Reading Scientific Texts: Food Insecurity in Hawai'i

In this lesson, students learn about food deserts and food insecurity, analyze a map and scientific text, and advocate for action.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students reflect on food options available to them in their own community.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students view a map of food deserts in their community and analyze a scientific text about food insecurity.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students write a letter to a local official to advocate for action to promote food security in Hawai’i.

Positives

• This lesson aligns with Hawai'i's Nā Hopena A'o HĀ-BREATH Framework.

• This lesson can be taught with a social studies or health focus.

• Students connect with their community by identifying the impacts of food insecurity on their community and learning how their community is taking action.

• Students take action in the form of writing an advocacy letter to a local official.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should have some basic understanding of the importance of eating healthy foods and of social inequity.

• Teacher should be sensitive to the fact that some students might be food insecure themselves.

• Students should be familiar with formatting and writing a letter.

Differentiation

• Students can make comparisons between the information in the video about food insecurity in Brooklyn, New York, and the data on food insecurity in Hawai‘i, highlighting the unique issues in two different places.

• Teacher can provide a letter outline or sentence stems for students who need scaffolding. 

• As an extension, students can conduct further research on food deserts and be required to cite an additional scientific text in their letters.

• Students can research other recommendations or actions local groups have taken to reduce food insecurity.

• Students can engage or participate in one of the local solutions for food insecurity.

Access to, availability of, stability of, and consumption of food are all being negatively impacted by climate change. The topic of food deserts, a problem of food insecurity, and its effects on the environment, and carbon footprint are covered in this lesson. Students can learn about the difficulties facing Hawaii's food system and the solutions used locally. The lesson was reviewed and has passed our science review examination.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

Note On Standards:

This lesson is aligned to SubjectToClimate standards. Review the aligned standards directly in the lesson plan document and teacher slideshow.