discover discussion debate - economic inequality - latin america

7/30/2019 Discover Discussion Debate - Economic Inequality - Latin America

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Discovery DiscussionDebateEconomic Inequality Latin America

Latin America has used education to try to bridge the

gap. Does this work in any country? Discover your

ideas. Discuss and form opinions. Debate the opinions

you have formed.

Dr. Paul R. Friesen


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Discovery Discussion Debate

Design Dr. Paul R. Friesen 2013 Page 1 of17

Original Story copyright of original author

Graphic organizers from MS Office templates

Title:

Gini back in the bottle An unequal continent is becoming less so

Discover Ideas(Outline)

Discuss the Story

(3 Question Levels)

Create Opinions

Economic Inequali ty- Latin America


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Before you start

Look through the idea, front to back.

The ideas in red are just ideas. Students should add to these.

There is an outline page for Discovery.

There are graphic organizer pages for the Discussion and Debate sections.

The reason for the worksheets, at the end of the book, is to help you work

systematically through the material. Worksheets are helpers and can be a distraction

from the rhythm and sequence in your teaching. By putting them at the end they

become support pages versus places to stop, giving a smoother presentation.

DiscoveryIn the beginning of each story you will have a few questions to discover what you

know, or think you know about a story. The Title of the article/ story will be givenand you will be asked to discover the story by asking good questions.

In the second part ofdiscovery you will be asked to find words which you do not

know. Some of these may be highlighted already in bold. Definitions will follow to

help you discover what the writer is talking about.

Discovery will help youform a plan for the discussion and debate.

DiscussionDiscussion is not a debate, though it can quickly become one if there are strong

opposing ideas in the group.

Discussion can be a part of the discovery before you read the story. It may also come

after to discuss the ideas of the story. Sometimes a persons views may change after

reading the article, which is a good way to start a discussion.

Discussion is interaction without a lot of structure. Be careful not to confuse

discussion with argument.Debate is about argument. Discussion is about sharing

your views and interacting with others who want to expand or give a differing

viewpoint.DebateDebate is a structured idea. It means that only one person speaks in turn, and with a

specific point to address. It also has a time limit, so the speaker must be precise in

their argument. In a debate the key is to listen and be prepared to oppose the other

teams ideas. It takes research, a lot of work, and patience.

In the following story we want to begin with discovery ideas. What can you know

from a title, if you dont know about the topic?


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In discovery you will form ideas to create basics ideas for an outline. In discussion

you will ask questions to help you build an outline for your viewpoint. In debate you

will separate the outline into two sections, for and against. At each stage you will be

able to use what you have learned before, to expand on your ideas and understand

both sides of the issue.


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DiscoveryTitle: Gini back in the bottle

An unequal continent is becoming less so

What can you know from the title?

.______________________________________________.______________________________________________.______________________________________________.______________________________________________.______________________________________________

What do I know about this topic?

.__________________________________________.__________________________________________.__________________________________________.__________________________________________

What would make me depressed?

.__________________________________________.__________________________________________.__________________________________________.__________________________________________

What do you think is a good model to close the economic gap?

___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________


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.Now read the story..Create an outline of the story / paragraphs..There is a list of words on the side for you to find..After you have found the words, look in the definitions, which

follow the story.

.Discoverthe words you dont know.Economic I nequali ty

Latin America ~ Gini back in the bottle

An unequal continent is becoming less soOct 13th 2012

Michael Jackson brought Santa Marta a moment

of fame. In February 1996, the King of Pop landed

by helicopter at the top of one of Rio de Janeiros

most notoriousfavelas. Politicians tried to stop

him, but Mr Jackson had permission from the drug

barons, who ruled the slum. He danced down the steep paths between shacks

clinging precariously to the mountainside; surrounded by a cheering crowd of

Rios poorest citizens, andbelted out his hit single They dont care about us.

The music video was played around the world. It trained a spotlight on Rios

poverty and inequality.

Sixteen years later Santa Marta is once again a showcase, but of a better sort.

