Barriers to the Right to Food in the U.S. lesson plan

Goal: Help students develop an understanding of the barriers that prevent people from realizing the right to food.

Objectives:

• Students will understand that food is a human right
• Students will think critically about the relationship between other human rights and hunger

Essential Question: Is the right to food being addressed adequately in the United States?

Time Frame: 1- 2 class periods

Age Level: High School

Minnesota High School Social Studies Standards:

• World History, I, #1: Students will examine human rights principles and how they have been supported and violated in the late 20th century.
• Government and Citizenship, A, # 1: Students will analyze the meaning and importance of rights in the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments, and the Minnesota Constitution.
• Government and Citizenship, B, # 1: Students will define and provide examples of fundamental principles and core values of American political and civic life.
• Government and Citizenship, B, # 2: Students will examine the tension between the government’s dual role of protecting individual rights and promoting the general welfare, the tension between majority rule and minority rights, and analyze the conflict between diversity and unity which is captured in the concept “E Pluribus Unum.”
• Government and Citizenship, B, # 3: Students will evaluate how well the federal and state governments protect individual rights and promote the general welfare.
• Government and Citizenship, D, # 5: Students will explain and evaluate international organizations and international law and how participation in these organizations and international law is voluntary.