facing homelessness SKILL-BUILDING CURRICULUM MATERIALS FOR K–2, 3–5, AND 6–8 TEACHERS

Literacy development Activities that address content standards Activity modifications and extensions that enhance cross-curricular use Lists of DC, MD, and VA standards addressed with each unit

We can help the homelessAn estimated 20,000 people will experience homelessness this year in the Washington, DC, metro area. Some of them wesee every day — sleeping in the parks or on the streets. Most of them we don’t see because they stay in emergency shelters,hide in abandoned buildings, or live in their cars. Homelessness is a serious problem — both for the people who are home-less, and for all of us who don’t believe that anyone should have to live without a real home.

Why are people homeless?Everyone who experiences homelessness has a different story to tell about why he or she became homeless.Some don’t have enough money to rent a place to live.Some can’t find a job that pays enough money for them to live on.Some are sick with a mental illness or are addicted to drugs or alcohol.Some are young people who have run away from home but can’t make it on their own.For most people, it’s a combination of things — some they have control over and others they don’t — which cause them toend up homeless. But all homeless people have two things in common. They are very, very poor, and they don’t have a placeindoors to live.

Why this education program?The main reason for this program is to give students a greater understanding of the everyday struggles of the homeless andto show them that as individuals they can help fight homelessness in their own communities.

What’s inside these pages?This booklet is divided into three sections for grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Each section contains three age-appropriate educational Units that focus on three issues of homelessness, including what it means to be homeless and the causes andeffects of homelessness.

Where can I find more information about homelessness?Of course, these pages can’t possibly cover every aspect of homelessness. Below are a few resources you and your students can use to find more information about this issue:http://www.helpthehomelessdc.orghttp://www.nationalhomeless.orghttp://www.nlchp.org (The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty)http://www.naeh.org (National Alliance to End Homelessness)

By getting involved, you’ll do your part to help end homelessness. Even though it is a complicated and growing problem,working together we can solve it.

Source: National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2000

Contact Jay Kim at the Fannie Mae Foundation for more information. Jay can be reached at 202-274-8066 or via email at jkim@fanniemaefoundation.org

K–

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Unit StructureEach unit focuses on a theme connected to homelessness and emphasizes hands-on experiences for students. Because every classroom is different by design,personality, and ability, these lessons are adaptable. Ideas for higher-levelextensions for each lesson are offered for first grade students who are reading andwriting independently and for all second grade students.

Each unit’s structure is uniform and includes:

• Three one-hour lessons

• Hands-on activities that require individual and cooperative learning

• Ideas and suggestions for academic extensions and cross curriculum adaptations

• Background teacher support information that includes materials needed for eachlesson, teacher preparation time required, activity time required, and learningobjectives

This curriculum has been designed so that Units 1,2 and 3 flow in a natural order.Each unit, however, is self-contained and can be taught in such a way. Additionally,each unit includes suggestions to abridge lessons for shorter time frames. Ofcourse, the greatest impact will occur if the units are taught in their designedsequence and in their entirety.

Unit 1: What is homelessness?This unit introduces very young children to the concept of homelessness. Because this concept is largely abstract to themajority of your students, the activities are concrete — designed to assist students in defining what a home is and what itmight mean to not have a home.

Lesson One: Students decorate a box to look like the outside of a house or apartment.

Lesson Two: Students draw on pieces of paper, or choose from ready-made pictures, those thingsthat they would like to keep inside their boxes or “homes.” They furnish their homes.

Lesson Three: Students must choose the most essential things from their homes that they could fitinto a backpack.

Academic Extensions: Classroom charts displaying students’ choices and ideas can lead to discussion and demonstrate writing and groupreading.

Independent readers and writers can make individual lists and even construct questionnaires for interviewing others.

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State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those for which Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, throughcompletion of the unit. However, additional content standards met through the unit’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Kindergarten Language Arts—Standard 4; Math—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Social Studies—Standards 2, 41st grade Language Arts—Standard 4; Math—Standards 3, 4; Social Studies—Standards 2, 3, 42nd grade Language Arts—Standard 4; Math—Standard 3; Social Studies—Standards 2, 3

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of third grade. Divided by subject area, the areas listedbelow indicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, any additional standards met through the unit ’s academic extensions ARENOT included.Language Arts—Reading; Listening; SpeakingMath—Geometry; Measurement; Probability; Number RelationshipsSocial Studies—Social Studies Skills; Geography: Geographic Concepts and Processes, Effects of Human andPhysical Systems Interactions

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Kindergarten English—Oral: K.2, K.3Math—Computation: K.6; Measurement: K.7, K.10; Patterns: K.171st grade English—Oral: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3Math—Computation:1.8; Measurement: 1.13; Probability: 1.19; Patterns: 1.20Social Studies—Geography: 1.62nd grade English—Oral: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3Math—Computation: 2.6; Measurement: 2.15

television

Fannie Mae K-2

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Unit 2: Causes of homelessnessIn this unit students will read about a girl and her mother and grandmother who lose their home to a fire. The activities helpstudents relate to this young girl and her loss as students explore some reasons behind homelessness.

Lesson One: An adult reads A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams, and everyone discusses the many ways that peoplecan lose their homes.

Lesson Two: Students fill a jar with small objects, such as cereal O’s, and discover how many objects ittakes to fill a jar. Then they compare this process to how long it took to fill the money jar in A Chair for myMother.

Lesson Three: Students make a class list of everybody’s favorite piece of furniture or simply their favoritethings about their homes. Each student paints a picture of his or her favorite item.

Academic Extensions:Students can explore mathematical concepts of counting, estimation, place value, sorting, and coin recognition.

Second grade students are capable of subtracting expenses in the way of balancing a checkbook to observe how muchmoney it takes some people to live in a house or apartment.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those for which Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, throughcompletion of the unit. However, additional content standards met through the unit ’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Kindergarten Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 2, 4, 5; Social Studies: Standards 2, 3, 4, 51st grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 5; Social Studies: Standards 2, 3, 42nd grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 5; Social Studies: Standards 1, 2, 3

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of third grade. Divided by subject area, the areas listedbelow indicate standards that are part of this unit. However, additional standards met through the unit ’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Language Arts—Reading ; Literature; Language Arts; Listening; SpeakingMath—Algebra; Geometry; Statistics; Probability; Number RelationshipsSocial Studies—Social Studies Skills; Geography

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOL) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Kindergarten English—Oral: K.1, K.2, K.3, K.4; Reading: K.5, K.6, K.7, K.8; Writing: K.11Math—Number Sense: K.1, Measurement: K.7, K.10; Probability: K.14Social Studies—Economics: K.71st grade English—Oral: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4; Reading: 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9; Writing: 1.12Math—Number Sense: 1.1; Measurement: 1.10, 1.13Social Studies—Geography: 1.62nd grade English—Oral: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3; Reading: 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8Math—Number Sense: 2.2; Measurement: 2.11

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Unit 3: Who helps the homeless?In this unit students discuss the ways that the community assists the young girl and her family in A Chair for my Mother.Plus, a speaker from a homeless shelter will introduce ways to help the homeless.

Lesson One: As students continue reading A Chair for My Mother, the class discusses community supportand assistance. Also, students compose a class letter to send to the little girl in the book.

Lesson Two: Students listen to a speaker from a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen share his or herexperiences. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions and talk about ideas.

Lesson Three: Students prepare a healthy after-school snack for children who currently live in a homeless shelter or who relyon a soup kitchen for their meals.

Lesson Four (New!): Students create an ABC book and construct sentences on the subjects of homes and homelessness.

Academic Extensions:Students can compose their own thank-you notes to the girl in A Chair for My Mother and/or to the visiting speaker.

Lessons on nutrition, basic food groups, measurement, fractions and simple multiplication are logical extensions oflesson three, which involves preparing a snack for children living in a homeless shelter.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those whose Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the unit. However, additional content standards met through the unit’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Kindergarten Language Arts—Standards 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 5; Social Studies—Standard 41st grade Language Arts—Standards 2, 3, 4; Math—Standard 5; Social Studies—Standard 4 2nd grade Language Arts: Standards 2, 3, 4; Math: Standards 1, 5; Social Studies: Standards 3, 7

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of 3rd grade. Divided by subject area, the areas listedbelow indicate those standards that are part of this unit. However, additional standards met through the unit ’s academic extensions ARE NOTincluded. Language Arts—Reading; Writing; Language; Listening; SpeakingMath—MeasurementSocial Studies—Social Studies Skills; Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s academic extensions ARE NOT included.Kindergarten English—Oral: K.1, K.2, K.3; Reading: K7; Writing: K.11Social Studies—Economics: K.71st grade English—Oral: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3; Reading: 1.6; Writing: 1.11, 1.12Social Studies—Geography: 1.62nd grade English—Oral: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3; Reading: 2.4; Writing: 2.11

Unit 1 K-2

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Desired Outcomes:

• Students will begin to think and verbalize what it meansto have a home.

• Students will demonstrate fine motor skills of painting,cutting, and gluing.

• Students will use the skills of listening, memory, andobservation.

Background:

While constructing a home out of a box, students will reflecton their own home and possibly the homes of others. Forstudents to develop a fuller appreciation of homes, theymust first think about the physical structure. This lessonalso launches students on the path to moving past the phys-ical structure of the home.

Suggestions:

1. Bring in a box for each child — shoe stores may donateboxes, or have students find shoe boxes at home.

2.Have each child decorate the outside of his or her box,making a front door of a house or apartment building.Offer materials for use in decorating the boxes.

3.Talk about the outsides of different homes. Also askstudents if they can get an idea of what the inside of ahome is like based on the way it looks on the outside.You can see if students have ever driven around andwondered what the families who live inside the homesin their neighborhoods are like and what they like to do.In other words, have they ever been curious about theinside of a home? End the discussion by having stu-dents share some of the things their families do at nightin their homes.

Academic Extensions:

• Have students discuss different styles of homes, e.g.,houses and apartments. How are they similar? How arethey different? How are houses similar and differentfrom one another? What about apartments?

• If your class recently read a story that described a char-acter’s home, talk about how that character might havemade his or her shoebox house.

Abridged Version:

• Have students work in groups to make one home, per-haps using a box bigger than a shoebox.

Unit 1, Lesson 1: Building a HomeBackground Information for Unit 1The following lesson activities all relate to teaching students about what having a home means. In order forthem to begin to understand what it means to be without a home, they must first define what a home is.

It is important for teachers to be sensitive to the varying definitions of home within each classroom. It is important toknow the home situations of each of your students prior to beginning this unit. Do you have a child who is or has beenhomeless? Do you have a student in your classroom who has lost a home to a fire? Don’t assume that having a studentwith this reality is a reason not to teach this unit. Instead, a child who has been through the experience of not having ahome can be a wonderful asset to teaching other children about what this experience is like.

All of these lessons require teacher-led discussion. Independent writing is not a component of these activities, butindependent work is. Each teacher may alter the activity to be a group or class project (as opposed to individual proj-ects) if this works better for his or her classroom.

Teacher Preparation Time: one hourClass Time: one hourMaterials Needed:

• a shoebox or other small box for each child• paint and paint brushes• construction paper• markers and crayons or oil pastels

Activity Sheet: NoneBasic Objective: Students will construct a home using ashoebox or a small box.

Desired Outcomes: • Students will realize that homes have many different

functions and furnishings related to those functions.

• Students will begin to understand that some things inthe home are necessities, while others are not.

• Students will begin to think about the items in theirhomes that hold importance.

Background:This lesson has students move from thinking about the out-side to thinking about the inside of their homes. This shouldhelp them think about some functions that a home fulfills.The activity sheet provides students a selection of itemswith which to furnish their shoebox homes and includesblank spaces in which students can draw new items.

Suggestions:1. Ask your students to hold their shoebox homes and look

on the inside of the box. Then have them think aboutthose items that they have in their real homes.

2.As a class, brainstorm and list some of the things intheir homes.

3.Pass out the activity sheets to students. The activitysheets contain numerous clip art items of things typi-cally found in homes. There are also some blank spacesfor students to draw additional items. Ask them whatitems on the activity sheets were part of the brainstormlists. Are there items that did not come up in the brain-

storming session? What items from the session aremissing from the activity sheets?

4.Have students cut out those items that they have intheir home.

5.Ask students to share what they cut out by having themeach pull three pieces of paper from their boxes toshare with the class.

Academic Extensions:

• Rather than brainstorm lists as a class, students canwork independently or in cooperative groups to writedown their lists.

• Using the reverse side of the items that students cutout, students can write down the function(s) of theitems.

Abridged Version:Students can limit the furnishing of their homes to thoseitems in one room of the house.

Teacher Preparation Time: one hourClass Time: one hourMaterials needed:

• Small index cards for students to draw items on.(approx. 10-15 cards per student)

• markers and colored pencils or crayons for drawing• a piece of paper to make a list of items that they

intend to draw (for second grade)Activity Sheet: Home Stuff (2 pages of clip art items thatyou might find in a home)Basic Objective: Students will furnish their shoeboxhomes, beginning to think about those things that areimportant to them.

K-2 Unit 1

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Important Terms for Unit 1:apartment: This term will likely come up in Lesson 1; it is onetype of home that students are likely to live in.home: Many people may associate this term strictly with“house,” but it really means “residence,” which can be ahouse, an apartment, a condominium, a duplex, or a town-house, etc. homeless[ness]: One way to phrase this term is “without ahome,” [or the state of being without a home].house: This is one type of home — usually occupied by onefamily. necessity/need: Either or both of these terms is likely tocome up in Lesson 2 and Lesson 3 as students think aboutitems in their homes that they must have.practical: This will likely come up in Lesson 3 as studentsdecide which items from home would be practical or imprac-tical to carry in their backpacks.priority: This will likely come up in Lesson 3 as studentsdecide which items from home would be a priority if studentshad to carry their possessions with them.want: Students may also be comfortable with the term “luxu-ry.” Either term is likely to come up in Lessons 2 and 3 as stu-dents think about non-vital items in their homes.

Unit 1, Lesson 2: Filling a Home

Unit 1 K-2

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dishes tub bed

clock clothes computer

toothbrush, floss radio pets

chair toilet knife, spoon, fork

K-2 Unit 1

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milk, cheese sink stove

stuffed toy pot refrigerator

soap television comb

Unit 1 K-2

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Desired Outcomes: • Students will learn the difference between items that

are necessary and items that make life easier.

• Students will evaluate important items in their homes.

• Students will evaluate mass and weight.

Background:This is the lesson where the idea of homelessness can beintroduced. Students should have developed a better under-standing for the important role that their homes play in theirlives, both as a structure and as a place for them to feelsecure and participate in things they like and need to do.Plus, students begin to prioritize items in their homes basedon importance and portability.

Suggestions:1. Ask your students to think about the contents of their

boxes. Have them consider what items are the mostimportant to them.

2.Ask them to take out the things that they could carry ina backpack and would want if they were going to beaway from their home for a long time. This will takelots of discussion as some children will think that theycan carry a TV with them. Make sure they think aboutwhat they could really carry in a backpack.

3.Without repeating items, make a group list of thethings that they would be able to carry with them if stu-dents could not return later.

4.Find items in class that roughly resemble the size and

weight of the items on the list. Use the backpack toshow what would fit and what would not fit. Allow eachchild to carry the backpack, noting which things areheavier than others. Weigh and record the items on achart. Have students consider which things would be toodifficult to carry with them.

5.Have students pull the items they have chosen out oftheir boxes and lay them on their desks. Next, theyshould consider if these items would meet their needs ifstudents only had these items.

6.This is a good point to talk about the fact that there arepeople who do not have homes, some of whom live inshelters, on the streets, or in parks.

Academic Extensions:• This can easily cross into the curriculum area of science

and health as you talk about what people need to takecare of their bodies, e.g., food, a toothbrush, tooth-paste, soap, water, a place to sleep, etc.

• The backpack also provides opportunities for your stu-dents to work more with weight and mass. For example,you can have students add and subtract the weight ofvarious items. Or, you can have students estimate theweight of items.

Abridged Version:You can wait to introduce the idea of homelessness for Unit2, when you read A Chair for My Mother.

Teacher Preparation Time: 30 minutesClass Time: one hourMaterials needed: (for demonstration)

• a real backpack• several items that would be appropriate and

inappropriate to pack• a scale• a large piece of paper or chart to record the weights

of objectsActivity Sheet: NoneBasic Objective: Students will prioritize items that theywould carry with them if they lost their homes.

Unit 1, Lesson 3: Carrying a Home

Good Discussion Questions for Unit 1:• When you think of “home,” what words come to mind?• What is your favorite room in your home? Why?• How are homes different from one another?• How are homes important? Be specific.• What does it mean to feel secure? How can homes make

you feel secure?• Did you know that there are people who don’t have a

place to call home? (If some students have heard of this,ask them to explain more about it.)

• Did you know that there are people your age who don’thave a place to call home?

• What do you think it is like not to have a home?

K-2 Unit 2

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Desired Outcomes:• Students will develop listening and discussion skills. • Students will understand how cause and effect relate to

one another.• Students will begin to contemplate and talk about the

many types of people who are without homes and themany reasons people can lose their homes.

Background:A Chair for My Mother is an award-winning children’s bookthat deals beautifully with a little girl’s (and her family’s)loss of a home. Early in the story, Rosa, her mother and hergrandmother lose their home when their apartment burnsdown. Fortunately the community pitches in by providingfurniture for the family and even a stuffed animal for Rosa.Throughout the story, though, Rosa wants to buy her mothera big chair so she can relax when she returns from a hardday of waiting tables at a restaurant. In the end, the familybuys the chair with the change they collect in a jar.

Suggestions:1. Talk about the many types of people who are homeless.

For example, there are moms, dads, children, and peo-ple of different gender and ethnicity. Talk briefly aboutways that people can lose their homes.

2.Read A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams. Talkabout the child and her mother whose apartment build-ing burned down. Note: This is a scary idea, and you willneed to handle this delicately. While we want childrento understand that homelessness can happen to manypeople, we do not want them to fear it as probable.

3.On a large piece of chart paper, record the thoughtsthat come from your discussion. Examples mightinclude: how Rosa feels in the story; and how having agoal — like buying the chair — was helpful.

4.You can assign the “Retell A [_____] for My [_____]”Activity Sheet or the “Searching for the Right Words”Activity Sheet for homework.

Academic Extensions:• If the Activity Sheet “Retell A [_____] for My [_____]”

in Lesson 2 is too simplistic for your students, you canhave them create a storyboard that retells the story.This will be valuable in setting up Lesson 2.

