Can We End Extreme Poverty?

1. Set Focus 
Pose these essential questions: How does living in poverty affect an individual? How does working to eliminate poverty benefit a society as a whole?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. 

• Do you agree with the assessment that the world has made huge progress toward eliminating extreme poverty? Support your point of view with text evidence. (Students’ responses will vary. Students who agree with the assessment might cite statistics from the article about poverty rates dropping, such as Indonesia’s dropping to about 3 percent. Other students might argue that since poverty is an eminently fixable problem, we should have fixed it already and our progress is lagging.)

• How did Mexico and Brazil raise living standards? What did China do? (Mexico and Brazil gave money to the poor, requiring only health checkups and school attendance for children in return. China provided free elementary education and invested in infrastructure.)

• In the article, Ejaz Ghani says, “Poverty reduction takes place through job creation.” Which text details support his point? Do you think job creation is the most important factor in reducing poverty? Explain. (His point is supported by details about China and India improving their poverty rates through the movement of people from rural areas to cities with better opportunities. Opinions will vary but should be supported with text evidence.)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity Between the Lines. Have students use the organizer to make and support inferences from the article.

4. Writing Prompt
How does investing in infrastructure help reduce poverty? Explain in a brief essay, supporting your points with details from the article.

5. Classroom Debate
Do wealthy nations have a responsibility to invest in countries that suffer from extreme poverty to help raise living standards?

6. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.