Discover Discussion Debate - Economic Inequality - Latin America

Discovery Discussion Debate
Economic Inequality Latin America

Latin America has used education to try to bridge the gap. Does this work in any country? Discover your ideas. Discuss and form opinions. Debate the opinions you have formed. Dr. Paul R. Friesen
Title: An unequal continent is becoming less so
Gini back in the bottle
Discover Ideas
( Outline)
Discuss the Story

(3 Question Levels)
Create Opinions
Economic Inequality- Latin America
Design Dr. Paul R. Friesen 2013 Original Story copyright of original author Graphic organizers from MS Office templates
Page 1 of 17
Discovery Discussion Debate Before you start

Look through the idea, front to back. The ideas in red are just ideas. Students should add to these. There is an outline page for Discovery. There are graphic organizer pages for the Discussion and Debate sections. The reason for the worksheets, at the end of the book, is to help you work systematically through the material. Worksheets are helpers and can be a distraction from the rhythm and sequence in your teaching. By putting them at the end they become support pages versus places to stop, giving a smoother presentation.
Discovery
In the beginning of each story you will have a few questions to discover what you know, or think you know about a story. The Title of the article/ story will be given and you will be asked to discover the story by asking good questions. In the second part of discovery you will be asked to find words which you do not know. Some of these may be highlighted already in bold. Definitions will follow to help you discover what the writer is talking about. Discovery will help you form a plan for the discussion and debate.
Discussion
Discussion is not a debate, though it can quickly become one if there are strong opposing ideas in the group. Discussion can be a part of the discovery before you read the story. It may also come after to discuss the ideas of the story. Sometimes a persons views may change after reading the article, which is a good way to start a discussion. Discussion is interaction without a lot of structure. Be careful not to confuse discussion with argument. Debate is about argument. Discussion is about sharing your views and interacting with others who want to expand or give a differing viewpoint.
Debate
Debate is a structured idea. It means that only one person speaks in turn, and with a specific point to address. It also has a time limit, so the speaker must be precise in their argument. In a debate the key is to listen and be prepared to oppose the other teams ideas. It takes research, a lot of work, and patience. In the following story we want to begin with discovery ideas. What can you know from a title, if you dont know about the topic?
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In discovery you will form ideas to create basics ideas for an outline. In discussion you will ask questions to help you build an outline for your viewpoint. In debate you will separate the outline into two sections, for and against. At each stage you will be able to use what you have learned before, to expand on your ideas and understand both sides of the issue.
Page 3 of 17
Discovery
Title: Gini back in the bottle
An unequal continent is becoming less so
What can you know from the title? . . . . . ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
What do I know about this topic? . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ What would make me depressed? . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ What do you think is a good model to close the economic gap? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________
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. Now read the story. . Create an outline of the story / paragraphs. . There is a list of words on the side for you to find. . After you have found the words, look in the definitions, which follow the story. . Discover the words you dont know.
Economic Inequality
Latin America ~ Gini back in the bottle An unequal continent is becoming less so Oct 13th 2012
Michael Jackson brought Santa Marta a moment of fame. In February 1996, the King of Pop landed by helicopter at the top of one of Rio de Janeiros most notorious favelas. Politicians tried to stop him, but Mr Jackson had permission from the drug barons, who ruled the slum. He danced down the steep paths between shacks clinging precariously to the mountainside; surrounded by a cheering crowd of Rios poorest citizens, and belted out his hit single They dont care about us. The music video was played around the world. It trained a spotlight on Rios poverty and inequality. Sixteen years later Santa Marta is once again a showcase, but of a better sort. It was the first favela to be pacified under a government plan to wrest control of Rios slums from the drug lords. The place was stormed by the army in 2008. It now has a police station, and is peaceful. It is a thriving example of the boom at the bottom of Brazilian society. Meet Salete Martins, a bubbly 42-year-old, whose family moved to Santa Marta from Brazils north-east when she was eight. By day she works as a trainee tour guide, showing visitors around her neighborhood for a cityfinanced non-profit group called Rio Top Tours. At night she studies tourism at a local college. On weekends, she sells Bahian food from a bustling stall near the favelas entrance. And in between she flogs a popular line of beauty products. Her monthly income is around 2,000 reais ($985), four times as much as she made selling sandwiches three years ago, and more than three times the minimum wage. She plans to launch her own tour-guide company before the end of this year.
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Ms. Martins success is striking, even in Santa Marta. But it mirrors a trend that has swept the whole of Latin America. Poor peoples incomes have surged over the past decade, leading to a big drop in inequality. In most Latin American countries the Gini coefficient in 2010 was lower than in 2000. The regions average, at 0.5, is down from almost 0.54 a decade ago, and lower than at any time in the past 30 years (see chart 3), though still high relative to other regions. Judging by evidence from Argentina, the only country in Latin America to publish statistics on tax returns of top earners, the richest 1% are still pulling ahead of the rest. That concentration is more than made up for by the narrowing of gaps further down the income scale. Both shifts are reflected in popular culture. Mulheres ricas (Rich women) is a new reality-TV show about Brazils ultra-wealthy (I bathe in mineral water every day, said one woman in an early episode). The countrys most popular prime-time soap is Avenida Brasil, which documents life among the newly minted middle classes. Although Latin America saw only half the average GDP growth of emerging Asia over the past ten years, its poverty rate fell by 30%. Around a third of the decline is due to improvements in income distribution. How did a continent that had been egregiously unequal since the conquistadores land grab suddenly change course? Not because of radical nationalization and redistribution. Latin America has a few asset-seizing hardleft governments, notably Argentina and Venezuela, but inequality has also fallen in countries following a more orthodox economic course, such as Chile and Colombia. Nor is the turnaround just a side-effect of the commodities boom. Inequality has fallen in countries that rely heavily on exports of commodities, such as Peru, but also in those where manufacturing plays a bigger role, such as Mexico. Nor can demography be the main cause. Poorer Latin American families have become smaller, which reduces inequality, but these changes were well under way in the 1980s and 1990s. According to Nora Lustig, an economist at the University of Tulane and one of the first to document the narrowing of the regions income gaps, two things have made a big difference. First, the premium for skilled workers has been falling: a surge in secondary education has increased the supply of literate, reasonably well-schooled workers, and years of steady growth have raised relative demand for the less skilled in the formal workforce, whether as construction workers or cleaners. Second, governments around Latin America have reinforced the narrowing of wage gaps with social spending targeted at people with the lowest incomes. These include more generous pensions and conditional cash transfersschemes that offer payment to the poorest families in return for meeting specific conditions, such as making sure their children go to school.
Design Dr. Paul R. Friesen 2013 Original Story copyright of original author Graphic organizers from MS Office templates Page 6 of 17