• You can use the story as an opportunity to talk aboutfire safety and other safety in general because bothtopics deal directly with cause and effect.

Abridged Version:Simply read A Chair for My Mother and briefly discuss thestory. The suggested steps for the lesson can then betransferred into Lesson 2.

Unit 2, Lesson 1: A Reason for HomelessnessBackground Information for Unit 2Fact: Each year, more than 1.35 million American children and youth experience life without a home. Thismeans that they live in a shelter, a vehicle, a park, or in someone else’s home — usually with several others.

The end of Unit 1 dealt with some of the effects of homelessness, such as not being able to have manypossessions and not having the comfort and security that a home often provides. Unit 2 digs deeper intosome of the effects of homelessness, and it has students examine some causes of homelessness.

In an effort to help K-2 children understand these aspects of homelessness, a teacher must facilitate discussion abouthow people can become homeless. Independent writing will not necessarily be a component of these activities,however, independent work will be. Each teacher may alter the activity to be a group or class project (as opposed toindividual projects) if this works better for his or her classroom.

Teacher Preparation Time: 15 minutesClass Time: one hourMaterials Needed:

• Large piece of chart paper• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams• Activity Sheet: “Retell A [_____] for My [_____]” or

“Searching for the Right Words” (possibly for home-work)

Basic Objective: Students listen to a story about a childwhose apartment burns down and then discuss it.

Unit 2 K-2

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Retell “A _______ for My ________”

DDiirreeccttiioonnss:: Using the pictures, complete the retelling of the story, A Chair formy Mother, by Vera B. Williams.

My mother works as a waitress. Every day she empties all of her change from

tips out of her ____________ for me to count. After that, we put it into a

__________ to save. When it’s full, we are going to use the money to buy a

_____________ .

One day Mama and I saw two big _________________________ outside our

home! We were scared. Luckily, our pet _________ was safe, but everything

else was burned. We had to move to an ___________________ downstairs.

Everybody helped us a lot. The family across the street brought a table and

three chairs. My cousin gave me her _____________________ !

After a whole year, we filled the jar! On Mama’s day off, we took all of the

_____________ to the bank, so we could exchange them for

__________________. We took the __________ downtown to shop for our

chair. Aunt Ida and Uncle Sandy helped us get the chair home. Now Mama

has a place to sit, and after _____________ I sit with her. Sometimes I fall

asleep in her lap, so she has to reach up and turn off the _____________.

coins cat

teddy bear fire trucks

supper

chairbus

jar

light

paper money

apartment

purse

Searching for the Right Words

Directions: Complete the sentences using the words fromthe word bank and your memory skills from reading orlistening to A Chair for my Mother, by Vera B. Williams.

11.. MMaammaa ppuuttss hheerr cchhaannggee ffrroomm ______________________ iinnttoo oouurr mmoonneeyy ____________________ eeaacchh nniigghhttwwhheenn sshhee ccoommeess hhoommee..

22.. WWhheenn oouurr jjaarr iiss ffuullll ooff ________________________ ,, wwee aarree ggooiinngg ttoo bbuuyy aa __________________________ wwiitthh aallllooff tthhee mmoonneeyy wwee ccoolllleecctt..

33.. AAllll ooff tthhee ffuurrnniittuurree iinn oouurr __________________________ bbuurrnneedd iinn aa bbiigg ______________________ ..

44.. WWee ssttaayyeedd wwiitthh mmyy mmootthheerr’’ss __________________________ ,, AAuunntt IIddaa,, aanndd ____________________________ SSaannddyy,,IIddaa’’ss hhuussbbaanndd,, bbeeccaauussee wwee ddiiddnn’’tt hhaavvee aa hhoommee..

55.. WWee mmoovveedd iinnttoo aa nneeww ____________________________________ wwhheerree tthhee rroooommss wweerree vveerryy ____________________ ..

66.. WWee wweerree vveerryy ______________________________________ ffoorr aallll ooff tthhee __________________________________ tthhaatt ssoo mmaannyyppeeooppllee sshhaarreedd..

77.. AAfftteerr aa yyeeaarr,, oouurr jjaarr bbeeccaammee ______________________ ooff ccooiinnss,, ssoo wwee rroolllleeddaallll ooff tthhee mmoonneeyy iinnttoo lliittttllee ppaappeerr wwrraappppeerrss aanndd ttooookk tthheemm ttoo tthhee ______________________ ..

88.. WWee wweenntt ______________________________ ffoorr aa cchhaaiirr iinn ffoouurr ssttoorreessaanndd ffiinnaallllyy ffoouunndd aa bbeeaauuttiiffuull oonnee ttoo ppuutt nneexxtt ttoo tthhee __________________________________ ..

99.. WWhheenn MMaammaa aanndd II aarree ________________________________ iinn tthhee cchhaaiirr ttooggeetthheerr,, II ffaallll ____________________________iinn hheerr llaapp ssoommeettiimmeess..

K-2 Unit 2

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E R C O I N S F W S U I

Q T H A N K F U L H W P

K B A S U N C L E O M N

U Q I L P F S L F P S L

W T R E W S I T R P I N

E J I E Q F T R W I S I

Q P A P A R T M E N T P

B L B R S W I Y H G E N

U A U Y W I N D O W R L

W R N A W S G E M P T Y

W R T K I N D N E S S K

M E R W Y U P O K N E R

apartment

asleep

bank

chair

coins

empty

fire

full

home

jar

kindness

shopping

sister

sitting

thankful

tips

Uncle

window

WORD BANK

Unit 2 K-2

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Desired Outcomes: • Students will develop skills of estimation, counting,

place value, and coin recognition.

• Second graders will also develop skills of multiple digitsubtraction and checking accuracy with a calculator.

• Students will understand that many goals require a longtime and a lot of work to accomplish.

Background:This lesson has students explore a specific aspect of thestory: Rosa’s goal to fill up the jar in order to buy her mothera chair. It is a concrete example of cause and effect in thestory. Working with this concrete cause and effectrelationship will help students better understand specificcauses and effects related to homelessness.

Suggestions:1. Review, or have your students complete, the Activity

Sheet, “Retell A [_____] for My [_____]” or theActivity Sheet, “Searching for the Right Words,” foundin the previous unit.

2.Have the children fill a jar with cereal O’s or other smallobjects to see how long and how many it takes to fill ajar. Talk about how many pennies or coins it must havetaken to buy the chair that Rosa and her mother buy inthe book.

3.Extend this discussion to how much money it takes tobuy the things in our homes — even food. Talk abouthow people sometimes do not have enough money tobuy things or do not have enough money to pay rent.Talk about what “rent” is. Have students think of thingsthat might make it hard for someone to have enoughmoney. Examples include: a fire, losing a job, or havingto quit a job to care for a family member.

Academic Extensions:• This extends beautifully into math lessons on counting,

estimation, place value, and sorting. For example, havestudents estimate a full jar of cereal O’s and then countthem in groups, sorting by tens until they reach theexact amount.

• Have students identify a goal they have, what theyneed to do to accomplish it, and how long they think itwould take to achieve it.

Abridged Version:Have students decide how much money the cereal O’srepresent and how much money Rosa and her family mightput in the jar in a typical week or day. Then put in the cerealin those increments to see how long it would take to fill it.

Teacher Preparation Time: 20 minutesClass Time: one hourMaterials needed:

• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams• a large jar to hold small objects• a large bag of cereal O’s or small candy• calculators for groups or individuals (second grade)

Activity Sheet: Retell A [_____] for My [_____] (if notused for homework in Lesson 1)Activity Sheet: Searching for the Right Words (olderstudents)Basic Objective: Similar to the way Rosa fills a jar in thestory, students will fill a jar with objects to understandhow long it might have taken to collect enough money tobuy a chair.

Important Terms for Unit 2:accident: The fire at the start of A Chair for My Mother is anaccident; accidents often lead to hard times in people’s lives,including losing a home.cause: This is a central part of this unit, as in the causes ofhomelessness, and the cause of the fire in A Chair for MyMother.coins: They enable Rosa to buy a chair for her mother.community: The people in Rosa’s neighborhood are extremelysupportive of her family; they assist them in getting back ontheir feet after the fire.effect: This is also a central part of this unit, as in beingwithout a home is an effect of the fire, and buying the chair isthe effect of filling up the jar with money.homeless[ness]: One way to phrase this term is “without ahome,” [or the state of being without a home].rent: This term will likely come up in Lesson 2; many studentsshould be familiar with it.tips: Rosa’s mother works as a waitress so she relies heavilyon tips to earn her money.

Unit 2, Lesson 2: Filling Our Own Jars

K-2 Unit 2

13

Desired Outcomes: • Students will understand the idea of prioritizing and will

develop the skills to do so.

• Students will develop greater empathy for the characterof Rosa.

• Students will improve the motor skills for drawing andcoloring.

Background:This lesson is another way for students to personalize AChair for My Mother. If Rosa were to do this activity at theend of the story, she would undoubtedly draw a picture ofthe big red chair. The activity also ends Unit 2 in a way thathas students think of their own homes and their own livingsituations. Finally, this lesson requires that studentsconsider cause and effect. That is, students must thinkabout which item in their home causes the most joy andwould cause the most sorrow if they had to leave it behind.

Suggestions:1. Make a class list of everybody’s favorite piece of

furniture or simply their favorite thing about theirhomes.

2.Have each student paint a picture of the thing thatwould be missed the most if he or she had to leave theirhome or if something happened to the things as in AChair for My Mother. For kindergarten and first grade,the students should write the name of the item thatthey have chosen below their displayed paintings.Second graders should write a sentence about why theychose the particular item.

3.Display their paintings under the heading, “Special

things in our homes.”

4.Have students think about how they might replace theiritems if they had to. Consider items such as stuffedanimals and pictures or special things that may not beexpensive but that are not easily replaced. Discuss whatit would be like for a child their age to not have suchfavorite and special things and relate this reality tobeing homeless.

Academic Extensions:• As a class, you can look at everybody’s choices and

categorize them. You can have categories such asfurniture, toys/dolls/stuffed animals, etc. You mayeven decide to categorize items by their ability to bereplaced.

• Have each student present their choices to the class,explaining why the item they’ve chosen is special.

Abridged Version:

Have each student pick an item but not draw it.

Teacher Preparation Time: None

Class Time: one hour

Materials needed:

• paper for each student to paint or draw on

• paint, brushes, markers, crayons, oil pastels, etc.

Activity Sheet: None

Basic Objective: Students will choose the item in theirhome that is their favorite and then draw a picture of it.

Unit 2, Lesson 3: My Favorite Things

Good Discussion Questions for Unit 2:• Why was Rosa saving her money? [Then, for some

students:] Do you think it was important to actually seethe money in a jar? Why?

• How did Rosa’s family lose their home? [Then, for somestudents:] Do you think it matters that the story does notsay how the fire started?

• What did the community do to help out Rosa and herfamily?

• How do others lose their homes?• What is “rent”? How does the price of rent have an effect

on the number of people without homes?• If you knew someone like Rosa who had few things

because of a fire, do you think you could give that personone of your favorite stuffed animals or toys?

• What do you think it is like not to have a home?

Unit 3 K-2

14

Desired Outcomes:• Students will further develop their understanding of

cause and effect relationships, particularly as theyrelate to helping others.

• Students will recognize that writing can be an excellentform of communication.

• Students will think abstractly in writing a letter to a fic-tional character.

Background:As discussed in Unit 2, Rosa’s neighbors pitch in to help outher family by providing furniture for the family and even astuffed animal for Rosa. Students may not have directcontact with someone like Rosa. This story demonstrateshow young children can assist those without homes —particularly homeless children.

Suggestions:1. Use A Chair for my Mother to discuss the ways that the

community helped Rosa, her mother, and her grand-mother replace things lost in the fire.

2.Make a list of the ways that one might help a family fillor make a home. Encourage students to consider thethings that a mommy would need in a home but a childwould not need, and vise versa.

3.Using the Activity Sheet, write a class letter to Rosa,trying to comfort her about losing her home. As a class,decide on the kinds of things that Rosa would like tohear, then organize those thoughts into a letter. Havesecond graders write individual letters.

Academic Extensions:• You can extend this lesson by having students write let-

ters to Ms. Williams, the book’s author. Discuss thekinds of things that students would like Ms. Williams toknow, then have them write the letters.

• You can extend the theme of helping others to includepeople who are not necessarily without a permanenthome. How can children help people in their own home?How do others help students?

Abridged Version:Assign the Activity Sheet as homework if your students canwrite the letter on their own or if you are confident thatadults at home can help children write their letters.

Unit 3, Lesson 1: How Can I Help?Background Information for Unit 3Unit 3 culminates the curriculum. It includes lessons that show students they can do something abouthomelessness — even at their young ages. The call to action comes at this stage because students shouldnow have a greater understanding of the importance of their own homes and the possessions within those homes.Students should also have empathy for Rosa in A Chair for My Mother, and those feelings of empathy should extend toreal people without homes.

The lessons in this unit demonstrate ways for young children to take a hands-on role in brightening the lives of thosewho are without homes. As with the other units, all of these lessons require teacher-led discussion. Unlike other units,though, Unit 3 includes independent writing suggestions for students. And similar to the other units, all students willhave the opportunity to do other independent work throughout this unit. Teachers may also alter the lessons to be agroup or class project.

Teacher Preparation Time: 20 minutesClass Time: one hourMaterials Needed:

• Large piece of chart paper• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

Activity Sheet: Dear RosaBasic Objective: After discussing the ways in which thecommunity helps Rosa’s family in A Chair for My Mother,students will write a letter to Rosa.

K-2 Unit 3

Date _____________

Dear ____________ ,__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

From,

__________________________

15

16

Unit 3 K-2

Desired Outcomes: • Students will develop listening skills. • Students will learn to ask appropriate and respectful

questions.• Students will participate in communicating with a child

who is without a home.Background:Students will benefit from a question and answer sessionwith someone who works at a homeless shelter, soupkitchen or an organization such as the Fannie MaeFoundation. Many times, children will simply want to askquestions about what it is like to work with those who don’thave a home and what it is like to be without a home.Finally, by having someone come into the classroom, youand your students have the opportunity to begin a pen palexchange with a homeless shelter.

Suggestions:1. Invite someone who works with the homeless communi-

ty to visit your class. You will need to hold a discussionprior to the guest’s arrival about appropriate behaviorand what kinds of questions the visitor might be able toanswer. The visitor can include information about theHelp the Homeless Walkathon at the National Mall onNovember 17.

2.Prior to the guest’s visit, have your children make selfportraits or bring in photographs of themselves thatthey (and their families!) don’t mind giving away. This

works especially well if the guest is from a homelessshelter and can take the drawings/photos to children atthe shelter. Ask if children in the shelter would like tomake self portraits to send back. Sometimes a drawingmakes these children “more real.”

3.It is important to make the distinction between having afamily and having a home. Just because children maynot have a permanent home at the moment does notmean they do not have families.

4.Always remember to write a class thank-you note to thespeaker. Second graders can write individual letters.

Academic Extensions:• As a class or in cooperative groups, students can create

questions for the visitor prior to his or her visit.• If possible, your class can take a field trip to a homeless

shelter. While there, students and children at the shel-ter can listen to A Chair for My Mother.

Abridged Version:Rather than having someone come to class, establishcontact with someone at a homeless shelter and send him orher the drawings/photos of your students.

Teacher Preparation Time: enough time to contact andarrange for a visitor and to talk with your students aboutappropriate behavior when listening to professionals andvisitorsClass Time: one hourMaterials needed:

• self portraits made by each student, or photographsthat they are willing to give away

Activity Sheet: noneBasic Objective: Students will listen to and ask questionsof a visitor from a homeless shelter, soup kitchen oranother organization that works with people who do nothave homes.

Important Terms for Unit 3:aid/assist/help: Any of these similar terms are a central partof this unit; students should learn that helping others can besimple.community: The people in Rosa’s neighborhood assist herfamily in getting back on their feet after the fire; studentsshould understand who and what community is.diet: Lesson 3 examines our diets, particularly those ofpeople without homes; some students may mistake the termto mean a weight-loss regimen.food pyramid: One activity sheet includes the food pyramid.health: Due to diets, poor hygiene, and overall poor livingconditions, maintaining good health can be difficult forpeople who do not have homes.homeless shelters/soup kitchens: Lesson 2 involves aclassroom visit from someone who works in a homelessshelter, a soup kitchen, or another organization that dealswith homelessness.

Unit 3, Lesson 2: Who Helps?

K-2 Unit 3

17

Desired Outcomes: • Students will develop skills of measurement, doubling

or tripling a recipe, and basic multiplication. • Students will develop interpersonal skills.• Students will recognize a connection between our health

and the foods we eat. Background:This lesson lets students establish contact with childrenwithout homes, and it lets young children do somethingabout homelessness. You will need to find a snack that yourstudents (and your facilities) can prepare. Cooking is anexcellent way to connect math and nutrition.

Suggestions:1. Use the activity sheet to examine nutrition, work with

food groups, and develop math skills. More informationon the Food Guide Pyramid is available at:http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html

2.Have your students brainstorm snack ideas that yourclass can prepare and send to children without a home.Make a list of the ingredients needed. Plan to preparethis snack the next day. Note: Gorp is a great snack. Its basic ingredients arepeanuts, raisins and M&M’s. Other dried fruit, smallmarshmallows, nuts, etc. taste good and span morefood groups. Granola is another great snack that is funto prepare, but it does require an oven.

3.Organize students into groups. Each group can take a

recipe from start to finish, or each group can be respon-sible for one step of a recipe. You might have eachgroup prepare a different snack. Remember to discussthe importance of hand washing prior to preparing food.Also, label the ingredients in case of food allergies.

4.Clean up is a good time to talk about cooperation andcleanliness. It is also an opportunity to discuss the dif-ficulty of preparing meals if you don’t have your ownkitchen.

Academic Extensions:• Use the recipes to demonstrate and develop math skills.

Recipes are also opportunities to learn new words.• Talk about how each of your students can suggest to

their families that they volunteer at a shelter.Brainstorm things they could donate to a shelter, suchas clothes and toys that they no longer wear or use.

• Establishing a relationship with a shelter that spans theschool year will help children find other ways to help,such as sending cards for holidays or birthdays.

Abridged Version:You can simply have students pick a healthy snack, but notprepare it.

