1

Teachers and StudentsThe World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide

www.wfp.org | twitter.com/fighthunger | facebook.com/worldfoodprogramme | youtube.com/worldfoodprogram

Classroom Activities - Web of ConnectionsWorld Food Programme Resources for Students & Teachers

Web of ConnectionsA lesson which teaches students about the causes of hunger, and how they are connected - often in surprising ways Age Range: Grades 7-9 Adapted from the Alabama 4-H War on Hunger Program and Universities Fighting World Hunger at Auburn University

Overview

Critical thinking, collaborative learning, problem-solving

This activity will help foster an understanding of hunger in the context of other social issues. After participating in this activity, group members should be able to more effectively speak about the ways in which hunger is connected to other issues in the world which also impact the plight of those in poverty. Using a ball of string and cards that represent these various issues, group members will construct a “web” of connections between the given topics.

Aims & Objectives

• To encourage young people to think about global and domestic hunger

• To demonstrate the connections between some of the root causes of hunger

• To encourage students to think about concrete ways in which they can help make a difference

Materials

• 1 ball of yarn

• Up to 10 advocate title and description sheets (included below) printed correspondingly on cardstock, using both sides.

2

Teachers and StudentsThe World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide

www.wfp.org | twitter.com/fighthunger | facebook.com/worldfoodprogramme | youtube.com/worldfoodprogram

Instructions

1. Using the information found at: Hunger 101 (www.wfp.org/edu), revise the concept of Hunger and its effects with the class.

2. Divide the class into 10 groups/pairs and give each goup/pair a card.

3. Explain to the class that during this activity they will look at the ways in which different issues are related to poverty, hunger, and disease. The card each group was given represents the type of advocate they are for a particular issue. As a representative of the concern on their card it is their job to explain the link between the group’s concern and the rest of the class.

4. Allow each group time to discuss their cards and brainstorm possible ideas/connections.

5. To begin the activity, have the groups form a circle.

6. Start with the Hunger Advocate giving that group the ball of yarn

• Encourage the groups to present as advocates for their positions

• Ex. “I am advocating about the issue of hunger. One of the causes of hunger is poverty. People who are impoverished are unable to buy food, so they experience hunger. More than 963 million people in the world go to bed hungry every night. This is why I must join with the poverty advocate to work on both alleviating hunger and poverty.

• The hunger advocate would then toss the ball of yarn to the advocate they are connected to (using the example above they yarn would be passed to the extremem poverty advocate).

7. The new advocate, the person with the yarn, should advocate for their posistion, then passing the yard to another advocate.

• This process should be continued until everyone has gone.

• NOTE: If some advocates are connected more than once, this is okay.

8. Close the activity by discussing the following questions with your class. (students may have other discussion points to add to the list)

Classroom Activities - Web of ConnectionsWorld Food Programme Resources for Students & Teachers

3

Teachers and StudentsThe World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide

www.wfp.org | twitter.com/fighthunger | facebook.com/worldfoodprogramme | youtube.com/worldfoodprogram

Discussion Questions:

1. What connections are the most obvious? The least?

2. What are some other connections that haven’t already been made?

3. Howdoesthisexcerciseinfluenceyourfeelingsaboutthestruggleagainstinjustice?

4. Do you think more can be done if advocacy groups work together?

Classroom Activities - Web of ConnectionsWorld Food Programme Resources for Students & Teachers

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ntrie

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ild fa

rm-to

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ket r

oads

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supp

ly d

ista

nt c

ities

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ourc

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r Rep

ort 2

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r the

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eamajorobstacleinthefight

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ourc

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ood

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eventy-fivepercentofpoorpeopleindeveloping

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ourc

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ww

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orld

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ts to

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tries

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inte

rnat

iona

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titut

ions

suc

h as

the

Wor

ld B

ank

andInternationalM

onetaryFund.Forexample,thecivilconflict

in B

urun

di re

sulte

d in

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incr

ease

in h

ealth

pro

blem

s re

late

d to

mal

aria

, a d

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ase

in e

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hild

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and

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uma

from

yea

rs o

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mon

ey n

eede

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ress

th

ese

conc

erns

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to p

ay o

ff in

tern

atio

nal d

ebts

. Th

ough

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e’ve

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forts

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lieve

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unpa

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any

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ourc

e: A

FSC

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sc.o

rg/a

frica

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)

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rem

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as A

mer

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s. I

n th

e de

velo

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ore

than

1.2

bi

llion

peo

ple

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ently

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bel

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e in

tern

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over

ty li

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are

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to fe

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amili

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ake

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cent

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e to

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orld

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en w

ork

to p

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lves

and

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ften

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k is

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any

fam

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r foo

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l. P

regn

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ew m

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reas

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infa

nts,

and

chi

ldre

n ar

e am

ong

the

mos

t at r

isk

of m

alno

uris

hmen

t. (S

ourc

e: W

orld

Hea

lth

Org

aniz

atio

n. h

ttp://

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ho.in

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)

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NG

ER

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H

EALT

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HIV

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CLE

AN

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