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lesson ideas for Key stage 2 (years 3-6)introduction The lesson ideas are to help you and your class explore through discussion, stories, films and other activities, the issue of food and hunger in developing countries. Through these activities the children will be made aware of the needs of people living in these areas who are unable to provide a balanced nutritious diet for their families. The children will learn how The Salvation Army, through a variety of agriculture and animal related projects, is helping to provide a way out of poverty for the world’s poorest people.

The activities are aimed at pupils aged 7-11 years (Years 3-6 / Key Stage 2). Feel free to adapt and develop these ideas and choose the activities you think will work best with your class.

curriculum linKsReligious Education, Citizenship and PSHE (see below for specific links to each curriculum area).

Key factsA billion people in our world are going hungry. ➤

There’s enough food in the world for everyone. ➤

Most of the people going hungry are farmers in rural areas. ➤

Eating the right types and amounts of food helps humans to keep ➤

healthy.

Key QuestionsWhy do we need to eat a balanced diet? ➤

Why are a billion people going hungry? ➤

What is The Salvation Army doing to help these people? How can we ➤

become involved in helping?

overviewFood is one of our basic needs. We need to eat and drink to survive. We need to eat a balanced diet to grow strong and healthy. This means we need to eat a wide variety of foods. Some foods give us energy and other foods provide different vitamins and minerals that help us to keep healthy and can prevent some diseases.

We all have our favourite foods, and in our supermarkets we have a wide variety of food to choose from. Some is grown or made in this country and some is flown in from different countries in the world. Because we live in a developed country most of us can afford to choose the food we eat.

People in many other parts of the world don’t have things so easy. Many of you may have seen images of starving people, on television or in the newspapers. What many people don’t realise is that there is another group of people who are not starving but are still not eating enough to be healthy. These people are said to be suffering from what is called ‘hidden hunger’. Many of these people are farmers who grow their food on small plots of land. They struggle to grow enough food to feed their families and often don’t have anything left over to sell at the market. This means they don’t have money to buy food either. In developing countries in parts of Asia, Africa and South America people struggle to afford to eat a balanced diet. The Salvation Army, through a number of local projects in these developing countries, is working hard to help these people.

lesson idea - what’s on the menu? (60 minutes)aims

To think about the freedom of choice we have concerning our food and ➤

the variety of food available to us.

To understand what hinders people in developing countries having the ➤

same choices that we have.

To understand the difference between wants, needs and rights. ➤

Key factsIn this country we can buy the food we need in the supermarket to make ➤

sure we eat a balanced diet and stay healthy.

In developing countries many people live on around £1 a day or less. ➤

In these countries many people are not able to choose the food they eat. ➤

starter activity (15 minutes)Draw or write a list of everything you had for lunch. This could be food in a lunchbox or a school lunch. If there are children eating school lunches it may be good to get the menu for lunch. The children could ask the school cook for a list of ingredients. This is not about how much the children paid for their lunch but about how much it cost to make. Use a supermarket website (Years 5 & 6) or the shopping list provided with this resource (Years 3 & 4) to work out the cost of the items. (The shopping list is created to show the cost of each child’s individual portion.)

Questions for discussionHow much did the food in your lunchbox (or school lunch) cost in total? ➤

Do you always eat everything in your lunchbox? ➤

What do you do with the food in your lunchbox that you can’t eat or ➤

don’t like?

Look at the list of food in your lunchbox. If you had only £1 to spend ➤

what would be the healthiest food to eat today?

How would you feel if this was all you had to eat every day for the next ➤

year?

years 5 and 6 extension activityLook at the food eaten over the last 24 hours. Use a supermarket website to work out how much has been spent. Look at the ‘Live below the Line’ weekly shopping list below with a friend or use a supermarket website to create a menu for five days on £1 a day. How easy was this to do? Do you think you would get enough energy and vitamins from this menu?

Live Below the Line Sample Shopping List

Oats/cereal ➤

Canned soups/packet soups x3 ➤

Powdered milk ➤

Potatoes ➤

Pasta/rice ➤

Biscuits (the cheap ones) ➤

Low-fat yogurt x4 ➤

Tuna/eggs ➤

activity – what’s on the menu? (45 minutes)Divide the children into groups of five or six. Give the first group of children one pound for the whole group, the second group one pound per child, the third group two pounds per child and the last group five pounds per child. Set up a stall at the front of the class with pictures of the food labelled and priced (use accompanying sheets in the resource pack).