Teacher Preparation Time: one hourClass Time: one hourMaterials needed:

• ingredients to make a snack• a chart that displays ingredients and measurements • cooking tools such as bowls, measuring cups, spoons• access to an oven if the snack requires cooking

Activity Sheet: Food Pyramid +Basic Objective: Students will prepare a healthy snack forchildren who live in a homeless shelter and/or rely on asoup kitchen for their meals.

Unit 3, Lesson 3: Students Help!

Good Discussion Questions for Unit 3:• Why do you think Rosa would like to receive a letter from

you?• How do you think Rosa is similar to you? What does she

like to do that you also like to do?• If you could talk to Rosa or a real child without a home,

what would you want to ask?• What is your community/neighborhood like?• What is your favorite meal? Why?• Why do you think it is hard for someone without a home

to eat healthy meals?• What are some things that people do to keep themselves

healthy?

Unit 3 K-2

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Activity Sheet: Food Pyramid +

On the back of this page, draw a meal you would provide for ahomeless person who is your age. Then, list the foods youchose. Be sure the meal has something from every food group!

Look at the chart to see how many servings of each group aperson needs every day for good health.

NOT VERY OFTEN

The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats, oils and sweets.These are foods such as butter, margarine, sugars, soft

drinks, candies, and sweet desserts. Most peopleshould not eat them very often.

This level has two groups of foods that comemostly from animals: milk, yogurt, and

cheese; and meat, poultry, fish, drybeans, eggs, and nuts.

This level includes foods thatcome from plants —

vegetables and fruits.Most people need to

eat more of thesefoods than they do.

At the base of the Food Guide Pyramid are breads, cereals, rice and pasta —all foods from grains. You need the most servings of these foods each day.

— Food Guide Pyramid provided courtesy the USDA

K-2 Unit 3

19

Desired Outcomes: • Students will build spelling and writing skills.

• Students will connect visual images to words.

• Students will recognize that people can take certainactions to help people without homes.

Background:This lesson serves as a good conclusion to Unit 3 (as well asto all three units). It provides students with a creative wayto demonstrate their knowledge of homes andhomelessness. Because the activity contains a sheet withsuggestions for each letter of the alphabet, you have someflexibility in challenging students — i.e., students can comeup with the word and sentence for each letter on their own,or students can transcribe the sentences supplied on theactivity sheet. All students will contribute artwork to eachpage of the alphabet book.

Suggestions:1. Ask students to describe an alphabet book. It is a good

idea to have some specific examples on hand, particu-larly an alphabet book with an obvious theme — e.g.,Graeme Base’s Animalia. Ask students what each letterhas in common.

2. Introduce the idea of creating an alphabet book on homesand homelessness. Your introduction and your assign-ment to students will depend on how much independenceyou want students to exercise in creating the book. Ifstudents will create their own words and sentences, be

sure to go over some examples to show how an alphabetbook can relate to homes and homelessness.

3.Divide the class into pairs or small groups and assignletters to each. Pairs should probably be responsible foronly one letter. Small groups can take on more than oneletter. Go around the room to make sure the words andsentences make sense and prompt students to improvetheir work when necessary.

4. Have students write out their sentences on sheets ofpaper and encourage them to add artwork to the page.Coming up with visual representations for some of thesentences may be too abstract an exercise for somestudents, so you may need to help them come up withideas on what to draw.

5. Have students share their pages with the rest of theclass. After sharing their pages, students should usethe three-hole puncher and add their pages to thebook.

Academic Extensions:• Have students use a dictionary and challenge them to

learn a new word that starts with their assigned letters.

• Contact a local shelter and ask a representative from theshelter to come to the class to accept the alphabet bookas a gift. Make sure that students present the book andexplain the assignment.

Abridged Version:Eliminate the artwork part of the assignment. Instead, havestudents form sentences and write them out in largelettering.

Teacher Preparation Time: 30 minutesClass Time: one hourMaterials needed:

• at least 26 sheets of blank paper/small poster board• markers or crayons• three-hole puncher• three-ring notebook

Activity Sheet: “Simple as ABC” (optional)Basic Objective: Students will create an ABC book andcraft sentences on the subjects of homes andhomelessness—e.g., “A is for Ask. Ask a homeless shelterif there is anything that you and your family can give.”

Unit 3, Lesson 4: ABCs of Homelessness

Unit 3

20

Simple as ABCA is for Attend. Homeless children attend school less often than children with homes.A is for Afford. Many people work but still cannot afford to pay for a home.

B is for Breakfast. Many people without a home are unable to have a nutritious breakfast.B is for Baby. Sometimes a mother and her baby have no home.

C is for Cooking. Sometimes people without a home rely on shelters for cooking meals.C is for Child. One out of every four people without a home is a child.

D is for Donate. Donate coats and clothes to a charity organization.D is for Depend. Many homeless shelters depend on volunteers.

E is for Eat. People without a home need a nice place to eat a meal.E is for Employed. Many people without a home are employed.

F is for Food. Food can be hard to find when you live on the street.F is for Family. Family can provide a place to live, but not everyone has family to go to.

G is for Grateful. Many people without a home are grateful for the food and clothes thatpeople give them.G is for Give. Encourage people you know to give their old clothes to charity organizations.

H is for Hotel. In some places old hotels serve as homes for people in danger of beinghomeless.H is for Home. Everyone needs a home.

I is for Invite. Invite a person from a homeless organization to teach your class abouthomelessness.I is for Icy. Icy nights endanger people who don’t have the protection of a home.

J is for Job. Many people lose their homes when they lose their jobs.J is for Juice. The juice you drink has vitamins that many homeless people need.

K is for Kin. People who lose their home often turn to kin to take them in.K is for Kind. Helping people in need is a kind thing to do.

L is for Look. Look for opportunities to help others.L is for Long. A cold night without a place to sleep is a long night.

K-2 Unit 3

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M is for Many. Many people without a home have a job.M is for Money. People need money to pay rent for a place to live.

N is for Nine. The average age of a homeless person in Washington, D.C., is nine-years-old.N is for Night. People without a home have to find a place to sleep every night.

O is for Open. Homeless shelters can be full, so they are not always open to everyonewho needs them.O is for Organize. Anyone can organize a drive to collect supplies for a homeless shelter.

P is for Poor. People living on the street often have poor health.P is for Park. Some people without a home sleep in a public park.

Q is for Quest. Helping the homeless is a quest for some people who really care about it.Q is for Quickly. People can quickly be without a home after they lose a job.

R is for Rent. Many people with homes pay rent in order to live in their home.R is for Ran. Many young people without homes ran away from home.

S is for Safe. Living on the street is not very safe.S is for Sick. Homeless children get sick more often than children who live in homes.

T is for Terrible. It can be terrible not having a place to call home.T is for Try. Try to think of ways to help people without a home.

U is for Unhealthy. Many people without a home are unhealthy.U is for Under. Many people without a home sleep under a tree.

V is for Veteran. Veterans served in the military, and many of them are homeless.V is for Victory. One day we hope to declare victory over homelessness.

W is for Watch. Watch out for ways to help homeless people.W is for Weather. Having a home protects us from bad weather.

X is for X-ray. People without a home don’t get medical care, like checkups and X-rays.

Y is for Young. One out of four people without a home is a young person.Y is for Yes. Yes, you can make a difference.

Z is for Zero. Is it possible that one day the number of people without a home will be zero?

22

3–

5

Unit StructureEach unit will focus on a particular theme.

In order to bring out that theme, each unit has:

• A two-page written piece for you to photocopy for your students

• An assessment modeled after Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., tests

• A suggested pre-reading activity

• A suggested post-reading activity with cross-curricular modifications

• Writing prompts

• Background teacher support Information

Please note that this curriculum was designed so that Units 1,2 and 3 flow in anatural order. Each unit is completely self-contained; however, you will have thegreatest impact by completing each unit in order.

3-5 Unit 1

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Unit 1: Understanding that there are people without homesContent Piece —Shoniqua’s Experience is a real first-person account by an 11-year-old name Shoniqua Williams, who waswithout a home when she was in third grade. By giving students an emotional tie to one person, the content piece willencourage students to think about their own homes and what it must be like to be withouta home.

Activity 1— Students in cooperative groups will “build” a home out of descriptions. Theprimary objective of this activity is to have students think about the many reasons havinga home is important.

Activity 2 (New!)— Students will write a letter to Shoniqua Williams, the author ofShoniqua’s Experience. In the letters, they will share their own experiences and thoughtsas well as seek an update on how things are going for Shoniqua now that she lives inpermanent housing. After students write their letters, you will lead a discussion on theimportance of permanent housing.

Activity Modifications — Math classes can create 3-D homes out of geometric shapes. Social Studies classes can alsoconstruct a home out of words that describe the homes of people relevant to a particular geographic or historic setting.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those for which Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the unit. However, any additional content standards met through the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.3rd grade Language Arts— Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Social Studies— Standards 3, 4, 74th grade Language Arts— Standards 1, 2, 3, 45th grade Language Artss— Standards 1, 2, 3, 4

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of fifth grade. Divided by subject, the areas listed belowindicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, additional standards met through the unit’s academicextensions ARE NOT included.Language Arts— Reading; Literature; Language; Listening; SpeakingSocial Studies— Social Studies Skills; Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.3rd grade English— Oral: 3.1, 3.2; Reading: 3.3, 3.4, 3.64th grade English— Oral: 4.1, 4.2; Reading: 4.3, 4.55th grade English— Oral: 5.1, 5.3; Reading: 5.4, 5.6

Unit 2 3-5

24

Unit 2: Understanding the causes of homelessnessContent Piece— ”Food for Thought” is a fictional first-person account from a 13-year-old boy whovolunteers at a soup kitchen and encounters a handful of people whose reasons for being without ahome all differ. The specific circumstances will give students concrete information that serves as abasis for understanding the general issues surrounding homelessness.

Activity 1— Students in cooperative groups will create ledgers, with visual representations for“Causes” of homelessness on one side and visual representations for the “Effects” of homelessnesson the other side. The primary objective of this activity is for students to develop a strongerunderstanding of how the concept of cause and effect works.

Activity 2 (New!) — Students will create an alternative ending to the fairy tale The Three Little Pigs,imagining that all three pigs are left homeless as a result of the wolf’s huffing and puffing.

Activity Modifications— Science classes can use the ledgers to examine the different effects that seasons of the year (andweather in general) have on those without homes. To increase the activity’s health focus, students can use the ledgers toexamine the effects that being without a home can have on a person’s health.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those whose Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the Unit. However, any additional content standards met through the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included. 3rd grade Language Arts—Standard 1, 2, 3, 4; Social Studies—Standards 2, 3, 4, 74th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4 5th grade Language Arts—Standard 1, 2, 3, 4

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of fifth grade. Divided by subject area, the numberslisted below indicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, additional standards met through the unit’s academic extensions ARENOT included.Language Arts— Reading; Literature; Writing; Language; Listening; SpeakingSocial Studies— Social Studies Skills; Geography; Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.3rd grade English— Oral: 3.1; Reading: 3.3, 3.4, 3.5; Writing: 3.84th grade English— Oral: 4.1; Reading: 4.3, 4.45th grade English— Oral: 5.1; Reading: 5.4, 5.5; Writing: 5.8

3-5 Unit 3

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Unit 3: Recognizing that we can do something to address homelessnessContent Piece— A series of graphic representations cover statistics and facts about homelessness and issuesrelated to homelessness. Once students have developed an emotional tie to someone without a home (Unit 1) and have developed a better understanding of the causes and effects of homelessness (Unit 2),the statistics and facts will have much greater meaning for them.

Activity 1— Students will work in cooperative groups to create ways to promote the Help the Homeless Walkathon at school,at home, and in their neighborhoods. The primary objective of this activity is to build awareness of and excitement aboutthe Walkathon.

Activity 2 (New!)— Students will survey people at home (and perhaps in the community) to measure understanding ofhomelessness, eventually crafting plans to build awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness – especially issues ofaffordable housing, job training, and job preparation.

Activity Modifications — All content areas can tie the problem-solving focus of the activity to content-specific material. Toadd a greater math emphasis, students can look at different Walkathon participation scenarios and figure out how manypeople might take part in each.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those for which Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the unit. However, any additional content standards met through the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.3rd grade Language Arts— Standards 1, 2, 4; Math— Standards 1, 2, 3; Social Studies— Standards 2, 3, 4, 74th grade Language Arts— Standards 1, 2, 4; Math— Standards 1, 2, 3 5th grade Language Arts— Standards 1, 2, 4; Math— Standards 1, 2, 3

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of fifth grade. Divided by subject area, the areas listedbelow indicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, additional standards met through the unit’s academic extensions ARE NOTincluded.Language Arts— Reading; Language; Writing; Listening; SpeakingMath— Algebra; Statistics; Probability; Number RelationshipsSocial Studies— Social Studies Skills; Geography; Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.3rd grade English— Oral: 3.1, 3.2; Reading: 3.7; Writing: 3.8, 3.10, 3.11Math— Number Sense: 3.5, 3.6; Computation: 3.8, 3.10; Probability: 3.22; Patterns: 3.244th grade English— Oral: 4.1, 4.2; Reading: 4.5, 4.6; Writing: 4.7, 4.8Math— Number Sense: 4.2, 4.3; Computation: 4.8, 4.10; Probability: 4.18; Patterns: 4.21, 4.225th grade English— Oral: 5.1, 5.3; Reading: 5.6, 5.7; Writing: 5.8, 5.9Math— Computation: 5.3, 5.7; Probability: 5.18

Unit 1 3-5

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Content Piece: “Shoniqua’s Experience”Background on “Shoniqua’s Experience”This is Shoniqua Williams’ firsthand account of what it hasbeen like to be without a home. She is a young girl fromRichmond, Virginia, who has not had permanent housingsince 1997, when her father left the family. The first yearwithout a home was particularlydifficult for Shoniqua, her mother andher younger sister because they livedin two different states. During thattime, Shoniqua attended threedifferent schools. Shoniqua admitsthat she misbehaved in class andbullied others. She tells readers thather actions were part of her “toughgirl” image. In reality, her situationhurt and confused her. Today, she isactive in school and has received anaward for perfect attendance. She isextremely optimistic about herfuture.

A first-person account like this has ahigh likelihood of hooking studentsinto caring about homelessness,which will lead them to wanting tolearn more. By giving students anemotional tie to one person, “Shoniqua’s Experience” willencourage students to think about their own homes andwhat it must be like not to have a home.

Suggestions for “Shoniqua’s Experience”Before reading “Shoniqua’s Experience”, briefly survey yourstudents. Ask them if they know what the term“homelessness” means. Seek out at least a fewexplanations. After students have come up with a workingdefinition for “homelessness,” ask them to define “home.”Encourage them to provide examples of homes. Try to keep

the discussion minimal, but you mayneed to draw out some additionalexamples.

The way in which you have studentsread “Shoniqua’s Experience” maydepend on how you choose to use theassessment that is provided.

If you want to simulate astandardized testing format, youshould simply photocopy “Shoniqua’sExperience” and its assessment andhave students answer the questionsas they read.

If an exact simulation is notimportant, read “Shoniqua’sExperience” as a class. Reading ittogether will allow you to answerquestions (or have other students tryto answer questions!) that may come

up while reading. Further, you can discuss the GuidedReading Questions that appear in the text. There may be alittle overlap with some of the questions that appear on theassessment, but the assessment will still be an effectivemeasure of comprehension, as well as an effective testpreparation tool.

Unit 1 — Understanding that there are people without homes

Skills Developed in this Unit:self-analysis; interpersonal skills;descriptive writing; comparing andcontrasting; working in the abstract;understanding cause and effect; literacyfluency and comprehension

Desired OutcomesStudents will:

• recognize that homes come in manydifferent forms

• analyze what makes having a homespecial and important

• understand that there are peoplewho do not have homes

• develop empathy for those who donot have homes

Discussion Questions:• Do you ever think about how important having a home is?

• Did you know that there are people who do not have any place to call home?

• If you were Shoniqua’s friend and you found out that she did not have a home, what would you say to her? What would you do?

• Why do you think homes come in so many different sizes and styles?

• Do you think about your home any differently now that you’ve read Shoniqua’s story and/or drawn a home using descriptions?

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Post-Reading Activity: “Home Builder”

Background: Students “builda home” throughdescriptions. That is, havestudents build a stick-figured home in which theywrite something thatdescribes a home on eachline in the figure. This is anexcellent activity forstudents to work onvocabulary and to develop abetter understanding ofadjectives. And in the process of doing so, students willthink about the many ways in which having a home isimportant — many of which students may have taken forgranted. The activity can also encourage students toconsider and analyze different forms that homes come in.Overall, the activity will reinforce the difficulty of livingwithout a home.

Suggestions:

1. Before students plug in their descriptions to the fig-ures, have them brainstorm and list of as many descrip-tions as they can think of. This can be a free-associationexercise.

2.Have students organize their descriptions. In one way,they can group any descriptions that are essentiallysynonyms. (In some cases there may be antonyms,e.g., “big” and “cramped” — depending on students’experiences.) Additionally, students can categorizedescriptions into groups like: physical structure (brick,two-storied, roomy) and general feeling (cozy, safe,personal).

3.Have groups create multiple types of dwellings whose

descriptions may be similar or different from oneanother. For example, drawings can be a house (bigand/or small) or an apartment (big and/or smallbuilding). You can ask each group to create multipleversions or assign a different version to each group andcompare them.

4.Have students create additions beyond the basic roof,walls, door, window construction, so they can add moredescriptions.

5.Have each group present their homes and their descrip-tions to the rest of the class. You can create one class-room version that includes all of the descriptions.

Modifications for “Home Builder”Math: Have students create three-dimensional homes. Youcan have students divide their homes into geometric shapesthat make up the home. For example the roof can be atriangle and the base can be a square or a rectangle.

Social Studies: Homes are a window to people living in adifferent time and/or place. Have students describe (anddraw a figure of) a home that is typical to the geographic orhistoric setting that is the focus of your study right now.

Important Termscharity: [defined in the student glossary] Many without homesrely on charity to help them; at the same time, some people likeShoniqua don’t like to accept charity.homelessness: Obviously this is an important term throughoutthe curriculum.income: Shoniqua does not mention this term specifically;however, implied in her account is the fact that her father’sdeparture left the family without enough income to enjoy per-manent housing.permanent housing: The student glossary defines “permanent,”and this term is the goal that Shoniqua hopes her family is ableto achieve in the next year.pride: [defined in the student glossary] Shoniqua says that herpride made it difficult for her to admit that her family had nopermanent housing.stereotypes: Shoniqua never mentions stereotypes, but theymay come up in discussion in the context of there being stereo-types of those who are homeless — perhaps Shoniqua’s storyhelps shatter prevailing stereotypes that students have.

safe

little

Objective: In cooperative groups, students willunderstand the importance of having a home through“building” a home with adjectives and otherdescriptions.