It was the firstfavelato be pacified under a government plan towrest

control of Rios slums from the drug lords. The place was stormed by the army

in 2008. It now has a police station, and is peaceful. It is a thriving example of

the boom at the bottom of Brazilian society.

Meet Salete Martins, a bubbly 42-year-old, whose family moved to Santa

Marta from Brazils north-east when she was eight. By day she works as a

trainee tour guide, showing visitors around her neighborhood for a city-

financed non-profit group calledRio Top Tours. At night she studies tourism

at a local college. On weekends, she sells Bahian food from a bustling stall

near thefavelas entrance. And in between she flogs a popular

line of beauty products. Her monthly income is around 2,000

reais ($985), four times as much as she made selling

sandwiches three years ago, and more than three times the

minimum wage. She plans to launch her own tour-guide

company before the end of this year.


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Ms. Martins success is striking, even in Santa Marta. But it mirrors a trend

that has swept the whole of Latin America. Poor peoples incomes have surged

over the past decade, leading to a big drop in inequality. In most Latin

American countries the Gini coefficient in 2010 was lower than in 2000. The

regions average, at 0.5, is down from almost 0.54 a decade ago, and lower

than at any time in the past 30 years (see chart 3), though still high relative to

other regions. Judging by evidence from Argentina, the only country in Latin

America to publish statistics on tax returns of top earners, the richest 1% are

still pulling ahead of the rest. That concentration is more than made up for by

the narrowing of gaps further down the income scale.

Both shifts are reflected in popular culture. Mulheres ricas (Rich women)

is a new reality-TV show about Brazils ultra-wealthy (I bathe in mineral

water every day, said one woman in an early episode). The countrys most

popular prime-time soap is Avenida Brasil, which documents life among thenewly minted middle classes. Although Latin America saw only half the

average GDP growth of emerging Asia over the past ten years, its poverty rate

fell by 30%. Around a third of the decline is due to improvements in income

distribution.

How did a continent that had been egregiouslyunequal since the

conquistadoresland grab suddenly change course? Not because of radical

nationalization and redistribution. Latin America has a few asset-seizing hard-

left governments, notably Argentina and Venezuela, but inequality has also

fallen in countries following a more orthodox economic course, such as Chile

and Colombia. Nor is the turnaround just a side-effect of the commodities

boom. Inequality has fallen in countries that rely heavily on exports of

commodities, such as Peru, but also in those where manufacturing plays a

bigger role, such as Mexico. Nor can demography be the main cause. Poorer

Latin American families have become smaller, which reduces inequality, but

these changes were well under way in the 1980s and 1990s.

According to Nora Lustig, an economist at the University of Tulane and one of

the first to document the narrowing of the regions income gaps, two thingshave made a big difference. First, the premium for skilled workers has been

falling: a surge in secondary education has increased the supply of literate,

reasonably well-schooled workers, and years of steady growth have raised

relative demand for the less skilled in the formal workforce, whether as

construction workers or cleaners. Second, governments around Latin America

have reinforced the narrowing of wage gaps with social spending targeted at

people with the lowest incomes. These include more generous pensions and

conditional cash transfersschemes that offer payment to the poorest families

in return for meeting specific conditions, such as making sure their childrengo to school.


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The most striking change has been in education. In the past Latin American

governments lavished cash on universities. State primary and secondary

schools were underfunded and of appalling quality. That bias in favour of

tertiary education, perversely, most benefited the children of the rich, who had

attended private primary and secondary schools. But since the early 1990s

education spending has become much more progressive, with a huge

expansion in public secondary education among the poor. According to Karla

Breceda, Jamele Rigolini and Jaime Saavedra, three economists at the World

Bank, Latin American governments, on average, now spend a larger share of

GDP on education for the poorest 20% of children than does the United States.

More progressive spending has produced results. Some countries have seen an

increase of 20 percentage points in the share of children finishing secondary

school. Another study for the World Institute for Development Economics

Research in Helsinki by Guillermo Cruces, Carolina Garca Domench and

Leonardo Gasparini showed that the gap between rich and poor in secondary-school enrolment has fallen in all countries except El Salvador, Honduras,

Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Many Latin countries are also championing pre-school education. Rios city

government, for instance, has dramatically increased its network of nursery

schools since 2009, building 74 new ones in the past three years. Any child

from a family below the poverty line is guaranteed a free place in a nursery

from the age of six months.

