You are a young person in Anywhere, USA

HUNGRY IN AMERICA

“A hungry man is not a free man.” –Adlai Stevenson

INTRODUCTION:

You may have noticed that many people in the USA live without enough food. Unfortunately, although the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, there are very few ways in which those who suffer from hunger can get help. Many people are either unaware of services that may be available, do not have transportation to places where food is available, or are unable to receive government assistance because of an immigrant status. It is imperative to research exactly whom this problem is affecting, what are available to these people, and what can be done to improve this social issue. In this webquest, we will be analyzing the causes and effects of hunger on our society. Additionally, we will analyze public policies and search for ways in which they may improve.

TASK:

Your task will be to create a front page news story that reports on hunger in the United States.

PROCESS:

1. You will gather your information from the Internet, textbooks, notes or any other reference material that is available to you in order to write your factual news article, editorial, advertisement or biography.

2. You will use the information gathered in your research to complete the steps listed in the PPA (Public Policy Analysis). These steps will help you to identify the causes of hunger in the U.S., as well as the actions that have been taken by the government and concerned citizens (like yourselves!), and help you to organize your research. To access the steps, click on the following categories below:

o Identify the Problem

o Gather Your Evidence

o Identify the Causes

o Evaluate an Existing Policy

o Develop Solutions

o Select Best Solution

3. Some things to focus on in your research:

a. The major populations suffering from hunger or “food instability”

b. The programs in place today and who they are funded by

c. The laws created to combat or slow the combat of national hunger issues

d. Your suggestions and ideas for current programs and new programs

RESOURCES:

Wikipedia information on food insecurity definitions and resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_security

Statistics of U.S. Hunger:

http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger_index.html

Site which lists charities according to classifications:

http://www.justgive.org/

Description of the Federal Nutrition Program:

http://www.hungeractionnys.org/federal.htm

Food Stamp policy on immigrants:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/FSP/rules/Memo/02/POLIMGRT.HTM

Description of Food Insecurity Legislation:

http://www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faqs/ria_423.asp

WIC – Women, Infants and Children Program:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/

EVALUATION:

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Use of Primary Sources	Reading of primary source material was thorough.	Reading of primary source material was fairly thorough.	Reading of primary source material was incomplete.	Reading of primary source material was not done.
Articles - Purpose	90-100% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.	85-89% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.	75-84% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.	Less than 75% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.
Articles - Supporting Details	The details in the articles are clear, effective, and vivid 80-100% of the time.	The details in the articles are clear and pertinent 90-100% of the time.	The details in the articles are clear and pertinent 75-89% of the time.	The details in more than 25% of the articles are neither clear nor pertinent.
Articles - Interest	The articles contain facts, figures, and/or word choices that make the articles exceptionally interesting to readers.	The articles contain facts, figures, and/or word choices that make the articles interesting to readers.	The article contains some facts or figures but is marginally interesting to read.	The article does not contain facts or figures that might make it interesting to read.
Layout - Headlines & Captions	All articles have headlines that capture the reader's attention and accurately describe the content. All articles have a byline. All graphics have captions that adequately describe the people and action in the graphic.	All articles have headlines that accurately describe the content. All articles have a byline. All graphics have captions.	Most articles have headlines that accurately describe the content. All articles have a byline. Most graphics have captions.	Articles are missing bylines OR many articles do not have adequate headlines OR many graphics do not have captions.
Graphics	Graphics are in focus, are well-cropped and are clearly related to the articles they accompany.	Graphics are in focus and are clearly related to the articles they accompany.	80-100% of the graphics are clearly related to the articles they accompany.	More than 20% of the graphics are not clearly related to the articles OR no graphics were used.
Requirements	All of the required content was present.	Almost all the required content was present.	At least 75% of the required content was present.	Less than 75% of the required content was present.

CONCLUSION:

You are now a successful reporter on the hunger issues found in the United States! Through your research, you have developed powerful opinions and feelings on this issue. You can now take the time to join activist organizations, speak out, and encourage others to help in the fight against hunger!

“The only thing necessary for the triumph

of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

–Edmund Burke