Time: 15 – 30 minutes

Materials: paper and pencil (optional materials) coloredmarkers/pencils, stick outline of a home

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Shoniqua’s Experience My name is Shoniqua Williams. I am 11 years old, in the 6th grade, and I attendMoody Middle School in Richmond, Virginia.

In 1997, changes in my family when my dad left caused my mom, younger sister andme to become homeless. During this time, I was confused, disappointed in myself,and embarrassed. In the 3rd grade, I was mainly on the road. I lived in 2 states andattended 3 different elementary schools in one year.While trying to keep up with schoolwork, I didn’t havetime for my friends. With the little time I had, I hidbehind those friends, and didn’t show my true feelings.

Instead of showing the real me, I hid behind my “tough girl” image, and bulliedyounger kids to make myself feel and look better. In the classroom, I was a classclown, and though I was an excellent learner, I was horrible with my behavior. Most of

those feelings were related to being disappointed inmyself. I was confused. I didn’t know what to do. I criedat night.

In the beginning, it seemed like a game. It became real whenmy family and I were living in a transitional housing

program, and I had a friend over to spend the night. Itold her that the whole cottage was our house insteadof the one room that we were actually living in. Thenext day when she found out the truth, I realized how

painful the truth can be. I also didn’t want my friendsto know because I didn’t want their pity. I admit that I

have lots of pride and do not like toaccept charity.

How I overcame the situation was with my family, my love ofmusic, and with my faith in God. Right now, in my life, I am

Shoniqua’s father left the family.Who lived with Shoniqua after

her father left?

Shoniqua didn’t tell the truth. How was

she dishonest?

Two times Shoniqua writes thatshe was disappointed in herself.

Why do you think she felt that way?

closer with my mom, and I am still getting closer withmy dad. We are working on obtaining permanent

housing, and our plan is to move this summer.

I am doing well in school. My team and I placedsecond in Henrico County in the Battle of the

Books. I was a Safety Patrol monitor and receivedPerfect Attendance Awards. I am active in drama and

enjoy singing. My career goals are to get a Ph.D. inzoology, and a master’s degree in

the performing arts. I know that these goals will be metbecause of all the obstacles we have overcome.

I have one last thing I want the world to know about homelessness. It is that it is notthe person’s fault. It is not a choice — it just comes, and if we work together, we can

overcome homelessness.

— Shoniqua’s essay is reprinted with permission fromwww.nationalhomeless.org — the website of the National Coalition for theHomeless.

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How can you tell thatShoniqua is now doing better

in school?

Shoniqua says that people don’tchoose to be homeless.

Why do you think it is importantfor people to know that

it is not a choice?

GLOSSARYbullied – picked on someone weaker or youngercharity – helping people by donating money or doing work for freecottage – small housedisappointed – feeling as though things did not turn out as well as you had hopedmaster’s degree – award given by a university to a person who completes certain advanced classes at thatuniversity; a person works for a master's degree after finishing a first set of regular university classesmonitor – student who helps out at school or in the classroomovercame –made it through a difficult situation successfullypermanent – staying the samepity – feeling sorry or sad for someone who is in trouble or in a bad situationpride – a high sense of oneselfPh.D. – the highest award given by a university to someone who has completed many years of extra studiestransitional housing program – a temporary place for someone to stay while they look for a new homezoology – study of animals

WRITING PROMPTShoniqua told a lie, and her friend found out about it. Many stories have characters who are caught being dishonest.Write about a time you or someone you know was dishonest and then someone else found out about it.

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Shoniqua’s Experience

1. Shoniqua’s father left her family when she was in 3rd grade. How could that lead to her familybecoming homeless?

a) Her father owned their home, and he made the others leave without any warning.b) Her father probably worked, and the money he earned allowed them to have a home.c) Shoniqua’s mom was mad at her husband, and her temper caused her to lose her job.d) Shoniqua’s father was the one without a home; Shoniqua had a home the whole time.

2. Who lived with Shoniqua after her father left?a) her mom and her sistersb) her mom and grandparentsc) her mom and younger sister d) her mom and older sister

3. Why does Shoniqua become a discipline problem at school and hide her “real” self?a) because her teachers did not care that she was a discipline problemb) because she was a discipline problem who hid her “real” feelingsc) because she did not want people to notice her, so she behaved welld) because she wanted others to think of her as tough, not as homeless

4. Shoniqua didn’t tell the truth. How was she dishonest?a) She was really a nice girl but acted tough to get attention.b) She told a friend that an entire house belonged to her family.c) She had poor classroom behavior and was in trouble a lot.d) She became the tough girl and bullied some younger kids.

5. How do readers know Shoniqua is doing better in school?a) She is closer with her mom, and they are looking for permanent housing.b) She is closer with her dad, and they are looking for permanent housing.c) She is involved with school activities and received a perfect attendance award.d) She has received a Ph.D. in zoology and a master’s degree in performing arts.

6. Two times Shoniqua says she is disappointed in herself. Why do you think she felt that way?a) because she acts badly at school and that’s not the “real” Shoniquab) because she feels responsible for her family being homelessc) because she feels responsible for her dad leaving the familyd) because she went to three different elementary schools in two states

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Shoniqua’s Experience — Answer Key1. Shoniqua’s father left her family when she was in 3rd grade. How could that lead to her family becominghomeless? b) Her father probably worked, and the money he earned allowed them to have a home. —Although Shoniqua doesn’t state it explicitly, she does mention that “changes that happened in my familywhen my dad left caused [us] to become homeless.” The father was the one who left, so he didn’t throwthem out as is suggested in choice a. Choice c is possible but nothing hints at that.

2. Who lived with Shoniqua after her father left? c) Her mom and younger sister — The second paragraphsays, “caused my mom, younger sister and me to be homeless ...” Some students may pick choice a ifthey don’t read carefully, but Shoniqua does not have more than one sister.

3. Why does Shoniqua become a discipline problem at school and hide her “real” self? d) because shewanted others to think of her as tough, not as homeless — She does not state directly why she acted thisway, but she does say that she acted tough. Choice a seems unlikely because teachers usually care aboutdiscipline problems. Choice b simply restates the question and does not answer it. Choice c says thatShoniqua behaved well, which is not true.

4. Shoniqua didn’t tell the truth. How was she dishonest? b) She told a friend that an entire house belongedto her family. — She uses the term “cottage” instead of house, but this is clearly how she was dishonestbecause her family lived in transitional housing and lived in only one room of the cottage. The otherchoices are true statements, but they don’t address the question of how Shoniqua was dishonest.

5. How do you know Shoniqua is doing better in school? c) She is involved with school activities andreceived a perfect attendance award. — She says, “I am doing well in school.” But since that is not one ofthe answer choices, students should be able to tell that her activities and attendance are evidence thatshe is doing better in school.

6. Two times Shoniqua says she is disappointed in herself. Why do you think she was disappointed inherself? a) because she acts badly at school and that’s not the “real” Shoniqua — She is disappointed inherself because she knew she was not acting like she should. She says “Instead of showing the real me, Ihid behind my ‘tough girl’ image and bullied younger kids to make myself look and feel better.”

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Post-Reading Activity: “Letter to Shoniqua”

Background:It has been a few years since ShoniquaWilliams wrote about her experiencesof being without a home when she wasin elementary school and middleschool. At the time she wrote theessay, Shoniqua was hoping to moveinto permanent housing. This activityis an opportunity for students toreflect on their own housing situations(as elementary students) by writing toShoniqua. In their letters, students can share someinformation about their own homes — e.g., describe theirhomes and point out what they like and dislike about theirhomes. (In some cases, students may also share their ownexperiences of being without permanent housing.)Additionally, students should be able to think specificallyabout what kinds of questions to ask and what kinds ofinformation to share. The process of thinking about theletter’s content should help students empathize withShoniqua. And finally, by having (or gaining) a sense of theimportance of permanent housing to Shoniqua and tothemselves, students will likely develop a betterunderstanding of the importance of permanent housing toeveryone.

Suggestions: 1. Ask students if they think Shoniqua was correct in

predicting that her family would obtain permanenthousing. After students share some answers, tell them

that Shoniqua wrote the essay a few years ago and thather family did end up living in permanent housing.

2. Ask students what they would want to know aboutShoniqua now that a few years have passed and askthem to share some of their ideas.

3. After telling students that they are going to write letters to Shoniqua, ask them to reflect on what kind ofinformation they would like to share with Shoniquaabout their own homes. This information, along with theinformation that they would like Shoniqua to share,should go into their letters.

4. Give students at least 10 minutes to think about andcompose their letters.

5. Allow students to share their letters with their class-mates. It’s important to note, how-ever, that in sharing their letters,some students may reveal sensitiveinformation about themselves. Ifsomeone shares information aboutbeing without a permanent home, tryto use that important opportunity tohelp students learn.6. Once students have shared someof their questions for Shoniqua andpersonal experiences in their letters,broaden the discussion to include

the importance of affordable, permanent housing. Thatis, ask students why affordable permanent housing is soimportant on an individual level as well as on a broaderlevel. The discussion should include defining “afford-able permanent housing” and different types of perma-nent housing (apartment, house, etc.).

7. Send the letters to Shoniqua.

Modifications for “Letter to Shoniqua”Art: Have students draw pictures that represent themselvesand/or their homes and include the pictures in their letters.

Abridged Version: Compose one letter from the whole class.

Objective: Students will write a letter to ShoniquaWilliams, the author of Shoniqua’s Experience, to sharetheir own experiences and thoughts as well as to get anupdate on how things are going for Shoniqua now thatshe has found permanent housing. After students writetheir letters, you will lead a discussion on the importanceof permanent housing.

Time: 20–30 minutes

Materials: paper and pencil

Optional materials: markers/colored pencils

3-5 Unit 2

Content Piece: “Food for Thought”Background on “Food for Thought”This is a narrative account of one young teen’s experienceworking at a soup kitchen called Food for You. The story isfictional but is presented in first-person, so it seems asthough it could be a real account of a person’s first dayvolunteering at a soup kitchen. Hisaccount focuses on people heencounters. This presentation shouldgive students specific stories thatillustrate the many causes ofhomelessness.

Jeff is the person with whom thenarrator spends most of his timebecause both are the same age andhave the same interests. Each personthe narrator encounters has differentreasons for being without a home.Jeff’s family spent a lot of money onhis mother’s cancer treatments; Juliowas recently laid-off; Maggie is arecent widow with a mental disability;Paul has an alcohol addiction; Bridgethas fled her abusive boyfriend. By theend of his first day, the narratorconcludes he “could be Jeff.” He alsoknows he will return to spend more time working andhanging out with those who need the soup kitchen.

Suggestions for “Food for Thought”Before reading “Food for Thought,” ask students to recallwhy Shoniqua (from Unit 1) is without a permanent home.They will likely say it’s because her father left the familyand because they cannot afford a home. Next, ask studentsto list reasons why others might be without a home.Whether you list these other reasons as a class or have

students write them down, encouragestudents to explain how a reason theycite can lead to homelessness. Keep thediscussion brief.

If you want to simulate a standardizedtesting format, you should simplyhave students read Food for Thoughtand answer the assessment questionsas they read. The assessment answerkey provides detailed explanations foreach question.

If an exact simulation is notimportant, read “Food for Thought” asa class. Reading it together will allowyou to answer questions (or havestudents answer questions!) that maycome up while reading. Further, youcan discuss the Guided ReadingQuestions that appear in the text.

Unit 2 — Understanding the causes of homelessness

Skills Developed in this Unit:understanding cause and effect;interpersonal skills; comparing andcontrasting; working with charts;working in the abstract; literacyfluency and comprehension

Desired OutcomesStudents will:

• recognize that homelessness comesin many different forms

• analyze what can cause someone tobe without a home

• understand that there are peoplewho need housing assistance

• develop empathy for those who donot have homes

Discussion Questions:• Have you ever seen people whom you thought were without a home or whom someone told you didn’t have a home? How did it

make you feel?

• Why do you think that many people who go to soup kitchens do not have a permanent home?

• What do you think people would do if there were no places like Food for You available to them?

• Who in the story would you be most interested in meeting? Explain.

• Think about the statement: There are many reasons why someone might be without a home. What does that statement mean?

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Post-Reading Activity: “Let It Flow”

In groups students create Cause and Effect ledgers, usingwords and/or images to present causes and effects. Itinvolves students writing “Cause” on one side of the chartand “Effect” on the other. Students can use notebook paperor something bigger. The activity helps students develop a

stronger understanding ofhow cause and effectwork, specifically ascause/effect applies tohomelessness. Eventually

students will create ledgers on homelessness, based on thepeople described in “Food for Thought.”

Suggestions:1. Model ledgers for students. Use causes and effects

related to topics that students will be interested in andunderstand without too much mental processing ofinformation. You can work from both sides of the ledger,i.e., list an effect and come up with different causesand vice versa. Effects might be: (adjectives) tired,wet, scared, (states) in darkness, with a cast/stitches.Causes might be: anger, careless, receiving a goodgrade.

2.Have students create similar ledgers on their own. Theycan use words and/or draw or cut out pictures to repre-sent the causes and effects on their ledgers.

3.Using the ledgers you modeled, switch the central causeor effect you used to the other side of the chart. Forexample, what effects does being wet or having a castcause? What causes might create the effect of anger?Or what causes might make it so someone receives agood grade?

4.Have students do the same thing with their ledgers.

5.Using the examples in “Food for Thought,” as a classcreate a ledger that shows causes of homelessness.Then use homelessness as a cause for different effects.

6.Display ledgers throughout the class.Modifications for “Let It Flow”Science: Weather and seasonal changes are ripe with causeand effect relationships, e.g. rain’s effect on plant life,autumn’s effect on trees, etc. Create cause/effect ledgersthat focus on weather conditions and seasonal changes.

Health: Students can use the ledgers to examine the healtheffects on being without a home. At the same time, studentsmay be able to examine some of the health causes forhomelessness — e.g., emotional/mental/physicaldisabilities, drug or alcohol dependency.

Abridged Version: Model a ledger and then create a ledgeron homelessness.

Important Termsalcoholic: The story’s narrator meets an alcoholic. The contentpiece does not detail what can cause someone to be analcoholic, but instead describes a few symptoms. expenses: Housing costs are included in expenses, but it isoften other expenses that make people unable to affordhousing; plus, soup kitchens are available for those who can’tafford food, another expense.insurance: Health insurance is defined in the glossary; nothaving insurance (of many kinds — fire, flood, homeowners,renters) can cause someone to lose a home.mental disability: [defined in the student glossary] One theperson the narrator meets is mentally disabled; studentsshould recognize causes/effects associated with beingmentally disabled, and that the condition varies in severity. shelter: [defined in the student glossary] Sometimes soupkitchens are a part of shelters.soup kitchen: [defined in the student glossary] It is thesetting of the content piece. stereotypes: Though students may not know what a stereotypeis, they are probably familiar with examples, including someassociated with homelessness — examples in the contentpiece should counter some of the stereotypes.

Objective: In cooperative groups students will createledgers using visual representations and/or words forCauses on one side and for their Effects on the other side.

Time: 30 – 60 minutes

Materials: paper and pencil

Optional Materials: markers/colored pencils, posterboard, images from magazines

CAUSE EFFECT

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Food for ThoughtHelping to feed some people who don’t have a place to call home

Homeless people don’t have their own places to live. But at the soup kitchen, my friend Jeff showed me thatthey’re still people just like anybody else.

I went to the soup kitchen because my parents decided that I needed tovolunteer. They were tired of coming home and finding me watching TV orplaying on the computer. I met some cool people at Food For You (the soupkitchen). I want to tell you about some of them.

At the soup kitchen: my new friend JeffWhen I walked in, this guy named Jeff Smith showed me around. Jeff and I found out thatwe were a lot alike. We were both 13, we both liked baseball, and we loved Harry Potter.When Jeff said, “Let’s go get some food,” I told him, “Nope, I’m not here to eat. I’m here tohelp feed the homeless.” That’s when I found out that Jeff had no home.

I couldn’t believe Jeff didn’t have a place to live. He was too much like me! Jeff said thathis family didn’t have any money because his mom got real sick with cancer. They didn’t

have health insurance, so the family had to pay for thetreatments with their savings. The doctors made Mrs. Smithbetter, but cancer wasn’t cheap! Jeff’s family didn’t havemoney anymore.

The Smiths went on welfare, but that wasn’t enough to payfor a house and food. Apartments cost too much, so they

stayed in shelters. While both of Jeff’s parents worked at the grocery store, theysent him to the soup kitchen.

Julio has no jobJeff introduced me to some of the others at Food For You. He pointed at Julio,who was sitting at a table across the room.

“Hey, what’s up, Julio?” he shouted.

Julio waved and came over to us. He looked older than my parents — I guess he was 50 or 60. Julio had beenout of work ever since he was laid off from his factory job. When he worked, he barely made enough money topay for food and rent. He had to go live on the streets when he lost his job because he didn’t have muchmoney saved up. Julio spent the really cold nights at a shelter, but on warmer nights he slept in the park.

Maggie aloneI saw a woman pushing a shopping cart. She was dressed in dirty clothesand she talked to herself under her breath.

I asked Jeff, “What’s the matter with her?”

How can you tell that thewriter is surprised tofind out that Jeff does

not have a home?

If Jeff’s family did nothave a shelter to live in,where do you think they

would live?

When the writer went to thesoup kitchen, Julio did not havea job. Why was it important for

Julio to find a new job?

Why do you think thatthe writer’s parents

didn’t want himwatching too much TV?

Jeff and I found out wehave a lot in common.

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“Oh Maggie, she’s real nice,” he said as she smiled at him. She’s a little out of it — she’s mentally disabled.Her husband took care of her when he was around, but when he died, there wasn’t anyone to help her. She

can’t cook, and she doesn’t have a job, so she can’t pay for a place tolive. Maggie just hangs out down here.”

Paul has a problemI was wiping down tables after the meal when a guy almost fell on top ofme. He stumbled off, and Jeff told me about Paul. Paul had been comingto the soup kitchen for years. He just hangs out by himself, not doing

much of anything. He’s what’s called an alcoholic. That means that he’s almost always drunk, and that meansthat nobody will hire him. You see, Paul’s an addict. He can’t stay away fromalcohol even though it’s bad for him. The thing is, Paul looked pretty young. Isure hope he doesn’t spend the rest of his life like that.