Tell the groups that the money their group has is to be spent on their meal for that particular day. They are to decide as a group what they will buy and what they will prepare for the group to eat using the food they can afford. At the end of 20 minutes the group are to present their menu explaining why they made the choices they made.

Questions for discussionWhy did you choose these particular foods for your meal? ➤

Do you think this meal would be nutritious if you ate it every day? ➤

Do you think it is good to eat the same food every day? ➤

Is there anything you ate that you don’t need? ➤

Did anyone feel this would have been too big a meal for them? ➤

Does anyone have an idea of how we could make sure that everyone in ➤Prim

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the class would be able to eat a nutritious meal today using the food we have bought?

explain that in developing countries many people live on around £1 a day or less. In these countries many people are not able to choose the food they eat. They can only afford to eat what they can grow, catch or rear themselves. Often there isn’t enough left over to sell so they can’t buy anything else. Often they eat the same food every day.

Questions for discussionHow do you think people manage to live on so little? ➤

Is this fair? ➤

lesson idea - is it fair? (60 minutes)aims For children to look at the inequality of food distribution in the world.

To care about other people’s feelings and to try to see things from their point of view. To realise how fortunate they are that they can afford food, and that not all people have the same liberties as them.

Key factsIn many places in the world people aren’t able to eat a balanced diet. Because of this they are not as healthy and find it more difficult to fight diseases.

In developing countries people are often only able to eat what they can grow, catch or rear themselves. They are only able to buy extra food if they have enough produce left over to sell. Often what they can grow, catch or rear is only just enough to feed their family and there nothing left over to sell. Due to this their diet is limited and often every meal is the same.

starter activity (15 minutes)Lead a discussion about what is fair and unfair. Many children will initially relate fairness to situations in their own lives. Can they understand why some activities are restricted at home and at school?

activity - Perfect sandwich (45 minutes)The class should be sorted out into four or five groups depending on the size of the class. Each group are given an ingredients list and told to make sandwiches for everyone in their group. An example list of ingredients for each group follows.

This activity can be done practically using the actual ingredients or using images taken from the resource section of these lesson plans. The foods listed below are examples – please feel free to create your own similar lists.

grouP 1Selection of bread: bagel, wholemeal, white bread, baguette, croissant

Selection of fillings: cheese, pickle, tomatoes, cucumber, ham, meatballs, egg, butter, jam, margarine, tuna, mayonnaise

Selection of drinks: any kind of juice, tea, milk, water

grouP 2Selection of bread: white, wholemeal, baguette

Selection of fillings: cheese, tomato, cucumber, egg, jam, butter, ham

Selection of drinks: apple juice, orange juice, milk, water

grouP 3Selection of bread: white, wholemeal

Selection of fillings: cheese, cucumber, butter, tomato

Selection of drinks: Apple Juice, Water

grouP 4Selection of bread: wholemeal

Selection of fillings: none

Selection of water: tap water

exPlain Group 1 is America, which has a large amount of wealth compared to its ➤

population.

Group 2 can be seen as Britain, not as rich but still wealthy nonetheless. ➤

Group 3 is the world average, so generally not as wealthy but still has a ➤

content meal.

Group 4 is a developing country, where the people have limited access to ➤

food and water.

Do the children think it is fair that there is such a difference in the food people are able to eat?

Thank you to Sueng-Gymn Kim of Tiffin School, Kingston upon Thames for contributing this lesson idea.

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lesson idea - hungry Planet – the right balance (45 minutes)aims

To realise the importance of eating healthy balanced meals. ➤

How can we help people who are not able to do this? ➤

Key factsA billion people in the world are thought to suffer from ‘hidden hunger’. ➤

This is when they have enough food to eat but important vitamins and minerals are missing from their diet.

This means they although they aren’t starving they don’t get enough ➤

food to stay healthy. They don’t have enough energy to work and are more likely to become ill.

Another billion people are eating too much, and this also can lead to a ➤

number of different health problems.

Despite this we do have enough food in the world to feed everyone. ➤

starter activity (15 minutes)Does anybody know which foods you need to eat to have a balanced diet?