]

A nudge in the right direction

Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) reinforce this focus on schooling. These

stipends cost relatively little (typically 0.2-0.8% of GDP) but influence the

priorities of many. About a quarter of Brazils population now gets some

money from Bolsa Famlia, the countrys CCT scheme. State and local

governments piggyback on top. In Rio, for instance, the city supplements

Bolsa Famlia payments for 700,000 of its poorer families. If children do

exceptionally well in exams, a bonus is paid. If they miss school, the payment

stops. Ms. Martins realized her 14-year-old was skipping school, only when

her monthly stipend was docked. Several academic studies in Mexico showthat kids in CCT schemes stay at school longer.

Better education is boosting social mobility. Historically, the link between

parents and childrens education has been closer in Latin America than

anywhere else. In Peru, for instance, almost 70% of a childs educational

achievement can be predicted from its fathers schooling. But a forthcoming

report from the World Bank suggests that the current generation of Latin

American children are both better educated than their parents, and moving

relatively faster up the education ladder. And, like Indias poorest castes,disadvantaged indigenous people have made big gains.


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These newly educated workers enjoy far better prospects in the formal

workforce than their parents did. State pensions have become more generous.

Countries from Argentina to Bolivia have introduced non-contributory

pension schemesin effect, a promise of government support for the elderly.

Minimum wages across the continent have soared. Brazils has risen by more

than 50% in real terms since 2003. And since pension benefits are linked to

the minimum wage, the two trends reinforce each other.

The precise contribution of better education, better opportunities for less

skilled workers and bigger social spending differs by country. An analysis by

Ms Lustig, Luis Lpez-Calva of the World Bank and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez of

the United Nations Development Programme suggests that narrower wage

gaps explain most of the reduction in inequality throughout the region.

According to calculations by Marcelo Neri, of the Institute for Applied

Economic Research, government transfers explain about one-third of the dropin inequality in Brazil.

Vocabulary Check

Find the colored words. Write a definition you can discover from the story if

possible.

__________

1. ______________________________________________________

__________2. ______________________________________________________

__________

3. ______________________________________________________

__________

4. ______________________________________________________

__________

5. ______________________________________________________

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6. ______________________________________________________

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7. ______________________________________________________

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8. ______________________________________________________

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9. ______________________________________________________

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10. ______________________________________________________

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11. ______________________________________________________

__________

12. ______________________________________________________


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__________

13. ______________________________________________________

__________

14. ______________________________________________________

__________

15. ________________________________________________________________

16. ______________________________________________________

__________

17. ______________________________________________________

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18. ______________________________________________________

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19. ______________________________________________________

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20. ______________________________________________________

__________21. ______________________________________________________

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22. ______________________________________________________

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23. ______________________________________________________

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24. ______________________________________________________

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25. ______________________________________________________

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26. ______________________________________________________

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27. ______________________________________________________

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28. ______________________________________________________

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29. ______________________________________________________

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30. ______________________________________________________


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DiscoveryWhat do I know about this topic?

List at least four (4) different ideas you have found in this story..__________________________________________.__________________________________________.__________________________________________.__________________________________________

Use them when you make your outline.

Discussion

Level I

.Education is the only way to help people become equal. Explain..Latin America does not have a rich/poor problem, or does it?.What is the biggest problem in Latin America?

Level II

.Will paying parents to keep their children in school help the economic inequality?.Will education solve the drug and gang problems in Latin America? Explain..Will increasing the minimum wage solve the economic inequality?.Why does education help solve economic inequality? Explain.

Level III

.What is the solution to Indias caste system and economic inequality? Explain..Would giving stipends to families work in all countries? Explain..What other solutions would work globally to bring the economic gap together?

You now have everything you need to fill out your outline.

