Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How many people live in poverty in the United States today?

Teaching Suggestion: Ask about what the definition of “poverty” is and define and discuss the United States poverty threshold. This prompt could offer areas of expansion such as running a household finance simulation, crafting a business proposal for aspiring entrepreneurs, etc.

• The report Cycle of Risk: The Intersection of Poverty, Violence, and Trauma from the Social Impact Research Center gives insight into connections between poverty, violence, and trauma in Chicago, Illinois, though it can be generalized to provide a basic context for the topic. Provides representations of data and statistics and how quality of life is affected by the aforementioned factors. Also highlights artwork by Ervin A. Johnson.
• The 2021 Poverty Guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services discusses the meaning of poverty levels in the US, how they’re determined, and why the “federal poverty level” is an “ambiguous term.” Provides guidelines for the contiguous United States and separate guidelines for Hawaii and Alaska.