Homelessness and Poverty in America The Glass Castle

Photos Write down your reactions to these photos – whatever comes to your mind first Questions will follow

What would you think if you saw these people on the street? What kinds of assumptions and judgments would you make? Have you seen families like this before? How do you think they feel? How do they make you feel? Which image do you find most striking, and why?

Describe what you think of when you hear people mention the homeless. What specific, daily problems must a homeless family solve? Is there homelessness in our community? How do you know? Have you ever done anything to help homeless people? Explain. What programs are available to homeless people in our community?

What would a homeless person do with $100?

Essential Questions Considering the previous photographs, what essential questions are raised about homelessness?

How Much Do You (really) Know About Poverty? Take the quiz 1.      The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Assuming full-time, year-round employment, how much would a parent have to earn to rent a modest, two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent without spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing [the standard for affordable housing]? a.  $7.25 per hour, $15,080 per year b.  $10.78 per hour, $22,422 per year c.  $15.22 per hour, $31,657 per year d.  $18.44 per hour, $38,360 per year

How Much Do You (really) Know About Poverty? 2. More than 40 million people received food stamps or SNAP benefits in 2009. What was the average daily benefit per household in 2009? a. $30 b. $21 c. $15 d. $9

How Much Do You (really) Know About Poverty? 3.    A single parent with two preschool-age children living in Dallas would need what income to pay for necessities like rent, food, and childcare? What is the federal poverty line for a family of four? a.  $18,050 b.  $22,050 c.  $40,050 d.  $60,050

Here come the answers…

How Much Do You (really) Know About Poverty? A parent would need to earn $18.44 per hour, more than double the federal minimum wage A parent would need to earn $18.44 per hour, more than double the federal minimum wage, to afford to rent a modest two-bedroom apartment at a fair market rent without exceeding their housing budget

How Much Do You (really) Know About Poverty? 2. Households receiving SNAP benefits in 2009 only received about $9 per day to meet their hunger and nutrition needs. Households receiving SNAP benefits in 2009 only received about $9 per day to meet their hunger and nutrition needs.

How Much Do You (really) Know About Poverty? 3. Would need an annual wage of $45,782 an hourly wage of $22; the poverty line is only $22,050, for a family of four. Millions of families across the country struggle to pay for high-cost necessities like food, rent, and child care. A single parent of two preschool age children living in Dallas would need an annual wage of $45,782 an hourly wage of $22; but the poverty line is only $22,050, and that’s for a family of four.

What statistic do you find most surprising, and why What statistic do you find most surprising, and why? All considered, what essential questions can we add to our previous list?

Who receives government benefits.. The number of households receiving government benefits has steadily risen over time, particularly after the financial crisis. 

Who receives government benefits.. Three-quarters of entitlement benefits written into law in the United States go toward the elderly or disabled. That's according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. And a big chunk of the rest goes to working households. Only about 9 percent of all entitlement benefits go toward non-elderly, non-disabled households without jobs (and much of that involves health care and unemployment insurance):

Who receives government benefits.. The bulk of entitlement program spending goes toward the middle class.

Who receives government benefits.. In 2010, according to one analysis, 60 percent of Americans were receiving more in government benefits than they paid in taxes.

Who receives government benefits.. However, many Americans who receive government benefits in one year go on to pay more taxes in subsequent years. 61% are on assistance for two years or less; 42% are on it for one year or less.

Who receives government benefits.. If you expand the definition of "government benefit" to include tax expenditures, many more Americans benefit. these tax expenditures added up to about $1.2 trillion in 2011. And they tend to flow disproportionately toward wealthier households

What information was new to you What information was new to you? All considered, what essential questions can we now add to our list?

Could you survive in poverty? Take the quiz Add your score Read the back Middle class Wealth What do the questions reveal about each class?

30 DAYS: LIVING ON MINIMUM WAGE Watch the video & answer the questions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTXmJ9-0Ic

What stood out most from the video? New Questions?

The Glass Castle is a memoir written by columnist Jeannette Walls. Following is an interview that Walls did with Stephen Colbert in 2007. http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/niryzs/jeannette-walls Think about: How can a person can use writing as a means to come to terms with the difficult times in his or her life? How might the story of Jeannette Walls and her family connect to the theme of the American Dream?

For further exploration... How can we start to find answers to our questions about homelessness and poverty in America? What is the value of finding those answers? Where might we find them? And how? What will we do with the answers once we have found them? What if there are no concrete answers?

Answer study questions Write a reader’s response Study vocabulary Reading Assignment #1 Read pp 3-50 Answer study questions Write a reader’s response Study vocabulary Eng 12: Due Friday 4-7/Monday 4-10; you will need 3 reader’s responses for your portfolio which must be turned in on date reading is due for the section over which it is written AP Eng: due Wed 4-5; you will need 5 reader’s responses for your portfolio which must be turned in on date reading is due for the section over which it is written