Look at your answers, underDiscussion, andfill it outto reflect the

new ideas. These new ideas will help you form your debate ideas better.


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In debate you will have a statement not a question. You have to react to the statement

with facts, not opinions.

Discussions are based a lot on opinions and answer questions. This is wherethese two ideas, though similar, are different.

Debate is about facts and statements.

When you make a statement, from a story,you must consider what the coreissue is. If you have made a good outline, you will have this already

discovered.

This story is from economics. The core issue could be;

social economicpolitical culture

In todays world the topics could range from;

social responsibility government controlpeople power democracy

the super-rich economics

These are all good argument that you would want to research for your argument, or

write in your essay. Build the argument starting from Why? Once you have

determined the Why? you can find facts to support your idea.

Countries which spend money on education incentives will reduce theirincome gap disparity.

All families should receive stipends to keep their high school students inschool.

Countries should spend most of the money on preschool education, not middleor high school.

Before you startchoose one of the above statements to focus on. Choose afor or against position.

Research to find FACTS for your position.

List the facts.


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Write out your argument in a long paragraph format. Include the oppositeposition in your writing.

You need to write out both sides so you can understand theother sides argument.

Discovery OutlineMain topic ________________________

Find one(1) key ideain each paragraph. (3-5 words)

Paragraph 1 ______________________________

Paragraph 2 ______________________________

Paragraph 3 ______________________________

Paragraph 4 ______________________________

Paragraph 5 ______________________________

Write two thingsabout the main paragraph idea.

Paragraph 1 ______________________________

A. ______________________________

B. ______________________________

Paragraph 2 ______________________________

A. ______________________________

B. ______________________________

Paragraph 3 ______________________________

A. ______________________________

B. ______________________________

Paragraph 4 ______________________________A. ______________________________

B. ______________________________

Paragraph 5 ______________________________

A. ______________________________

B. ______________________________

In the introduction you use the 5 paragraph ideas to communicate the order ofyour argument/ essay.

In the conclusion you repeat what you have said about the points of eachparagraph.


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Graphic Organization ~

Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics

Main

topic

paragraph 1

________________________________________________

paragraph 2________________________________________________

paragraph 3

________________________________________________

paragraph 4________________________________________________

paragraph 5

________________________________________________


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Discussion Graphic ~ Is this phenomenon a problem / becoming a problem in

todays society?

Answer ~ I think economic inequality is (a / becoming a) problem because

Problem /

Economic Inequality

Spending goverment moneyon preshool education will

solve the economic gap.

Respond

Respond

Minimum wage is the problem.We should raise the minimum

wage to a living standard.

Respond

Respond

Latin America's solutions willwork in any coutnry, because

we all pay taxes to governments.

Respond

Respond


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graphic ~ choose one statement from the list

above.

Write it here _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________

To make your argument you should understand that they are connected.

In the next two charts (1) list your argument facts and ideas, (2) show how your

argument connects to both the center point and the other points.

FactsFor Against

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Add more if needed


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graphic ~ choose one statement from the list

above.

Now start the .

As a team choose which points they will speak about.

Each person will listen for the opposite point and create a new

response to what the other person has said.

A: point 1

B: responds to the point and give a new point.

C: responds to B and give a new point.

After all persons have spoken each person can respond to any point given by the

opposite team, or add more points from their team which will need responding to

from the opposite team.

If this -- then

If this -- then

If this -- then

If this -- then

If this -- then

Write your statement position here.________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

______________________________


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Dear Teacher/ Student,

After you have finished this please look for more in this series to challenge yourself.

This is only part of a curriculum. It starts with Dr. Roys Everything Grammar.

Dr. Roys Everything Grammar Volumes I and II will develop the skills of story andessay writing, while at the same time building a foundation in grammar. The

repetition of grammar, combined with reason and speaking, culminating in a story or

essay will prepare students for this series.

Going beyond this book is a book to expand the outlines into essays. Good essays are

able to build and defend an argument. Building a structure for debate will springboard

off this skill set.

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

discover discussion debate - economic inequality - latin america

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