Culminating Activity:

This particular lesson focuses on poverty and how the lack of funds can affect purchasing a
balanced meal. Students are put into groups and given play money to buy food with. Each
family is given a different amount of money but they are unaware of this. Each group plans
which foods they want to buy and they go to the pretend store to make their purchases. Students
explain how it felt to have less money, the difficulty of obtaining healthy food, and brainstorm
ideas to help those who have less money. Role-playing can be very effective for students at this
grade level. Through role-playing, students use their funds to purchase food to make a balanced
meal. In this lesson, some students have more money while some have less, which will enable
students to feel and understand the importance of a balanced meal, the effect of the cost of food
and the implications of not having the monetary resources to make good choices for their
families. Class discussion can include the importance of fair trade and poverty and what we as
a community can do to help the poor.
The contemporary church statement that I found was:
The principle of participation leads us to the conviction that the most appropriate and
fundamental solutions to poverty will be those that enable people to take control of their own
lives.
Economic Justice for All, US Catholic Bishops (1986), paragraph 188
This is a fitting statement because it deals with allowing poor people to take control of their
lives. In order for this to happen, we must all, as a whole be active participants.
COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
478. Entrepreneurs and directors of public agencies involved in the research, production and
selling of products derived from new biotechnologies must take into account not only
legitimate profit but also the common good. This principle, which holds true for every type of
economic activity, becomes particularly important for activities that deal with the food supply,
medicine, health care and the environment. By their decisions, entrepreneurs and public
agency directors involved in this sector can guide developments in the area of biotechnologies
towards very promising ends as far as concerns the fight against hunger, especially in poorer
countries, the fight against disease and the fight to safeguard the ecosystem, the common
patrimony of all.
This statement from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church specifically deals
with capitalism, profits, the fight against hunger and the common good.

References
http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/themes/human-dignity/resources/encyclicalstatements-poverty-2/
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_do
c_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html#Man, poverty and riches
http://cus.oise.utoronto.ca/Lesson_Plans_Social_Justice_Issues.html#Poverty_and_Malnutrition_
_Grade_2_