The most striking change has been in education. In the past Latin American governments lavished cash on universities. State primary and secondary schools were underfunded and of appalling quality. That bias in favour of tertiary education, perversely, most benefited the children of the rich, who had attended private primary and secondary schools. But since the early 1990s education spending has become much more progressive, with a huge expansion in public secondary education among the poor. According to Karla Breceda, Jamele Rigolini and Jaime Saavedra, three economists at the World Bank, Latin American governments, on average, now spend a larger share of GDP on education for the poorest 20% of children than does the United States. More progressive spending has produced results. Some countries have seen an increase of 20 percentage points in the share of children finishing secondary school. Another study for the World Institute for Development Economics Research in Helsinki by Guillermo Cruces, Carolina Garca Domench and Leonardo Gasparini showed that the gap between rich and poor in secondaryschool enrolment has fallen in all countries except El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Many Latin countries are also championing pre-school education. Rios city government, for instance, has dramatically increased its network of nursery schools since 2009, building 74 new ones in the past three years. Any child from a family below the poverty line is guaranteed a free place in a nursery from the age of six months. ] A nudge in the right direction Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) reinforce this focus on schooling. These stipends cost relatively little (typically 0.2-0.8% of GDP) but influence the priorities of many. About a quarter of Brazils population now gets some money from Bolsa Famlia, the countrys CCT scheme. State and local governments piggyback on top. In Rio, for instance, the city supplements Bolsa Famlia payments for 700,000 of its poorer families. If children do exceptionally well in exams, a bonus is paid. If they miss school, the payment stops. Ms. Martins realized her 14-year-old was skipping school, only when her monthly stipend was docked. Several academic studies in Mexico show that kids in CCT schemes stay at school longer. Better education is boosting social mobility. Historically, the link between parents and childrens education has been closer in Latin America than anywhere else. In Peru, for instance, almost 70% of a childs educational achievement can be predicted from its fathers schooling. But a forthcoming report from the World Bank suggests that the current generation of Latin American children are both better educated than their parents, and moving relatively faster up the education ladder. And, like Indias poorest castes, disadvantaged indigenous people have made big gains.

