Understanding Poverty: A Day in the Life

Step 1: Preparation and education

• Introduction to poverty, its causes, and its impacts on communities. Teachers and students explore resources and prepare for the simulation.

• Students participate in "A Day in the Life" simulation, where they engage in activities designed to reflect the daily challenges of living in poverty.
• It can use:
• Role-Playing scenarios. Students participate in role-playing games that simulate budgeting with a very limited amount of fake currency, making choices about food, housing, and healthcare.
• "Resource Allocation Challenge": Groups make decisions about community resources with limited funds. 

• After the simulation, students use video conferencing to connect with peers in other countries, sharing their experiences and learning from each other.
• It can use:
• Guided reflection sessions where students journal about their simulation experience.
• Small group discussions with international peers, comparing simulation experiences and real-life observations of poverty in their communities.

• Students create digital presentations to share what they have learned with the school community, promoting awareness and understanding of poverty.
• A final video call brings all participating classes together.

Assessment and reflection ✍️

• Participation checklist:
• Create a simple checklist to track student engagement throughout the project:
• Active in discussions (local and international)
• Contributes to group work.
• Completes assigned tasks.
• Shows respect for diverse perspectives.
• Use this checklist during key project activities, marking each item as Yes/No or on a 1-3 scale
• Final project evaluation:
• Assess the students' final presentations or digital content using a basic rubric:
• Understanding of poverty issues (1-5 points)
• Creativity (1-5 points)
• Clarity of presentation (1-5 points)
• Evidence of international collaboration (1-5 points)
• Share this rubric with students at the start of the project using the Class2Class.org platform.
• Reflection questions:
• At the end of the project, have students answer 3-4 short reflection questions:
• What's the most important thing you learned about poverty?
• How did working with international peers change your understanding?
• What action could you take in your community to address poverty?
• Use the Class2Class.org project board for students to post their responses, allowing for peer learning. 

Teacher tips 💡

• Foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment that values diverse perspectives and experiences.
• Provide clear guidelines and expectations for respectful communication and collaboration. We suggest you review the coexistence policies of Class2Class.org.
• Ensure simulations are conducted sensitively, focusing on education rather than stereotyping.
• Prepare students emotionally for the simulations and provide support throughout the experiences.
• Facilitate thoughtful discussions post-simulation to help students process their experiences and learn from them.