Bruised BridgetShe had a black eye, she had a cut on her lip, and she had a cast on her rightarm. Jeff told me about her. “Bridget’s just started coming here. You see that black eye and the cast?” heasked. “Her boyfriend beat her up. The police got her away from him, but she has nowhere to go. She justcomes here and sits.”

Could I be Jeff?Jeff and I sat down together. I had fun talking to him about home runs and Little League. But I couldn’t stop

thinking about the people I’d just met.

At 5 o’clock I jumped up and ran to the door. It was time for my parents topick me up. Jeff came outside with me.

“Will you be back?” he asked.

“Sure thing. I wouldn’t miss it.” And I meant it.

When I hopped in the car, my parents asked me what I thought about the soupkitchen. I told them I was really glad the people I met had a place to eat.

But I got quiet as I looked out the window. I couldn’t stop thinking, “I could be Jeff.”

Maggie has a mental handicap.What things do you think her

husband helped her with whenhe was still alive?

Do you think that Paulwill be able to get helpand stop getting drunk?

How many different peopledid the writer meet on his

first day? Whose storyaffected you the most? How can you tell the

writer’s experience atthe soup kitchen had a

big effect on him?

GLOSSARYhealth insurance — a regular monthly payment to an insurance company that agrees to pay for any medical expensesthat come up. If something happens, the insurance company pays for all or most of the doctor bills, and hospital bills.laid off — fired or asked to retire from a job, usually when a troubled company is looking for ways to save moneymentally disabled — used to describe someone with a condition that makes it difficult to perform regular, daily tasks savings — money that is put away in a bank account until it is neededshelters — areas that offer a temporary place to stay to people who don’t have a home soup kitchen — a place that serves free meals to people without a home or others with little money welfare — government programs designed to help people who don’t have a job or who don’t make much money

WRITING PROMPTThe writer says that he and Jeff have a lot in common. Have you ever met someone who reminded you of you? Whatqualities did the two of you share? Be specific.

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Food for ThoughtUsing the essay, choose the answer which best answers the question.

1. What is a soup kitchen?a) a place that serves only soup and crackersb) a place where people can get a free mealc) a kitchen that’s designed for making soupd) the name of the place where Jeff works

2. Why do the narrator’s parents not want him to watch too much TV?a) It costs a lot in electricity to run the TV.b) There is something they want to watch.c) He can watch it, but he must wear glasses.d) They feel it’s not the best use of free time.

3. Why was the narrator surprised that Jeff was homeless?a) He was younger than the author.b) He was older than the author.c) He did not appear to be hungry.d) He seemed so similar to the author.

4. Why did Paul almost fall on top of the narrator — the person telling the story?a) He was drunk, which made him have poor balance.b) The author was cleaning up and the floor was wet.c) Paul had so much alcohol that he could not see.d) The author wasn’t watching where he was going.

5. Which person at the soup kitchen had been beaten up?a) Mrs. Smithb) Julioc) Maggied) Bridget

6. The narrator explains that Jeff and his parents lived in a shelter. If they didn’t live there, where do you think they would live?

a) in a fancy hotelb) on the streetsc) with familyd) with friends

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Food for Thought — Answer Key1. What is a soup kitchen? b) a place where people can get a free meal — If students are completely unfa-miliar with this term, they must use the glossary to answer this question. By saying, “I’m not here to eat,I’m here to work” in the second paragraph, the narrator provides another clue to what a soup kitchen is.

2. Why do the narrator’s parents not want him to watch too much TV? d) They feel it’s not the best use offree time. — This answer is not stated explicitly in the text. However, the fact that the parents request hevolunteer his time at a soup kitchen suggests that they feel there are better things he could do with histime. None of the other choices is implied at all.

3. Why was the narrator surprised that Jeff was homeless? d) He seemed so similar to the narrator. — Thenarrator reacts to the fact that he and Jeff are very much alike. They were the same age (13) and liked thesame things (baseball and Harry Potter). Plus, at the end of the article, the narrator even says “I could beJeff,” as he realizes that Jeff was just a normal kid from a regular family just like his, and they just hadmoney troubles because of his mom’s illness.

4. Why did Paul almost fall on top of the narrator — the person telling the story? a) He was drunk, whichmade him have poor balance. — Jeff explains to the narrator that Paul is “almost always drunk.” Withoutreading carefully, students may choose the other choices, however, because they seem plausible.

5. Which person at the soup kitchen had been beaten up? d) Bridget — The section titled “Bruised Bridget” isa clue. She is described as having a black eye and a cut on her lip. Jeff tells the author that she had beenbeaten up by her boyfriend.

6. The narrator explains that Jeff and his parents live in a shelter. If they didn’t live there, where do you thinkthey would live? b) on the streets — if Jeff’s family had the option to live in a fancy hotel, with family orwith friends, they would probably already be doing so, as those options would all seem preferable to liv-ing in a shelter.

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Post-Reading Activity: “What If All TheirHouses Were Blown Down?”

Background:The story covered in this unit, “Food for Thought,” providessome realistic reasons as to why some people end upwithout a home, as well as some realistic responses to beingwithout a home — e.g., using the services of soup kitchensand shelters. This activity is an opportunity for students toblend fiction and reality. They will work on the fictionalpremise that the characters of The Three Little Pigs areunable to protect their homes from the big bad wolf and areleft homeless as a result. Students will also need to applytheir knowledge of the kinds of options available to peoplewithout a home. For example, maybe the three pigs go to asoup kitchen like the one portrayed in “Food for Thought.”

Suggestions: 1. Ask for a volunteer to tell the story of The Three Little

Pigs. Once the student finishes, ask the class if any-body has anything to add or change about the story.Once the class is satisfied with the version of the fairytale, ask students to identify the story’s themes. Inplace of “themes,” you may want to use the term “lessons” or “moral of the story.”

2. Once you get a consensus on the basic plot and themesof the story, ask students if they have ever read anyalternative versions. Some good examples are The ThreePigs by David Wiesner, in which the pigs use a page ofthe book to make a paper airplane and fly into otherstories to rescue their characters. Another is The True

Story of the 3 Pigs! by Jon Scieszka, in which the wolfpresents his version of what really happened. Have stu-dents share the basic plots of any of these alternativeversions.

3. If you’re having students work in cooperative groups,divide them into their assigned groups. Tell studentsthat they will create their own alternative version of TheThree Little Pigs. Pose the questions: What if the brickhouse could not withstand the force of the wolf? Whatwould happen to the pigs if they were able to escape?(You should make it clear that the pigs somehow are noteaten — that the wolf is not a threat!)

4. Challenge students to come up with a list of alterna-tives of what might happen. You may need to make itclear that students should think of the pigs as people,much like the original fairy tale does — in the story theytalk, they build houses, and do other things people do.Where would the pigs go? What new set of dangerswould they face if they were left without a home?

5. Ask students to write a new ending for the story. Theyshould include dialogue much like that in the first partof the story.

6. Have student groups read their alternative endings tothe story.

Modifications for “What If All Their Houses WereBlown Down?”Art: Have students illustrate their alternative endings to thestory.Science/Social Studies: This activity is an opportunity toexamine some of the natural events — e.g., severe weather,earthquakes — that can destroy someone’s home. The socialstudies addition can examine natural phenomena and thehousing structures in a different part of the world.

Abridged Version: Complete the activity as an entire class.

Objective: As a class or in cooperative groups, studentswill create an alternative ending to the fairy tale TheThree Little Pigs, imagining that all three pigs are lefthomeless as a result of the wolf’s huffing and puffing.

Time: 45–60 minutes

Materials: paper and pencil

Optional materials: markers/colored pencils, blankpaper/poster board

40

Unit 3 3-5

Content Piece: “Home for Housing Facts”Background on “Home for Housing Facts”These two pages contain facts and statistics that relate tohomelessness. Most have visual representations to helpstudents better understand them. As a result, the contentpiece stresses mathematical literacy, particularly graphicliteracy. Additionally, the statisticslisted are those that are likely tointerest students, in part becausethey do not require a great deal ofbackground knowledge and contextto understand.

Once students have developed anemotional tie to someone without ahome (Unit 1) and better understandcauses and effects of homelessness(Unit 2), they will be more eager todiscover the statistics and facts.Plus, students are now ready tocomprehend and appreciate thesenumbers. Knowing the extent of theproblem will compel students tofigure out what they can do abouthomelessness.

Suggestions for “Home for Housing Facts”Because this content piece links to the other units, reviewthe main points from Units 1 and 2 before students look at“Home for Housing Facts.” You can also have studentspredict statistics that are part of this content piece. Forexample, ask students to recall the stories of Shoniqua (Unit1) and Jeff (Unit 2). Then, ask them the number of children

they think are without homes.Because the statistic abouthomelessness and children ispresented as a ratio, say: “For everyten people who are without a home,how many of those ten do you thinkare kids?” You can also ask students ifthey think there are enough homelessshelters available for people, howmuch rent a family like Jeff’s pays,and even how much of Julio’s moneyshould go toward rent, so he hasenough left for other things.

To simulate a standardized testingformat, have students use “Home forHousing Facts” and answer theassessment questions. The answerkey provides detailed explanationsfor each question.

If an exact simulation is notimportant, go through each fact,

statistic, graph, and figure as a class. This will allow you toanswer questions (or have other students answer questions)that come up while going through each item.

Unit 3 — Recognizing that we can do something to address homelessness

Skills Developed in this Unit:understanding cause and effect;interpersonal skills; comparing andcontrasting; working with graphs andcharts; working with ratios andpercentages; working in the abstract;brainstorming; prioritizing

Desired OutcomesStudents will:

• recognize that many people needhousing assistance

• analyze specific statistics toappreciate how many peoplestruggle to have housing

• understand that there are ways forpeople to assist those without homes

• develop a plan for doing somethingto help the cause of homelessness

Discussion Questions:• Why is it important to see how many people without homes are children?

• What do you think are some of the worries of homeless people or homeless families?

• Which statistic or fact surprised you the most? Why was it so surprising?

• Like all people, homeless families have physical needs such as water, food and shelter. What do you think are some of theemotional needs of homeless people?

• What are some ways that people can assist those who are without homes?

41

Post-Reading Activity: Help the Help theHomeless Walkathon

Background:In groups, students brainstormand come up with ways topromote the Help the HomelessWalkathon, which takes place onthe National Mall in Washington,DC, in November. Because thisunit’s objective is to spur action,this activity provides studentswith a concrete plan of action. And by working on ways topublicize the walkathon, students will be more likely toparticipate in it with their families and their classmates.Plus, students will be part of something special andimportant when they help to encourage some of thethousands of people who take part in the walkathon.

Suggestions:

1. Encourage students to think about their target audi-ence. In order for students to brainstorm how to pro-mote the Help the Homeless Walkathon, they shouldidentify whom they want to reach. Discussing commer-cials on TV is an excellent way to show students theimportance of knowing your audience. Students shouldbe able to recognize the relationship between what isbeing advertised, how it is being advertised,and when itis being advertised (time and during which TV show). Allof these choices relate to the target audience. You canhave the same discussion with print ads in magazines.Students should be able to recognize the relationshipbetween the typical readers and the ads that appear.

2.Students should follow a problem-solving process simi-lar to: identify goals and audience, brainstorm ways toachieve goals/reach audience, pick the most realisticand effective option(s), make it happen.

3.If your students decide on posters or flyers, ask for per-mission to post them throughout the school. Similarly,students can write copy for the morning/afternoonannouncements.

4.You can also have students simply come up with ideason how to promote the Help the Homeless Walkathon,regardless of whether students can actually do the pro-motion, e.g., create a commercial, a web site, etc.

Modifications for this activityAll content areas: Have students apply the same problem-solving skills and processes to content-specific problems.

Language Arts: Emphasize writing and audienceidentification to show the link between the two. Thisunderstanding should carry over to reading both fiction andnonfiction.

Math: Give students different Help the Homeless Walkathonscenarios to figure out how many people would take part.For example, if 30 students from each school in Washington,DC, participated, how many students would be there? Pickscenarios that match your students’ abilities.

Abridged: Lead the activity with the entire class.

3-5 Unit 3

Important Termsexpenses: Housing costs are included in expenses, but theother expenses often make people unable to afford housing;one statistic shows that the recommended amount of incomethat should go towards housing is 30%.

housing costs: These are costs associated with paying rent orpaying mortgages.

percentages: Percentages are mentioned in a couple ofplaces, but the idea behind the percentages is reinforced inother ways for students who do not understand percentages.

ratios: Many of the statistics are presented as ratios withvisual representations of those ratios; some students may beable to convert ratios to percentages.

Objective: In cooperative groups students will think ofand create ways to promote the Help the HomelessWalkathon.

Time: 30 – 45 minutes

Materials:

• paper and pen/pencil • poster board (optional) • magic markers (optional)

WENEEDYOURHELP!

Who: You

What: Help the

Homeless Walkathon

Unit 3 3-5

42

Post-Reading Activity: “Surveying andBuilding Awareness”

Background:The content piece in this unit, “Home for Housing Facts,”provides students with many statistics on homelessness.After completing Unit 2, students should find the facts abouthomelessness more meaningful. As a result, studentsshould be more motivated to share some of what they havelearned with others. Students also are more likely to want todo something to address homelessness.

This activity consists of multiple parts; each one can bedropped or modified to fit the activity into the time youhave available. One part of the activity centers on creatingand administering survey questions. Having students surveypeople at home can strengthen the bridge between homeand school. But if involving people at home is problematic,you should think of alternative ways of gatheringinformation from people – e.g., students can survey otherteachers.

Students will take what they learn from the surveys and craftan awareness/education campaign about homelessness. Youmay also decide to have students do something to raiseawareness and money for a shelter. Consider the feasibilityof such a project, which is sure to have many rewards.

Suggestions: 1. As a class, explore what makes something a survey and

why surveys are used. Encourage students to use somespecific examples in discussing the topic — e.g., online

surveys, door-to-door surveys, telephone surveys, etc.Let students know that they will be surveying peopleabout the topic of homelessness.

2. As a class or in cooperative groups, have studentsbrainstorm and list any of the important facts andissues they have learned about homelessness. (Try tofocus some of the discussion on homelessness preven-tion and, if appropriate for your class, such relatedthemes as affordable housing and job training.) Besideeach item on the list, students should say whether theythink the adults and/or older siblings at home are awareof the fact/issue.

3. Referring to the items on the list, students should thinkof questions that would help them find out if a parent orsibling is aware of the fact or issue.

4. For homework, have students use their survey ques-tions with at least one adult or an older sibling. If hav-ing students survey people at home is not possible,have the students survey other teachers at school.

5. As a class, discuss the results of the survey and identifythe aspects of homelessness that seem to be leastunderstood/acknowledged. That discussion will likelyinclude issues surrounding homelessness prevention(affordable housing, job training, etc.).

6. As a class or in cooperative groups, have studentsbrainstorm on ways to inform the public about home-lessness — particularly aspects identified in Step 5.Students also should consider ways to raise money tofight homelessness (particularly to prevent homeless-ness) — e.g., bake sales and car washes.

7. Have students pick one of the ideas — perhaps by hav-ing them vote on each one — and implement the idea.

Modifications for “Surveying and Building Awareness”Math: Students can tally the survey results and figure out away to present the results graphically.Science/Social Studies: As a class, you can delve deeper intothe value of surveying the public; additionally, you canexplore some of the weaknesses of using a sampling ofpeople to determine what the public knows about an issue orhow the public feels about an issue.

Abridged Version: Eliminate either the survey or theawareness campaign part of the activity.

Objective: Students will survey people at home (andperhaps in the community) to measure theirunderstanding of homelessness, with the goal ofeventually crafting plans to build awareness of the issuessurrounding homelessness – especially issues ofaffordable housing, job training, and job preparation.

Time: 45–120 minutes (time varies depending on thenumber of suggested exercises used)

Materials: paper and pencil, markers/colored pencils,poster board

Optional materials: tape recorders

3-5 Unit 3

43

In 2002, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

second annual count of the region’s homeless population found that 40percent of the total homeless population consisted of families

with children. In 2003, the percentage of total homeless who were families with children grew to

46.5 percent of the homeless.Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

For the first time in 2003, theCouncil of Governments surveyattempted to count “chronic”homeless people, a categorythat includes families orindividuals who have beencontinually homeless for morethan a year and are not currentlyin transitional or permanenthousing. The 2003 surveycounted 1,939 adults and

218 persons in families as

chronically homeless.Source:

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

In the winter of 2002-03, up to 2,495 people were

staying in hypothermia shelters each night in themetropolitan Washington, DC, area.

Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

According to Fairfax County statistics, families with children are the fastest growing group among the homeless population, and there has been

more than a 20 percent increase in the total homeless population since 1998.

Source: Junior League of Virginia

Housing Facts: Statistics about homelessness in the Washington, DC, metro area

Unit 3 3-5

In fiscal year 2000, only 35 percent of homeless youth lived in shelters;

34 percent lived doubled up with family or friends, and 23percent lived in motels and other locations.

Source: National Coalition for the Homeless

About half the individuals whoexperience homelessness over the course

of a year live in family units. Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

About 38 percent of peoplewho are homeless in the course

of a year are children. Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

The largest increase inemergency shelter requests over

the past year (a jump of 31 percent) occurred among families.

Source: U.S. Mayors Hunger and Homelessness

Survey, 2002

In 2002, the demand for emergency shelter went unmetin 30 percent of cases.

Source: U.S. Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Survey, 2002

An Urban Institute study states that about 3.5 million people—1.35 million of them children—arelikely to experience homelessness in a given year.

Source: National Coalition for the Homeless

Between 700,000 and 800,000 people are homelesson any given night. Over the course of a year between 2.5 million

and 3.5 million people will experience homelessness in this country.Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

Homeless families report that theirmajor needs are for help finding ajob, help finding affordablehousing, and financial help to payfor housing. The services they mostoften receive, however, areclothing, transportation assistance,and help getting public benefits.Only 20 percent of familiesreport that they receivedhelp finding housing.

Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

Housing Facts: Statistics about homelessness in the United States

44

3-5 Unit 3

45

Home for Housing FactsUsing the statistics, choose the answer that best answers the question.