Divide the children into groups. Using the images in the resource section and the information below ask each group to cut out pictures to create a collage of a balanced menu for one day. Afterwards ask each group to show their collage to the class. Which foods have they chosen and why? Would this be a healthy diet? Explain that for most people in this country we are able to buy the food we need to eat a balanced diet. It is easy for us to eat healthily because we have the choice.

food grouPscarbohydratesGive us energy to play, learn and keep our bodies running.

fruit and vegetablesHelp us digest food and help our bodies fight disease.

milk and dairy productsFor strong bones and teeth.

meat and vegetable proteinProvides energy to prevent infections, to help oxygen move around our bodies, to build our muscles.

fats and sugarsThese are both good sources of energy for the body if eaten in the right quantities. However, most people in the UK eat far too much fat and sugar.

activity - hungry Planet (30 minutes)Look at some of the photos from Hungry Planet - What the World Eats (show a selection of photos including families from Europe, the USA, Asia and Africa).

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373690,00.html

Questions for discussionWhy do you think that the people have different amounts of food to eat? ➤

Do you think the people who eat the most are the healthiest? ➤

Who do you think has the healthiest diet? ➤

How do you think some people manage to live on so little? ➤

Is this fair? ➤

explain that while many people don’t have enough, there are also a lot of people who have far too much. In this country we know which foods we need to eat to stay healthy. We can buy the food we need in the supermarket to make sure we eat a balanced diet and stay healthy. In many other places in the world people don’t have the same choices and aren’t able to eat a balanced diet. Because of this they are not as healthy and find it more difficult to fight diseases. They can only eat what they can grow, catch or rear themselves, so often every meal is the same. In this country we often eat far too much food like cakes and biscuits which we don’t need at all. The sad thing is that there is enough food in the world for everyone.

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lesson idea - what is the salvation army doing to fight Poverty? (45 minutes)aims

To look at how The Salvation Army puts faith into action in the world. ➤

How does it respond to global issues of human rights, fairness and social justice?

Key factsA billion people in our world are going hungry, but 10 billion pounds’ ➤

worth of food is thrown away in this country every year.

The majority of people living in developing communities make their ➤

living through farming. This includes growing food, raising animals or fishing. Their small patches of land need to provide them with food for their family as well as enough extra to sell to earn a living. However, the harvest is often not big enough to do this.

introduction to the work of the salvation army (see How the Salvation Army is helping the hungry PowerPoint presentation)

If children have no prior knowledge of The Salvation Army it may be useful to look at the PowerPoint presentation ‘What is The Salvation Army’ that can be found on our website at www.salvationarmy.org.uk/schools/primary prior to this.

explain: When they started The Salvation Army over 130 years ago William and Catherine Booth didn’t feel it was fair that there were people who were going hungry. One of the things they did was to provide cheap breakfasts called ‘farthing breakfasts’ for children whose families couldn’t afford to give their children breakfast before school. They did this because they knew that if the children didn’t eat properly they wouldn’t be able to grow strong and healthy and would find it more difficult to fight diseases. They also knew that without food the children would have less energy and they also wouldn’t be able to concentrate on their school work.

Today The Salvation Army works in over 120 countries. It still believes that it is important to help the poor. Sadly there are still many families in the world that don’t have enough to eat. There are many children alive today who, because of poverty, aren’t able to eat a balanced diet and don’t get the nutrients they need.

Questions for discussionIs it fair that many people in developing countries don’t have enough to ➤

eat whilst many people in wealthier nations throw food away?

Why should we care? ➤

What can we do about it? ➤

How does The Salvation Army help? ➤

Are there any ways that we can get involved in helping? ➤

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lesson idea - animal banKs - ertuo village, china (60 minutes)Key Questions

What is The Salvation Army doing to help people suffering from hidden ➤

hunger?

What is an animal bank? ➤

Key factsUntil recently there were many people in poorer parts of China that ➤

earned only around 50p a day.

Many of these very poor people are farmers. If their crops grow well they ➤

will have enough to eat and some left over to sell. If their crops fail they may have nothing to eat or sell.

In these communities, because the soil is poor and the people have no ➤

other work than growing food or raising animals, it is often difficult to find enough food to eat.

starter (15 minutes)Look at the resource sheet showing the cost of basic food products in China and ask the children to get into groups and work out what a family earning around £3 a week would be able to buy from the list. Many families in developing countries spend 80% of their income on food. In China this would be £2.40 a week. The 20% left over would be for everything else in life – housing, transportation, education (school fees), clothes and healthcare – anything else they might need to live. In China this would be 60p a week. The children may think that food is cheaper in these countries but it is important to explain that this is often not the case.

activity – the gift of a goat (45 minutes)Watch the Animal Bank animation video available in the FARM resource ➤

pack.

