion |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Very Good | The resource takes the position that hunger is the result of a variety of interrelated factors.
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Very Good | As indicated above, the resource acknowledges that the causes of hunger are many and the solutions, while doable are challenging. It includes lessons that address the myths surrounding hunger, explores the links between the unequal distribution of wealth and hunger, and link the struggle to end hunger to the larger issue of human rights and the Millennium Development Goals. The resource might benefit by having students examine the issue of food aid and the debates over the efficacy of such aid. |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Good | Lesson 11 is designed to have students raise awareness of world hunger within the broader community. Students crate a petition to educate others about hunger and submit it to local officials and the local newspaper |
Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
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Values Education | Very Good | An examination of world hunger may be expected to raise questions about fairness, justice and individual and collective responsibility. |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Very Good | Sections 2 and 3 of the unit raises the students awareness of the many people who suffer from hunger and malnutrition and it may be expected that student concern for their struggle will follow. The resource, however, does not appeal to the students sense of charity but to their sense of justice by linking the issue of hunger to human rights and by arguing that hunger is not an inevitable condition. |
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
Personal Affinity with Earth | Poor/Not considered | The focus of the unit is on the human condition in general and the daily struggle for food that is the fate of many. |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Good | Much of the resource is focused on hunger where it is most prevalent, i.e. the Developing World. In the more affluent North the issue is often food waste and in Lesson 10, students conduct a waste audit in their school to illustrate this reality. The final activity also has students undertaking an effort to raise awareness locally about global hunger. Although, the resource does not include relevant lessons, teachers could have students investigate local hunger issues by investigating the efforts of the local food banks. |
Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Good | The resource examines the current reality with respect to world hunger and argues that there is a path to a future where hunger has been eradicated. |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Good | The sponsor of the resource is an NGO working with the world' poorest people and dedicated to tacking poverty and suffering in the world's poorest countries. Part of that mandate is to meet the challenges represented by world hunger. This resource seeks to examine some of the underlying ideas, values and causes that make world hunger such a pressing issue – and one that can be solved within our lifetime. This they believe is the "right" answer. The activities, however, are intended to educate rather than proselytize. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Very Good | The topic of world hunger is a complex one and therefore one that has relevance for a number of disciplines.
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Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Good | Each of the lessons asks students to consider particular questions related to food, malnutrition and hunger - what are the myths about hunger? do people have a right to food? what options are available in responding to world hunger? Students are presented with a variety of activities that allow them to explore these questions. |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Very Good | The teaching resources include
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Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Good | Students investigate the larger issue of food waste by conducting an audit of the amount of food they and their schoolmates waste. They experience something of the challenges faced in trying to lobby for a citizen response to world hunger and in organizing petitions and writing magazine articles. |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Good | Some of of the lessons involve students working cooperatively in preparing and presenting their thoughts and ideas on the impact of world hunger, the causes and possible solutions. Others require that they work collectively in preparing a waste audit chart and in devising a plan to reduce the amount of waste in their school. A final project has students develop a class petition and work together in getting community signatures on the petition. |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Good | The activity based nature of the lessons provide teachers with a great deal of formative evaluation while the student generated articles, artwork, and petitions allow for summative evaluation. |
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
Peer Teaching | Good | A number of lessons have students working in groups, making presentations to their classmates or raising awareness in their communities about the realities of world hunger. |
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Very Good | The resource was developed in part by an NGO working to meet the challenges of world hunger and the resource includes several case studies illustrating what can and is being done in this respect in the developing world. |
Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
Locus of Control | Good | The lessons are structured around defined aims and learning outcomes but are developed to encourage student engagement in identifying the meaning of, the causes of and the solutions to world hunger. |
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. |