1. Of the 3.5 million people who are likely to experience homelessness in a given year, how many of them are notchildren?

a) 1.35 millionb) 3.5 millionc) 2.15 milliond) 50,000

2. In comparing 2002 with 2003, what was the percentage difference in homeless families? a) There were 40 percent more in 2002b) There were 46.5 percent more in 2003c) There were 86.5 percent more in 2003d) There were 6.5 percent more in 2003

3. If approximately 40 percent of people who are homeless in the course of a year are children, how many childrenwould be in a group of 10 homeless people?

a) 4 childrenb) 10 childrenc) 40 childrend) 0 children

4. What fraction represents how many homeless families report that they receive help in finding housing?a) 3/10b) 2/10c) 5/10d) 10/10

5. In the winter of 2002–2003, approximately how many homeless people were staying in shelters each night toescape the cold?

a) 10,000b) 2,500c) 1,500d) 3,000

6. How much increase has there been in the total homeless population since 1998, according to Fairfax County statistics?a) 20 times more homeless peopleb) .2 times more homeless peoplec) 2 times more homeless peopled) The same number of homeless people

Unit 3 3-5

46

Home for Housing Facts — Answer Key1. Of the 3.5 million people who are likely to experience homelessness in a given year, how many of them are notchildren? c) 2.15 million — Students must use the statistic that 1.35 million of the 3.5 million homeless are childrenand then subtract that number from the total to find the number of homeless who aren’t children.

2. In comparing 2002 with 2003, what was the percentage difference in homeless families? d) There were 6.5 percent more in 2003. — Students must subtract the percentage of homeless in 2002 who were families (40 percent) from that percentage in 2003 (46.5 percent) to arrive at the correct answer.

3. If approximately 40 percent of people who are homeless in the course of a year are children, how many childrenwould be in a group of 10 homeless people? a) 4 children — To answer this correctly, students must be able to represent 40 percent as a fraction (4/10).

4. What fraction represents how many homeless families report that they receive help in finding housing? b) 2/10 — To answer this correctly, students must be able to represent 20 percent as a fraction (2/10).

5. In the winter of 2002–2003, approximately how many homeless people were staying in shelters each night toescape the cold? b) 2,500 — Students must understand how to approximate values and understand that 2,500 isclosest to 2,495.

6. How much increase has there been in the total homeless population since 1998, according to Fairfax County statistic?b) .2 times more homeless people —To answer this correctly, students must be able to represent 20 percent as adecimal.

6–

8

Unit StructureEach unit will focus on a particular theme.

In order to bring out that theme, each unit has:

• A two-page written piece for you to photocopy for your students

• An assessment modeled after Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. tests

• A suggested pre-reading activity

• A suggested post-reading activity with cross-curricular modifications

• Writing prompts

• Background teacher support information

Please note that this curriculum was designed so that Units 1,2 and 3 flow in a natural order. Each unit is completely self-contained; however, you will have thegreatest impact by completing each unit in order.

6-8 Unit 1

47

Unit 1: Understanding that there are people without homesContent Piece— Shoniqua’s Experience is a real first-person account by an 11-year-old girl named Shoniqua Williams, whowas without a home when she was in third grade. By giving students an emotional tie to one person, the content piece willencourage students to think about their own homes, and what it must be like to be without a home.

Activity 1— Students in cooperative groups will “build” a home through descriptions. The primary objective of this activity isto have students think about the many ways in which having a home is important.

Activity 2 (New!)— Students will write a short update essay for Shoniqua’s Experience as if they were Shoniqua Williams.After students write their essays, they will discuss the importance of permanent, affordable housing.

Activity Modifications— Math classes can create 3-D homes out of geometric shapes. Social Studies classes can also build ahome out of words that describe the homes of people living in a particular geographic area or historic setting.

State standards met with this unit

WASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those whose Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the Unit. However, additional content standards met through the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included. 6th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 47th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 48th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of eighth grade. Divided by subject area, the areas listed below indicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, additional standards met through the unit’s activity modifications ARENOT included.Language Arts—Reading; Literature; Writing; Language; Listening; SpeakingSocial Studies—Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, additional SOLs met throughthe unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.6th grade English—Oral: 6.1; Reading: 6.3, 6.4; Writing: 6.67th grade English—Oral: 7.1; Reading: 7.4, 7.5; Writing: 7.88th grade English— Oral: 8.2; Reading: 8.4; Writing: 8.7

Unit 2 6-8

48

Unit 2: Understanding the causes of homelessnessContent Piece— “Food for Thought” is a fictional first-person account from a 13-year-old boy whovolunteers at a soup kitchen and encounters a handful of people whose reasons for being without ahome all differ from one another. The specific circumstances will give students concrete informationthat serves as a basis for understanding the general issues surrounding homelessness.

Activity 1— Students in cooperative groups will create flow charts with visual representations for“Causes” of homelessness on one side and visual representations for “Effects” of homelessness onthe other side. The primary objective of this activity is for students to develop a strongerunderstanding of how the concept of cause and effect works.

Activity 2 (New!)— Students will come up with interview questions they would like to ask Jeff—the 13-year-old character in “Food for Thought”—and hypothesize how he might answer those questions.

Activity Modifications —Science classes can use the ledgers to examine the different effects that seasons of the year (andweather in general) have on those without homes. To increase the activity’s health focus, students can use the ledgers toexamine the effects that being without a home can have on a person’s health.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those for which Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the unit. However, any additional content standards met through the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.6th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 47th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 48th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of eighth grade. Divided by subject area, the areas listed below indicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, any additional standards met through the unit’s activity modificationsARE NOT included.Language Arts—Reading; Literature; Writing; Language; Listening; SpeakingSocial Studies—Geography; Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.6th grade English—Oral: 6.1; Reading: 6.3, 6.4; Writing: 6.67th grade English—Oral: 7.1; Reading: 7.4, 7.5; Writing: 7.98th grade English—Reading: 8.4, 8.5; Writing: 8.7

6-8 Unit 3

49

Unit 3: Recognizing that we can do something to address homelessnessContent Piece— A series of statistics and facts cover homelessness and issues related to homelessness. Oncestudents have developed an emotional tie to someone without a home (Unit 1) and have developed a betterunderstanding of the causes and effects of homelessness (Unit 2), the statistics and facts will have muchgreater meaning for them.

Activity 1— Students will work in cooperative groups to create ways to promote the Help the Homeless Walkathon at school,at home, in their neighborhoods, and so on. The primary objective of this activity is to build awareness of and excitementabout the Walkathon.

Activity 2 (New!)— Students will survey people at home (and perhaps in the community) to measure understanding ofhomelessness (particularly homelessness prevention), eventually coming up with project ideas that address issues and/orperceptions surrounding homelessness.

Activity Modifications— All content areas can tie the problem-solving focus of the activity to content-specific material. Toadd a greater math emphasis, students can look at different Walkathon participation scenarios and figure out how manypeople might take part in each.

State standards met with this unitWASHINGTON, DC: The content standards listed are those for which Performance Standards AND Essential Skills are met, in part, through completionof the unit. However, any additional content standards met through the unit ’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.6th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 2, 37th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 2, 38th grade Language Arts—Standards 1, 2, 3, 4; Math—Standards 1, 2, 3

MARYLAND: Maryland standards indicate what students should know and be able to do by the end of eighth grade. Divided by subject area, the areaslisted below indicate the standards that are part of this unit. However, any additional standards met through the unit’s activity modificationsARE NOT included.Language Arts—Reading; Listening; SpeakingMath—Algebra; Statistics; Probability; Number RelationshipsSocial Studies—Geography; Economics

VIRGINIA: The Standards of Learning (SOLs) listed are those that are met, in part, through completion of the unit. However, any additional SOLs metthrough the unit ’s activity modifications ARE NOT included.6th grade English—Oral: 6.1; Reading: 6.5; Writing: 6.6, 6.7Math—Number Sense: 6.1; Computation and Estimating: 6.7; Probability: 6.187th grade English—Oral: 7.1, 7.3; Reading: 7.6; Writing: 7.8, 7.9Math—Number Sense: 7.1; Computation and Estimating: 7.48th grade English—Oral: 8.3; Reading: 8.6; Writing: 8.7, 8.8Math—Number Sense: 8.3

Unit 1 6-8

50

Content Piece: “Shoniqua’s Experience”Background on “Shoniqua’s Experience”This is Shoniqua Williams’ firsthand account of what it hasbeen like to be without a home. She is a young girl fromRichmond, Virginia, who has not had permanent housingsince 1997, when her father left the family. The first yearwithout a home was particularlydifficult for Shoniqua, her mother,and her younger sister because theylived in two different states. Duringthat time, Shoniqua attended threedifferent schools. Shoniqua admitsthat she misbehaved in class andbullied others. She tells readers thather actions were part of her “toughgirl” image. In reality, her situationhurt and confused her. Today, she isactive in school and has received anaward for perfect attendance. She isextremely optimistic about herfuture.

A first-person account like this willlikely hook students into caring abouthomelessness and wanting to learnmore. By giving students anemotional tie to one person,Shoniqua’s Experience will encourage students to thinkabout their own homes, what it must be like not to have ahome, and other important issues.

Suggestions for “Shoniqua’s Experience”Before reading “Shoniqua’s Experience,” ask students whatthe term “homelessness” means. Seek out at least a fewexplanations. It’s likely that students will also describehomeless people in their explanations. Some of thosedescriptions will likely be based on stereotypes —drug/alcohol problem, emotionally unstable, etc. If

students settle on a definition for ahomeless person that is verystereotypical, ask students if thereare homeless people who are not likethis description. You may or may notget some alternative descriptions.Regardless, keep the discussionshort. Finally, ask students to define“home” and to use examples tosupport their definition.

If you want to simulate astandardized testing format, havestudents read Shoniqua’s Experienceand answer the assessment questionsas they read. The assessment answerkey provides detailed explanationsfor each question.

If an exact simulation is notimportant, read “Shoniqua’s

Experience” as a class. Reading together will allow you toanswer questions (or have other students answer questions)that may come up while reading. Further, you can discussthe Guided Reading Questions that appear in the text.

Unit 1 — Understanding that there are people without homes

Skills Developed in this Unit:Self-analysis; interpersonal skills;descriptive writing; comparing andcontrasting; working in the abstract;understanding cause and effect; literacyfluency and comprehension

Unit’s Desired OutcomesStudents will:

• recognize that homes come in manydifferent forms

• analyze what makes having a homespecial and important

• understand that there are peoplewho do not have homes

• develop empathy for those who donot have homes

Discussion Questions:• Do you ever think about how important having a home is?

• Did you know that there are people who do not have any place to call home?

• If you were Shoniqua’s friend and you found out that she did not have a home, what would you say to her? What would you do?

• Why do you think homes come in so many different sizes, styles and so on?

• Were there things about your home that you took for granted before reading about Shoniqua and before doing the activity?

6-8 Unit 1

51

Post-Reading Activity: “Home Builder”

Background:Students “build a home”through descriptions. Havestudents draw a stick-figuredrepresentation of their homes.On each line in the figure,students should write a sentenceto describe their home. Thenstudents should get together incooperative groups to comparetheir homes/ descriptions. Byparticipating in this activity, students will think about howhomes mean different things to different people. The activityalso encourages students to consider and analyze differentforms that homes come in. All in all, students will think abouthomes in new ways, recognizing both the importance ofhomes and the difficulty of not having a home.

Suggestions:

1. Before students plug in their descriptions to the draw-ings, have them brainstorm and create a list of as manydescriptions as they can think of. This can be a free-association exercise.

2.Have students organize their descriptions. Students cancategorize descriptions into groups like: physical struc-ture (brick, two-storied, roomy) and general feeling(cozy, safe, personal).

3.When students compare and contrast their homes, theyshould also categorize and organize their groupdescriptions. In some cases there may be antonyms,e.g., “big” and “cramped” — depending on students’experiences.

4.Using the individual drawings, have groups create mul-tiple types of dwellings whose descriptions may be sim-ilar or different from one another. For example, figurescan be a house (big and/or small) or an apartment (bigand/or small building).

5.Have students create additions beyond the basic roof,walls, doors, and windows, so they can add moredescriptions. Encourage them to be creative.

Modifications for this activity

Math: Have students divide their homes into geometricshapes. For example the roof can be a triangle and the basecan be a square or a rectangle. Additionally, students canattach values for length to some of the main lines of the houseto use in figuring out area and/or volume, depending onwhether you have them make the figures three dimensional.

Social Studies: Homes are windows into the lives of peopleliving in different time and/or place. Have students describe(and draw) a home typical of the geographic or historicsetting you are currently studying.

Abridged Version: Eliminate the individual homeconstruction, limiting the activity to cooperative groups.

Important Termscharity: [defined in the student glossary] Many withouthomes rely on charity for help ; at the same time, somepeople like Shoniqua don’t like to accept charity.income: Shoniqua does not mention this term specifically;however, implied in her account is the fact that her father leftthe family without enough income to secure permanenthousing.permanent housing: The student glossary defines“permanent,” and this is the goal that Shoniqua hopes herfamily is able to achieve in the next year.pride: Shoniqua says that her pride made it difficult for her toadmit that her family had no permanent housing.relative: The idea that things can be relative to one’sexperiences may come up in your discussions, particularlywhen considering aspects of home life that those with a hometake for granted, e.g., having a private bathroom.stereotypes: Shoniqua never mentions stereotypes, but theyare likely to come up in discussing those who are homeless —Shoniqua’s story may shatter stereotypes students have.

We have tw

o chimneys.

Objective: First independently and then in cooperativegroups, students will understand the importance ofhaving a home through “building” different homes withdescriptions.Time: 20 – 40 minutesMaterials: paper and pencil Optional Materials: markers/colored pencils, stickoutline of a home

My

hous

e is

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Shoniqua’s Experience My name is Shoniqua Williams. I am 11 years old, in the 6th grade, and I attendMoody Middle School in Richmond, Virginia.

In 1997, changes in my family when my dad left caused my mom, younger sister andme to become homeless. During this time, I was confused, disappointed in myself,and embarrassed. In the 3rd grade, I was mainly on the road. I lived in 2 states andattended 3 different elementary schools in one year.While trying to keep up with schoolwork, I didn’t havetime for my friends. With the little time I had, I hidbehind those friends, and didn’t show my true feelings.

Instead of showing the real me, I hid behind my “tough girl” image, and bulliedyounger kids to make myself feel and look better. In the classroom, I was a class

clown, and though I was an excellent learner, I was horrible withmy behavior. Most of those feelings were related to beingdisappointed in myself. I was confused. I didn’t know what to do.I cried at night.

In the beginning, it seemed like a game. It became real whenmy family and I were living in a transitional housing

program, and I had a friend over to spend the night. Itold her that the whole cottage was our house insteadof the one room that we were actually living in. Thenext day when she found out the truth, I realized how

painful the truth can be. I also didn’t want my friendsto know because I didn’t want their pity. I admit that I

have lots of pride and do notlike to accept charity.

How I overcame the situation was with my family, mylove of music, and with my faith in God. Right now, in my

Shoniqua says she “hid behind”her friends. What do you think

she means by this?

Shoniqua was dishonest with herfriend. Why do you think she

chose not to tell the truth?

Why did Shoniqua act the part of the

class clown?

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life, I am closer with my mom, and I am still gettingcloser with my dad. We are working on obtaining

permanent housing, and our plan is to move thissummer.

I am doing well in school. My team and I placedsecond in Henrico County in the Battle of the Books.

I was a Safety Patrol monitor and received PerfectAttendance Awards. I am active in drama and enjoy

singing. My career goals are to get a Ph.D. in Zoology, and amaster’s degree in the Performing Arts. I know that these goals will be met because ofall the obstacles we have overcome.

I have one last thing I want the world to know abouthomelessness. It is that it is not the person’s fault. It isnot a choice — it just comes, and if we work together, wecan overcome homelessness.

— Shoniqua’s essay is reprinted withpermission from www.nationalhomeless.org — the website of the NationalCoalition for the Homeless.

How would you describeShoniqua’s mood at the

end of her essay?

Do you have career goals thatare similar to Shoniqua’s? What are your aspirations?

Have you overcome any obstaclesthat you think will help you reach

your goals?

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GLOSSARYcharity – helping people by donating money or goods or doing work for freemaster’s degree – qualification awarded by a university to a person who has completed extra studiespermanent – staying the samePh.D. – the highest qualification awarded by a university to a person who has completed many yearsof extra studies and is considered an experttransitional housing program – a temporary place for someone to stay while looking for a newhomezoology – study of animals

WRITING PROMPTHomesickness is a common feeling that many people experience when they are away from home.What exactly is homesickness, and why do you think people experience it? Be specific, perhaps byusing an example from your life or the life of someone you know.

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“Shoniqua’s Experience”Using the essay, choose the answer which best answers the question.

1. What happened when Shoniqua’s dad left the family?a) Shoniqua was sent to a foster home to live with others.b) Shoniqua, her mom, and her sister became homeless.c) Shoniqua moved permanently to Richmond, Virginia.d) Her father eventually moved back in with the family.

2. Why was it difficult for Shoniqua to keep up with her schoolwork?a) because her teachers did not know that she was homelessb) because her dad had always helped her with homeworkc) because she attended three different schools in one yeard) because she spent all of her time watching her brother

3. Which of the following would have made Shoniqua feel “embarrassed”?a) being without a homeb) misbehaving in classc) lying about the cottaged) all of the above

4. Shoniqua says that she has “overcome” her situation. In addition to Shoniqua saying so, how can readers tell thatshe has truly overcome her situation?

a) She enjoys singing and listening to music as much as she can.b) She is in the process of repairing her relationship with her dad.c) She is doing well in school, and she has set goals for the future.d) She does not ever think about the time her family was homeless.

5. What is Shoniqua’s mood at the end of her essay?a) hopefulb) disturbedc) helplessd) distressed

6. Analogies show how the relationship between two things is similar to the relationship between two other things.For example, BIG : SMALL :: ROUGH : SMOOTH, which means that “big” is to “small” as “rough” is to “smooth.” Inthis case the relationships are both opposites. Complete the following analogy: ZOOLOGY : ANIMALS ::

a) LOCKER : BOOKSb) JAIL CELL : BARSc) DOG : CATd) ASTRONOMY : OUTER SPACE

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“Shoniqua’s Experience” — Answer Key1. What happened when Shoniqua’s dad left the family? b) Shoniqua, her mom, and her sister became homeless. —The passage doesn’t make it clear that they became homeless immediately after her father left. However,Shoniqua does say, “changes in my family that occurred when my dad left,” which shows that there is a cause andeffect relationship between the father’s leaving and their becoming homeless. Choice b is incorrect because shesays she lived in two different states, so she did not live anywhere permanently.