Look at the ‘China Goat Project’ case story presentation with the class. ➤

As a class consider the following questions:

I wonder what it would be like to eat the same food for lunch every ➤

single day.

I wonder what it would be like if your family couldn’t afford to send you ➤

to school.

I wonder how people in the village would feel when they heard that they ➤

were to be given a goat.

I wonder how different it would be to be able to afford to buy enough ➤

food to eat and some of the other things they might need.

The aim of these questions is to stimulate discussion and to enable the children to think in more detail about the lives of the people in the case studies.

Give the children a copy of the written example story (see resources).

Using this information ask the children to write a short story based on one of the people living in these communities. It might be good, for example, to look at one of the families who received a pig or a goat.

Questions for discussionHow was life before they received the animal? ➤

How did they learn to look after it? ➤

What changes have occurred since they got their animal? ➤

What are their hopes and plans for the future? ➤

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resources curriculum linKsKey stage 1citizenship

1a To recognise what is fair and unfair ➤

2a To take part in discussions ➤

2b To take part in a simple debate about topical issues ➤

5 To take part in discussions talking about topics of global concern ➤

religious educationRecognise that religious teachings and ideas make a difference to ➤

individuals, families and the local community.

geographyIdentify and describe what places are like [for example, in terms of ➤

landscape, jobs, weather].

Recognise how the environment can be improved and sustained. ➤

curriculum linKs Key stage 2citizenship

2a to discuss and debate topical issues ➤

2e to reflect on spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues, using ➤

imagination to understand other people’s experiences

2j to realise that resources can be allocated in different ways and ➤

that these economic choices affect individuals, communities and the sustainability of the environment

religious educationReflect on ideas of right and wrong and their own and others’ responses ➤

to them.

Belief in action in the world: respond to global issues of human rights, ➤

fairness, social justice and the importance of the environment.

geographyUse secondary sources of information – pictures, photographs and stories, ➤

videos and artefacts.

Recognise how the environment can be improved and sustained. ➤

scienceThe need for food for activity and growth, and the importance of an ➤

adequate and varied diet for health.

After hearing about FARM today, you may want to think about supporting the projects involved as a class or even as a school. Perhaps you could hold a fundraising event or do a sponsored activity to raise money for FARM projects. Why not check out the International Development website – www.salvationarmy.org.uk/farm – for more details about FARM and details of where to send your donation.

resources for schools in the farm resource PacKFARM leaflets (available from International Development – ➤ id@salvationarmy.org.uk or 020 7367 4777)

Pig Deal - Haiti pig project video (in extras) ➤

Animal Bank animation video ➤

China goat project example pdf ➤

David’s seed story (found in the Secondary School Lesson Outlines) ➤

Food group printable shopping sheets ➤

Africa shopping sheet, China shopping sheet ➤

Children’s resources ➤

You may also want to consider visiting a local farm as part of your focus on this subject. You could even visit The Salvation Army’s very own Hadleigh Farm – find out more by visiting www.hadleighfarm.co.uk or watching the video about the farm in our Extras section.

additional resources onlineif the world was a village of 100 PeoPle – video cliPThe Miniature Earth 2010 edition video (official version)

If the world was a village of 100 people

There is also a free information poster that can be printed giving the statistics in the video – http://www.miniature-earth.com

global Poverty Project Quiz for year 6http://www.globalpovertyproject.com/schoolquiz/

hungry Planet - what the world eatsA photographic project showing images of the families around the world photographed with all the food they will eat in one week. A very good way of showing the inequalities this resource is talking about. Also these images are a great way to start a discussion.

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373690,00.html

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children’s booKs that may be helPfulHow a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

One Child, One Seed by Kathryn Cave

Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier (a true story)

Beatrice lives in Uganda in Africa and cannot afford to eat three meals a day or go to school. Through the charity Heifer International Beatrice is given a goat. Beatrice earns enough money to go to school in the US.

Poverty and Hunger (Mapping Global Issues) by Cath Senker

Ending Poverty and Hunger by Judith Anderson

contact usThe Salvation ArmySchools & Colleges Unit101 Newington CausewayLondon SE1 6BN

(020) 7367 4706

schools@salvationarmy.org.uk

www.salvationarmy.org.uk/schools

To find out more about The Salvation Army International Development (UK) or for more resources contact:

+44 (0)20 7367 4777

id@salvationarmy.org.uk

www.salvationarmy.org.uk/id

www.facebook.com/SAIDUK

www.twitter.com/SAIDUKPrim

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