2. Why was it difficult for Shoniqua to keep up with her schoolwork? c) because she attended three different schoolsin one year — Nowhere does Shoniqua say, “I had trouble with my schoolwork because …” Still, students shouldunderstand that it would have been difficult for her to keep up because she changed schools so often. The otherchoices would require that she state them verbatim in order for them to be true, and she doesn’t do that.

3. Which of the following would have made Shoniqua feel “embarrassed”? d) all of the above — She was embarrassedabout being homeless (she lied about the cottage), and she was embarrassed about misbehaving in class (she wasdisappointed in herself). She also says that she admitted to lying about her family owning the whole cottage, sothat implies that she was also embarrassed about lying.

4. Shoniqua says that she has “overcome” her situation. In addition to Shoniqua saying so, how can readers tell thatshe has truly overcome her situation? c) She is doing well in school, and she has set goals for the future. — Whileshe does tell readers that she is repairing the relationship with her dad and she likes music, these things are help-ing her to overcome her situation. The proof that she has overcome the situation is that she is doing better inschool and has set future goals.

5. What is Shoniqua’s mood at the end of her essay? a) hopeful — Shoniqua seems hopeful for the future. She hasgained an understanding that homelessness isn’t reserved for a certain “type” of person. She seems hopeful thathomelessness can be overcome by working together. Plus, she has definite aspirations for her future.

6. Analogies show how the relationship between two things is similar to the relationship between two other things.For example, BIG : SMALL :: ROUGH : SMOOTH. What this is saying is that “big” is to “small” as “rough” is to“smooth.” In this case the relationships are both opposites. Complete the following analogy: ZOOLOGY : ANIMALS :: d)ASTRONOMY : OUTER SPACE The glossary defines zoology as the study of animals. Similarly, astronomy is the studyof outer space. Even if students are unfamiliar with astronomy, they should be able to eliminate the other choices.

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Post-Reading Activity: “ExperiencingShoniqua’s Experience”

Background:It has been a few years since sixth-grader ShoniquaWilliams wrote about her experiences of being without ahome during elementary school and later during middleschool. When she wrote the essay, Shoniqua was hoping tomove into permanent housing. This activity gives studentsan opportunity to reflect further on Shoniqua’s experienceand on her aspirations for finding a permanent home.Students will write their essays from Shoniqua’s point ofview — as though they were Shoniqua a few years later,living in a permanent home. In deciding what to write,students will need to reflect on the many ways that living inpermanent housing is better than living in transitionalhousing. In doing so, students should develop greaterempathy for Shoniqua’s situation, as described in her essay.Further, the activity encourages students to consider howpermanent homes come in many different shapes and sizesand how all of them are the foundations for communitiesacross the country.

Suggestions:

1. Ask students if they think Shoniqua was correct in pre-dicting that her family would obtain permanent hous-ing. After students share some answers, tell them thatShoniqua wrote that essay a few years ago and that herfamily did end up living in permanent housing.

2. Have students reach a consensus on what the term“permanent housing” means. In addition to offeringdefinitions, students should provide examples of per-manent housing — e.g., houses (rented and owned) and

apartments (rented and owned). Finally, from the list ofexamples, students should identify those on the listmost likely to be like Shoniqua’s new home — i.e., mostlikely a rented home.

3. Pose the question: How would living in an affordablepermanent home differ from living in a transitionalhome? As a class, explore the differences identified.It’s likely that the vast majority (if not all) of the differ-ences will be benefits. If students don’t notice that thedifferences are primarily benefits, ask students to pickout differences that they consider benefits.

4. When you assign students the task of updatingShoniqua’s essay, point out that they generated a list ofdifferences between permanent housing and transition-al housing. This exercise should serve as prewritingwork. Students also should use the list of likely types ofpermanent housing, generated in Step 2, for theirprewriting work. Students should identify some of thetopics that Shoniqua mentions in her essay — e.g.,school, friends, and future aspirations.

5. Give students guidelines and expectations for theiressays, such as the required length of the essay and theamount of time they will have to write it.

6. Once students have completed their essays, start a dis-cussion about the importance of affordable permanenthousing. Ask students why affordable permanent hous-ing is important to individual people as well as to acommunity.

Modifications for “Experiencing Shoniqua’sExperience”

Math: Using the newspaper and/or online resources, havestudents research rental prices for some permanent housingoptions in your community. Students can record the data,represent the data in graph form, calculate median prices andmean prices, and so on.

Abridged Version: Have students complete their essays as ahomework assignment.

Objective: Students will write a short update essay forShoniqua’s Experience—as if they were ShoniquaWilliams. After students write their essays, they willdiscuss the importance of affordable permanent housing. Time: 45 minutesMaterials: paper and pencil Optional Materials: local newspaper (home/housingsection); Internet access

6-8 Unit 2

Content Piece: “Food for Thought”Background on “Food for Thought”This is a narrative account of one young teen’s experienceworking at a soup kitchen called Food for You. The story isfictional but is presented in first-person, so it seems asthough it could be a real account of a person’s first dayvolunteering at a soup kitchen. Hisaccount focuses on people heencounters. This presentation shouldgive students specific stories thatillustrate the many causes ofhomelessness.

Jeff is the person with whom thenarrator spends most of his timebecause both are the same age andhave the same interests. Each personthe narrator encounters has differentreasons for being without a home.Jeff’s family spent a lot of money onhis mother’s cancer treatments; Juliowas recently laid-off; Maggie is arecent widow with a mental disability;Paul has an alcohol addiction; Bridgethas fled her abusive boyfriend. Bythe end of his first day, the narratorconcludes he “could be Jeff.” He alsoknows he will return to spend moretime working and hanging out with those who need the soupkitchen.

Suggestions for “Food for Thought”Before reading “Food for Thought,” ask students to recallwhy Shoniqua (from Unit 1) is without a permanent home.They will likely say it’s because her father left the familyand because they cannot afford a home. Next, ask studentsto recall the effects that being without a home had onShoniqua and her family. Finally, ask students to list more

reasons why others might be withouta home. Whether you list these otherreasons as a class or have studentswrite them down, encourage studentsto explain how the reasons they citecan lead to homelessness. Keep thisdiscussion fairly brief.

If you want to simulate astandardized testing format, havestudents read “Food for Thought,” andanswer the assessment questions asthey read. The assessment answerkey provides detailed explanationsfor each question.

If an exact simulation is notimportant,read “Food for Thought” asa class. Reading together will allowyou to answer questions (or haveother students answer questions)that come up while reading. You can

also discuss the Guided Reading Questions that appear inthe text.

Unit 2 — Understanding the causes of homelessness

Skills Developed in this Unit:understanding cause and effect;interpersonal skills; comparing andcontrasting; working with flow chartsand spreadsheets; working in theabstract; literacy fluency andcomprehension

Unit’s Desired OutcomesStudents will:

• recognize that homelessness comesin many different forms

• analyze what can cause someone tobe without a home

• understand that there are peoplewho need housing assistance

• develop empathy for those who donot have homes

Discussion Questions:• Have you ever seen people whom you thought were without a home? How did it make you feel? Why do you think you felt this way?

• What are the images that you associate with homelessness? Are these stereotypes? Are there others who are without homeswho do not fit this image?

• What do you think people would do if there were no places like Food for You available to them?

• Who in the story would you be most interested in meeting? Explain.

• The last sentence in “Food for Thought” says, “I could be Jeff!” What do you think the narrator means by that?

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Post-Reading Activity: “Let It Flow”

Background: In groups, students create Cause and Effectledgers and/or flow charts topresent causes and effectsassociated with homelessness.For ledgers, students shouldwrite “Cause” on one side of thechart and “Effect” on the other.Flow charts should display a flowof causes that lead to an endeffect. For example, addictionhas a number of effects that leadto homelessness. The activityhelps students develop a stronger understanding of howcause and effect work, especially regarding homelessness.

Suggestions:

1. Model ledgers and flow charts for students. It is impor-tant to show that you can work from a cause to come upwith different effects and vice versa. For example,being scared or having stitches can be treated as causesor effects. Understanding these cause/effect dual rolesis important for flow charts. Model a flow chart. Forexample, a ball breaks a window > broken glass > cuthand > emergency room > stitches > bandaged hand >write with left hand > sloppy writing.

2.Have students create similar ledgers or flow charts ontheir own. They can use words or draw or cut out pic-tures to represent the causes and effects.

3.Have each group create a ledger or flow chart on home-lessness, using the examples in “Food for Thought.”They should treat homelessness as both an effect and acause. Homelessness can be at many different points —beginning, middle, or end — within a flow chart.

4.Display ledgers and flow charts.

Modifications for this activity

Science: Weather and seasonal changes are ripe with causeand effect relationships, e.g. rain’s effect on plant life,autumn’s effect on trees, etc. Create ledgers or flow chartsthat focus on weather conditions and seasonal changes.

Health: Emphasize ledgers and flow charts that examine thehealth effects of being without a home. At the same time,students may be able to examine some of the health causesfor homelessness — e.g., emotional/mental/physicaldisabilities, and drug or alcohol dependency.

Computer Literacy: Have each group create a spreadsheet onhome status. It should include fields such as: name, age,family status, current address, type of home, employment,health status, and outlook for future. Students shouldinclude themselves in their spreadsheets, along with thosecited in the content piece. Students may have to makelogical guesses in fields whose answers are not provided.

Abridged: Limit the activity to either ledgers or flow charts.

Important Termsaddict: [defined in the student glossary] An addict often hasa difficult time with steady employment and struggles withexpenses involved in satisfying and/or treating the addiction.expenses: Housing costs are included in expenses, but oftenother expenses — like food — prevent people from securinghousing.insurance: Health insurance is defined in the glossary. Nothaving insurance (of many kinds — fire, flood, homeowners,renters) can cause someone to lose a home.mental disability: [defined in the student glossary] Oneperson the narrator meets is mentally disabled; studentsshould recognize causes/effects associated with beingmentally disabled, including the fact that the condition variesin severity. shelters: [defined in the student glossary] Sometimes soupkitchens are a part of shelters.stereotypes: Though not mentioned by name (except in adiscussion question), stereotypes are often associated withhomelessness. welfare: [defined in the student glossary] Many familieswithout homes do not qualify for or receive sufficientgovernment assistance.

Objective: In groups students will create charts, usingvisual representations and/or words to show Causes andEffects associated with homelessness.Time: 20 – 30 minutesMaterials: paper and pencilOptional Materials: graph paper, spreadsheet softwareand computer

broken glass

cut hand

emergency room

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Food for thoughtHelping feed some people who don’t have a place to call homeHomeless people don’t have their own place to live. But at the soup kitchen, my friend Jeff

showed me that they’re still people just like anybody else.

I went to the soup kitchen because my parents decided that I needed to volunteer. They were tired of cominghome and finding me watching TV or playing on the computer. I met some cool people at Food For You (thesoup kitchen). I want to tell you about some of them.

At the soup kitchen: my new friend JeffWhen I walked in, this guy called Jeff Smith showed me around. Jeff and I found out thatwe were a lot alike. We were both 13, we both liked baseball, and we loved Harry Potter.When Jeff said, “Let’s go get some food,” I told him, “Nope, I’m not here to eat. I’m here tohelp feed the homeless.” That’s when I found out that Jeff had no home.

I couldn’t believe Jeff didn’t have a place to live. He was too much like me! Jeff said that hisfamily didn’t have any money because his mom got real sick with cancer. They didn’t havehealth insurance, so the family had to pay for the treatments with their savings. The doctors

made Mrs. Smith better, but cancer wasn’t cheap! Jeff’s familydidn’t have money anymore.

The Smiths went on welfare, but that wasn’t enough to pay for ahouse and food. Apartments cost too much, so they stayed inshelters. While both of Jeff’s parents worked at the grocery

store, they sent him to the soup kitchen.

Julio has no jobJeff introduced me to some of the others at Food For You. He pointed at Julio, who was sitting across the room.

“Hey, what’s up, Julio?” he shouted.

Julio waved and came over to us. He looked older than my parents — I guess hewas 50 or 60. Julio had been out of work ever since he was laid off from hisfactory job. When he worked, he barely made enough money to pay for food andrent. He had to go live on the streets when he lost his job because he didn’t havemuch money saved up. Julio spent the really cold nights at a shelter, but on warmer nights he slept in the park.

Maggie aloneI saw a woman pushing a shopping cart. Her clothes were dirty, and she talked to herself under her breath.

I asked Jeff, “What’s the matter with her?”

“Oh Maggie, she’s real nice,” he said as she smiled at him. She’s a little out of it —she’s mentally disabled. Her husband took care of her when he was around, but

when he died, there wasn’t anyone to help her. She can’t cook, and she doesn’thave a job, so she can’t pay for a place to live. Maggie just hangs out down here.”

The narrator says thatJeff “was too much

like me!” What does hemean by that?

Why was it difficult forJulio to save money to use

for emergencies?

Do you think it would behard for Maggie to find

other people to help her?Why or why not?

Jeff and I found out wehave a lot in common.

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GLOSSARYaddict — one who regularly takes part in a behavior, often an unhealthy onehealth insurance — a paid service provided by insurance companies; if someone with health insurancegets hurt, the insurance company pays for all or most of the medical billsshelters — areas that offer a temporary place to stay to people who don’t have a home soup kitchen — a place that serves free meals to people without a home or with little money welfare — government programs that are designed to help people who don’t have a job or who don’tmake much money

Paul has a problemI was wiping down tables after the meal when a guy almost fell on top of me. He stumbled off, and Jeffgave me the lowdown on Paul. Paul had been coming to the soup kitchen for years. He just hangs out byhimself, not doing much of anything. He’s what’s called an alcoholic. That means that he’s almost alwaysdrunk, and that means that nobody will hire him. You see, Paul’s an addict.He can’t stay away from alcohol even though it’s bad for him. The thing is,Paul looked pretty young. I sure hope he doesn’t spend the rest of his lifelike that.

Bruised BridgetShe had a black eye, she had a cut on her lip, and she had a cast on herright arm. Jeff told me about her. “Bridget’s just started coming here. Yousee that black eye and the cast?” he asked. “Her boyfriend beat her up. The police got her away from him,but she has nowhere to go. She just comes here and sits.”

Could I be Jeff?Jeff and I sat down together. I had fun talking to him about home runs and Little League. But I couldn’tstop thinking about the people I’d just met.

At 5 o’clock I jumped up and ran to the door. It was time for my parents to pickme up. Jeff came outside with me.

“Will you be back tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure thing. I wouldn’t miss it.” And I meant it.

When I hopped in the car, my parents asked mewhat I thought about the soup kitchen. I told them

that I was really glad that those people I met had a place to go eat.

But I got quiet as I looked out the window. I couldn’t stop thinking, “I couldbe Jeff.”

What does it mean to beaddicted to something?

How can an addiction be harmful?

How many people didthe narrator meet on hisfirst day? Whose storyaffected you the most?

How can you tell thewriter’s experience atthe soup kitchen had a

big effect on him?

WRITING PROMPTThe narrator describes the people at Food for You, but he does not give a very good description of theplace. Using what the narrator has in his story, describe what you think Food for You looks like, soundslike, smells like and even feels like.

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“Food for Thought”Using the essay, choose the answer which best answers the question.

1. Why did the narrator’s parents feel he needed to volunteer?a) He was often getting into trouble at school.b) He was wasting too much of his free time.c) He was supposed to volunteer after school.d) He said mean things about homeless people.

2. What is FFoooodd FFoorr YYoouu?a) the narrator’s volunteer spot since age ten b) a place where people receive free foodc) a company that hires homeless peopled) a restaurant serving soup and crackers

3. The narrator says that Jeff “was too much like me!” What does he mean by that?a) The narrator had never met anybody who shared so many things in common.b) Jeff did not match the narrator’s image of what a homeless person was like.c) The narrator was very surprised that Jeff liked both Harry Potter and baseball.d) Jeff’s mother had expensive cancer treatments, so his family could not pay rent.

4. Why was it difficult for Julio to save money to use in cases of emergency?a) because his job did not pay much more than the amount needed for living expensesb) because he had already spent his emergency money when his mother was very sickc) because most factories thought that Julio was too old to hire and train for a new jobd) because he was an alcoholic and he could not keep a job long enough to save money

5. The narrator explains that Maggie’s husband used to take care of her, but now he’s dead. Why is it difficult for Maggie to find someone to take care of her the way her husband used to?

a) because it is hard to find a caregiver who does not charge a fee b) because her disability makes everyone completely avoid herc) because Maggie kicked out people who offered to assist herd) because Food for You was there, she no longer needed help

6. Which of the following best defines “addict”?a) a person who drinks alcohol like beer, wine or liquor or who takes drugs for a headacheb) someone who requires special help from a doctor or counselor to stop a specific behaviorc) Paul, the drunk person at Food for You who comes close to knocking down the narratord) a person who constantly participates in an activity due to a physical and/or emotional need

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“Food for Thought” — Answer Key1. Why did the author’s parents feel he needed to volunteer? b) He was wasting too much of his free time. —The narrator says, “I went to the soup kitchen because my parents decided that I needed to volunteer.They were tired of coming home and finding me watching TV or playing on the computer.” In other words,his parents thought his TV viewing and game playing were not a very good use of time.

2. What is Food For You? b) a place where people receive free food — Food For You is the name of the soupkitchen where the narrator volunteers. Students may know what a soup kitchen is; even if they don’t, theglossary defines the term. Plus, the narrator says, “I’m here to help feed the homeless.”

3. The narrator says that Jeff “was too much like me!” What does he mean by that? b) Jeff did not match thenarrator’s image of what a homeless person was like. — Choices c and d are true, but they do not answerthe question, and choice a could be true, but the narrator never says so. However, the narrator impliesthat Jeff was too much like him to be homeless and therefore he did not match the image the narrator hadof a homeless person.

4. Why was it difficult for Julio to save money that he could use in cases of emergency? a) because his jobdid not pay much more than the amount needed for living expenses — The narrator explains that Julio’s fac-tory job did not pay very well and that his paycheck was just enough for paying rent and buying food. Ifstudents miss this question, it is probably because they are unfamiliar with the meaning of “livingexpenses.” Choices b and d use information from other people’s profiles, and choice c might be true, but itdoes not address the question of why he could not save money.

5. The narrator explains that Maggie’s husband used to take care of her, but now he’s dead. Why is it difficultfor Maggie to find someone to take care of her the way her husband used to? a) because it is hard to find acaregiver who does not charge a fee — She has a mental disability, and before he died, her husband tookcare of her and obviously did not charge a fee to do so. Without him alive, though, she would probablyhave to be cared for by professionals in a nursing home or mental hospital, either of which would costmoney.

6. Which of the following best defines “addict”?d) a person who constantly participates in an activity due to a physical and/or emotional need — This ques-tion may be difficult for some students because each of the answer choices does relate to the term“addict.” This choice is the only one, though, that defines addict. Choice a includes those who drink anoccasional beer and those who take aspirin — people who wouldn’t be addicts. Choice b may be true ofsome addicts, but not necessarily all of them, so it is not a very good definition.

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Post-Reading Activity: “What Would Jeff Say?”

Background:“Food for Thought” presents the characterof Jeff—a 13-year-old who lives in ashelter and whose mother is recoveringfrom cancer treatment. Jeff and his familylost their home primarily because themedical costs associated with his mother’scancer treatment were so high. Jeff and hissituation are fictional, but they areinspired by the experiences of real people.If given the opportunity, students could learn a great dealfrom being able to ask a person like Jeff questions about hissituation. And in learning about Jeff’s life and livingsituation, students could get a better sense of what it is liketo be a teenager without a home and, more broadly, what itis like to be homeless. The process of formulating interviewquestions requires students to factor in what they know,what they would like to know, and how to find out what theywant to know. This activity also allows students to work onabstract thinking and hypothesize how someone wouldanswer a question.

Suggestions:

1. Ask students what they know about the character Jeff.Once students have described Jeff as best they cangiven the information in “Food for Thought,” pose thisquestion: What does Jeff’s living space at the shelterlook like? Many of your students are likely to say theyhave no idea. Some students, however, might hypothe-size that Jeff has baseball posters and/or Harry Potter

books displayed somewhere. Some students might evenbe able to describe the living space in a shelter.

2. Divide students into cooperative groups and introducethe task: Students will come up with interview questionsthat they would like to ask Jeff or someone like Jeff.(Perhaps they would like to know what his living spacelooks like.)

3. Have students create two lists. The first list shouldreview what they know about Jeff. The second listshould itemize what they would like to know about Jeff.

4. Using the list of what students would like to know, havethe groups formulate questions they would ask Jeff toget the information they wanted. Each group should

come up with at least 10 questions.5. Once groups have their questions, havestudents categorize each one. Is it a questionthat would apply specifically to a boy or girlJeff’s age? (Who’s your favorite Harry Pottercharacter?) Would it apply to any teen with-out a home? (Have you been to many differ-ent schools?) Would it apply to anyone who ishomeless? (How long have you not had ahome?) Or, would it apply to anyone? (What’s

your favorite food?)6. Time permitting, students can research answers to their

questions — particularly for questions that might applyto any person without a home. Additionally, studentscan use what they know (including what they learn fromresearch) to hypothesize how Jeff might answer thequestions.

Modifications for “What Would Jeff Say?”

Social Studies: This activity can be extended to createinterview questions for historic figures or people who live in adifferent part of the world.

Abridged Version: Limit the number of questions to five.

Objective: In cooperative groups, students will come upwith interview questions they would like to ask Jeff—the13-year-old character in “Food for Thought.” They willalso hypothesize about how Jeff, or someone like Jeff,would answer their questions.Time: 30–60 minutesMaterials: paper and pencil Optional Materials: Internet access for research

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Content Piece: “Home for Housing Facts”Background on “Home for Housing Facts”These two pages contain facts and statistics that relate tohomelessness. The content piece stresses mathematicalliteracy, particularly as it relates to ratios and percentages.The statistics listed in “Home for Housing Facts” are thosethat are most likely to intereststudents, in part because they do notrequire a great deal of backgroundknowledge and context tounderstand.

Once students have developed anemotional tie to someone without ahome (Unit 1) and have developed abetter understanding of the causesand effects of homelessness (Unit 2),they will be ready to comprehend andappreciate these numbers in thisunit. Knowing the extent of theproblem makes it more likely thatstudents will want to figure out whatthey (and others) can do abouthomelessness.

Suggestions for “Home for Housing Facts”

Because this content piece is more effective after studentshave worked through the other units, start by reviewing themain points from Units 1 and 2. You can use this review as away to have students try to predict statistics that are part ofthis content piece. For example, you can ask students torecall the stories of Shoniqua (Unit 1) and Jeff (Unit 2).Then, ask them what percentage of those without a home

are children. You can also askstudents if they think there areenough homeless shelters availablefor people, how much rent a familylike Jeff’s typically pays, and whatpercentage of Julio’s expensesshould go toward rent, so he hasenough left over for other things.

If you want to simulate astandardized testing format, havestudents use “Home for HousingFacts” and answer the assessmentquestions. The assessment answerkey provides detailed explanationsfor each question.

If an exact simulation is notimportant, go through each fact,statistic, graph and figure as a class.This will allow you to answerquestions (or have other studentsanswer questions) that come upwhile going through each of the

items.

Unit 3 — Recognizing that we can address the issues of homelessness

Skills Developed in this Unit:understanding cause and effect;interpersonal skills; comparing andcontrasting; working with graphs andcharts; working with ratios andpercentages; working in the abstract;brainstorming; prioritizing

Unit’s Desired OutcomesStudents will:

• recognize that there are many peoplewho need housing assistance

• analyze statistics to appreciate howmany people struggle to havehousing

• understand that there are ways forpeople to assist those without homes

• develop a plan for doing something tohelp the cause of homelessness

Discussion Questions:• Why is it important to see how many people without homes are children? Do you think it makes a difference whether or not

someone in a homeless shelter is a child? Explain.

• What do you think are some of the worries of homeless people or homeless families?

• Which statistic or fact surprised you the most? Why was it so surprising?

• Like all people, homeless families have physical needs such as water, food, and shelter. What do you think are some of theemotional needs of homeless people?

• What are some ways that people can assist those who are without homes?

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6-8 Unit 3

Post-Reading Activity: “Help the Help theHomeless Walkathon”

Background: In groups, students brainstorm and come upwith ways to promote the Helpthe Homeless Walkathon, whichtakes place on the National Mallin Washington, DC, in November.Because this unit’s objective is tospur action, this activity providesthem with a concrete way to act.By working on ways to publicizethe walkathon, students will bemore likely to participate in it withtheir families and their classmates. Plus, students gain asense of accomplishment when they have helped encouragesome of the thousands of people who take part in thewalkathon.

Suggestions:

1. Students must think about their target audience. Inorder for students to brainstorm how to promote theHelp the Homeless Walkathon, they must first identifywhom they want to reach. Discussing commercials on TVis an excellent way to show students the importance ofknowing your audience. There is a definite relationshipbetween what is being advertised, how it is beingadvertised, and when it is being advertised (time andduring which TV show). All of these choices relate to thetarget audience. You can have the same discussionabout print ads in magazines. Students should be ableto recognize the relationship between the typical read-ers and the ads that appear.

2.Students should follow a problem-solving process simi-lar to: identify goals and audience, brainstorm ways toachieve goals/reach audience, pick the most realistic

and effective option(s), and make it happen.3.If your students decide on posters or flyers, ask for per-

mission to post them throughout the school. Similarly,students can write copy for the morning/afternoonannouncements.

4.You can also have students simply come up with ideason how to promote the Help the Homeless Walkathon,regardless of whether students can actually do the pro-motion, e.g., create a commercial, a web site, etc.

Modifications for this activity

All content areas: You can have students apply the sameproblem-solving skills and processes to problems that aremore content specific.

Language Arts: Emphasize writing and audienceidentification to show the link between the two. Thisunderstanding should carry over to reading both fiction andnonfiction.

Math: Give students different Help the Homeless Walkathonscenarios to figure out how many people would take part in it.For example, students can translate percentages of peoplefrom the area who take part into raw numbers or the otherway around. Or students can come up with a formula to seehow spreading the word can illustrate geometric proportions.Pick scenarios that match your students’ abilities.

Abridged: Lead the activity with the entire class.

Important Termsexpenses: Housing costs are included in expenses, but otherexpenses often make people unable to afford housing. Onestatistic shows that a large number of people devote at least50% of their income to housing costs.housing costs: These are costs associated with either payingrent or paying mortgages.median: This applies to median costs for housing. percentages: Many of the statistics include percentages, andmany of those are reinforced through visual means; thepercentages allow students to translate them to ratios orother formats.ratios: Many of the statistics are presented as ratios withvisual representations; students can convert those ratios topercentages.

Objective: In cooperative groups students will think ofand create ways to promote the Help the HomelessWalkathon.

Time: 30–45 minutes

Materials: paper and pen/pencil

Optional Materials: poster board, magic markers

WENEEDYOURHELP!

Who: You

What: Help the

Homeless Walkathon

Unit 3 6-8

66

Post-Reading Activity: “Survey the Scene and Do Something”

Background:“Home for Housing Facts” provides students with many sta-tistics on homelessness. After completing the last unit, stu-dents should find the facts about homelessness more mean-ingful, and as a result, students should be more motivated toshare some of what they have learned with others. Studentsare also more likely to want to do something to addresshomelessness. This activity consists of multiple parts; eachone can be dropped or modified to fit the activity into thetime you have available. One part of the activity centers oncreating and administering survey questions. Having stu-dents survey people at home and in the community canstrengthen the bridge between home and school. But ifinvolving people at home is problematic, you should think ofalternative solutions. Students will take what they learn fromthe surveys and think of project ideas that address issuesand/or perceptions of homelessness.

Suggestions:

1. As a class, explore the idea of what makes something asurvey and why surveys are used. Encourage students touse some specific examples in discussing the topic —e.g., online surveys, door-to-door surveys, telephonesurveys, etc. Let students know that they will be surveying people about the topic of homelessness.

2. Have students pair up and brainstorm a list of the important facts and issues they have learned abouthomelessness. (Whenever possible, have students focuson homelessness prevention – e.g., affordable housing,job training, etc.) Beside each item on the list, studentsshould say whether they think people at home, as well aspeople who live near them, are aware of the fact/issue.

3. Referring to the items on the list, students should thinkof questions to ask someone to find out if he or she isaware of the fact or issue. Students should come up withapproximately 10 questions.

4. For homework, have the paired students survey at leastthree different people using the questions from Step 3.If assigning homework or having students survey peopleat home is not possible, have the students survey otherteachers at school.

5. As a class, discuss the results of the survey and identifythe aspects of homelessness that seem least understood.

6. As a class or in cooperative groups, have studentsbrainstorm ways to change perceptions about andincrease awareness of homelessness — particularlythose aspects related to homelessness prevention(affordable housing, skill building, job training, etc.).Additionally, students should think of project ideas thatwould address some specific homelessness issues. Oneissue might be that illiteracy makes finding a job oreven filling out a job application difficult. In that case,students might start a schoolwide drive to donatebooks, volunteer to read to people living in shelters(especially younger children), or raise money to createa shelter library filled with books relevant to job train-ing, skill building, etc.

7. If possible, have students adopt one of their ideas andcarry it out.

Objective: Students will survey people at home (andperhaps in the community) to measure theirunderstanding of homelessness (particularlyhomelessness prevention). Students will use the resultsto come up with project ideas that address issues and/orperceptions surrounding homelessness.Time: 45–120 minutes (time varies depending on thenumber of suggested exercises used), plus homeworkMaterials: paper and pencil Optional Materials: tape recorders, markers/coloredpencils, poster board

6-8 Unit 3

67

Modifications for “Surveying and BuildingAwareness”

Math: Building on Unit 1’s math modification (researchingrental rates for affordable housing units) and using theadditional statistics provided, have students walk through thefollowing exercise. Share the following statistics with yourstudents:

• The minimum wage in Washington, D.C., is $6.15 per hour.

• Monthly take-home pay for people earning minimum wageand working a 40-hour week is $984 (before taxes).

• The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment inWashington, D.C., is $830.

• A person earning minimum wage and renting a one-bedroomapartment in D.C. will have only $154 left over each monthfor other expenses. Ask students to name/list other monthlydebts and to approximate how much they total. Discusswhether $154 would be enough to meet these costs.

• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentconsiders housing affordable if a person pays no more than30 percent of his or her income in housing costs.

• To earn enough money so that the average rent inWashington, D.C., ($830) only takes 30 percent of monthlywages, a person earning minimum wage would have to work113 hours per week.

Discuss how a chain reaction is created when adults userent/mortgage money to pay for immediate needs – e.g.,food, clothes, transportation, child care. Talk about how theseadults can fall behind in rent/mortgage payments and nevercatch up, a cycle that can lead to eviction and evenhomelessness.

Social Studies: As a class, you can delve deeper into the valueof surveying the public; additionally, you can explore some ofthe weaknesses of using a sampling of people to determinewhat the public knows about an issue or how the public feelsabout an issue. Additionally, you can have students completethe math modification exercise and discuss the public versusprivate responsibilities of ensuring affordable housing, decentminimum wages, and other basic supports for all members of agiven society.

Abridged Version:Eliminate either the survey portion or the awarenesscampaign portion of the activity.

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Unit 3 6-8

In 2002, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

second annual count of the region’s homeless population found that 40percent of the total homeless population consisted of families

with children. In 2003, the percentage of total homeless who were families with children grew to

46.5 percent of the homeless.Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

For the first time in 2003, theCouncil of Governments surveyattempted to count “chronic”homeless people, a categorythat includes families orindividuals who have beencontinually homeless for morethan a year and are not currentlyin transitional or permanenthousing. The 2003 surveycounted 1,939 adults and

218 persons in families as

chronically homeless.Source:

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

In the winter of 2002-03, up to 2,495 people were

staying in hypothermia shelters each night in themetropolitan Washington, DC, area.

Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

According to Fairfax County statistics, families with children are the fastest growing group among the homeless population, and there has been

more than a 20 percent increase in the total homeless population since 1998.

Source: Junior League of Virginia

Housing Facts: Statistics about homelessness in the Washington, DC, metro area

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6-8 Unit 3

In fiscal year 2000, only 35 percent of homeless youth lived in shelters;

34 percent lived doubled up with family or friends, and 23percent lived in motels and other locations.

Source: National Coalition for the Homeless

About half the individuals whoexperience homelessness over the course

of a year live in family units. Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

About 38 percent of peoplewho are homeless in the course

of a year are children. Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

The largest increase inemergency shelter requests over

the past year (a jump of 31 percent) occurred among families.

Source: U.S. Mayors Hunger and Homelessness

Survey, 2002

In 2002, the demand for emergency shelter went unmetin 30 percent of cases.

Source: U.S. Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Survey, 2002

An Urban Institute study states that about 3.5 million people—1.35 million of them children—arelikely to experience homelessness in a given year.

Source: National Coalition for the Homeless

Between 700,000 and 800,000 people are homelesson any given night. Over the course of a year between 2.5 million

and 3.5 million people will experience homelessness in this country.Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

Homeless families report that theirmajor needs are for help finding ajob, help finding affordablehousing, and financial help to payfor housing. The services they mostoften receive, however, areclothing, transportation assistance,and help getting public benefits.Only 20 percent of familiesreport that they receivedhelp finding housing.

Source: National Alliance to End Homlessness

Housing Facts: Statistics about homelessness in the United States

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Unit 3 6-8

Home for Housing FactsUsing the statistics, choose the answer that best answers the question.

1. Of the 3.5 million people who are likely to experience homelessness in a given year, what percentage of them arenot children?

a) 40 percentb) 38.6 percentc) 61 percentd) 50 percent

2. In comparing 2002 with 2003, what was the percentage difference in homeless families?a) There were 40 percent more in 2002b) There were 46.5 percent more in 2003c) There were 86.5 percent more in 2003d) There were 6.5 percent more in 2003

3. If approximately 40 percent of people who are homeless in the course of a year are children, how many childrenwould be in a group of 30 homeless people?

a) 12 childrenb) 4 childrenc) 40 childrend) 14 children

4. What fraction represents how many homeless families report that they did not receive help in finding housing?a) 3/10b) 8/10c) 2/10d) 10/10

5. Substance abusers account for an estimated 32 percent of the homeless population, and persons considered men-tally ill account for 23 percent. Twenty-two percent of the homeless in survey cities are employed. Ten percentare veterans. These percentages do not add up to 100 percent. Why is this the case?

a) Because some categories of people are not represented in these statisticsb) Because it must add up to 100 percent in order to get everyone representedc) Because the people who are included are from more than one countryd) Because there are people who are included in more than one category

6. If there were 1,000 homeless people in Fairfax County in 1998, how many were there in 2003?a) 1,020 homeless peopleb) 1,200 homeless peoplec) Twice as many homeless peopled) The same number of homeless people

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6-8 Unit 3

Home for Housing Facts — Answer Key1. Of the 3.5 million people who are likely to experience homelessness in a given year, what percentage of them arenot children? c) 61 percent — Students must use the statistic that 1.35 million of the 3.5 million homeless arechildren and then subtract that number from the total to find the number of homeless who aren’t children (2.15million). Then they must determine the percentage by dividing 2.15 by the total (3.5).

2. In comparing 2002 with 2003, what was the percentage difference in homeless families? d) There were 6.5 percentmore in 2003 — Students must subtract the percentage of homeless in 2002 who were families (40 percent) fromthat percentage in 2003 (46.5 percent) to arrive at the correct answer.

3. If approximately 40 percent of people who are homeless in the course of a year are children, how many childrenwould be in a group of 30 homeless people? a) 12 children — To answer this correctly, students must be able torepresent 40 percent as a fraction (4/10) and then work through the equation 4/10 = x/30.

4. What fraction represents how many homeless families report that they did not receive help in finding housing? b) 8/10 — To answer this correctly, students must be able to represent 20 percent as a fraction (2/10) to determinehow many received help, then subtract that number from the total (10/10).

5. Substance abusers account for an estimated 32 percent of the homeless population, and persons consideredmentally ill account for 23 percent. Twenty-two percent of the homeless in survey cities are employed. Ten percentare veterans. These percentages do not add up to 100 percent. Why is this the case? a) Because some categories ofpeople are not represented in these statistics — The percentages add up to less than 100 percent because somepeople are not included in these groups of homeless, such as those who are not mentally ill but do not have a job.Students must first realize that not adding up to 100 percent means that the total is less than 100 percent. Of theanswer choices, this is the only one that could explain that fact.

6. If there were l,000 homeless people in Fairfax County in 1998, how many were there in 1998, according to Countystatistics? b) 1,200 homeless people — To answer this correctly, students must be able to increase the 1998 totalby 20 percent, according to the statistics given. In this case, assuming 1,000 homeless in 1998, 1000(1.2) = 1,200.

72

4000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

North Tower, Suite One

Washington, DC 20016-2804

(202) 274-8000

www.fanniemaefoundation.org

www.helpthehomelessdc.org