These newly educated workers enjoy far better prospects in the formal workforce than their parents did. State pensions have become more generous. Countries from Argentina to Bolivia have introduced non-contributory pension schemesin effect, a promise of government support for the elderly. Minimum wages across the continent have soared. Brazils has risen by more than 50% in real terms since 2003. And since pension benefits are linked to the minimum wage, the two trends reinforce each other. The precise contribution of better education, better opportunities for less skilled workers and bigger social spending differs by country. An analysis by Ms Lustig, Luis Lpez-Calva of the World Bank and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez of the United Nations Development Programme suggests that narrower wage gaps explain most of the reduction in inequality throughout the region. According to calculations by Marcelo Neri, of the Institute for Applied Economic Research, government transfers explain about one-third of the drop in inequality in Brazil.
Vocabulary Check
Find the colored words. Write a definition you can discover from the story if possible. __________ 1. ______________________________________________________ __________ 2. ______________________________________________________ __________ 3. ______________________________________________________ __________ 4. ______________________________________________________ __________ 5. ______________________________________________________ __________ 6. ______________________________________________________ __________ 7. ______________________________________________________ __________ 8. ______________________________________________________ __________ 9. ______________________________________________________ ___________ 10. ______________________________________________________ __________ 11. ______________________________________________________ __________ 12. ______________________________________________________

__________ 13. ______________________________________________________ __________ 14. ______________________________________________________ __________ 15. ______________________________________________________ __________ 16. ______________________________________________________ __________ 17. ______________________________________________________ __________ 18. ______________________________________________________ __________ 19. ______________________________________________________ __________ 20. ______________________________________________________ __________ 21. ______________________________________________________ __________ 22. ______________________________________________________ __________ 23. ______________________________________________________ __________ 24. ______________________________________________________ __________ 25. ______________________________________________________ __________ 26. ______________________________________________________ __________ 27. ______________________________________________________ __________ 28. ______________________________________________________ __________ 29. ______________________________________________________ __________ 30. ______________________________________________________
Page 9 of 17
Discovery Discussion Debate Discovery

What do I know about this topic?
List at least four (4) different ideas you have found in this story.
. __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________

Use them when you make your outline.
Discussion
Level I . Education is the only way to help people become equal. Explain. . Latin America does not have a rich/poor problem, or does it? . What is the biggest problem in Latin America? Level II . Will paying parents to keep their children in school help the economic inequality? . Will education solve the drug and gang problems in Latin America? Explain. . Will increasing the minimum wage solve the economic inequality? . Why does education help solve economic inequality? Explain. Level III . What is the solution to Indias caste system and economic inequality? Explain. . Would giving stipends to families work in all countries? Explain. . What other solutions would work globally to bring the economic gap together? You now have everything you need to fill out your outline. Look at your answers, under Discussion, and fill it out to reflect the new ideas. These new ideas will help you form your debate ideas better.
Page 10 of 17
In debate you will have a statement not a question. You have to react to the statement with facts, not opinions. Discussions are based a lot on opinions and answer questions. This is where these two ideas, though similar, are different. Debate is about facts and statements. When you make a statement, from a story, you must consider what the core issue is. If you have made a good outline, you will have this already discovered. This story is from economics. The core issue could be; social economic political culture In todays world the topics could range from; social responsibility government control people power democracy the super-rich economics
These are all good argument that you would want to research for your argument, or write in your essay. Build the argument starting from Why? Once you have determined the Why? you can find facts to support your idea.
Countries which spend money on education incentives will reduce their income gap disparity. All families should receive stipends to keep their high school students in school. Countries should spend most of the money on preschool education, not middle or high school. Before you start choose one of the above statements to focus on. Choose a for or against position. Research to find FACTS for your position. List the facts.

Write out your argument in a long paragraph format. Include the opposite position in your writing.
You need to write out both sides so you can understand the
other sides argument.
Discovery Outline
Main topic ________________________ Find one (1) key idea in each paragraph. (3-5 words) Paragraph 1 ______________________________ Paragraph 2 ______________________________ Paragraph 3 ______________________________ Paragraph 4 ______________________________ Paragraph 5 ______________________________ Write two things about the main paragraph idea. Paragraph 1 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 2 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 3 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 4 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ Paragraph 5 ______________________________ A. ______________________________ B. ______________________________ In the introduction you use the 5 paragraph ideas to communicate the order of your argument/ essay. In the conclusion you repeat what you have said about the points of each paragraph.
Graphic Organization ~ Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics
paragraph 1 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ paragraph 5 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ paragraph 2 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
Main topic
paragraph 4 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
paragraph 3 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
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Discussion Graphic ~ Is this phenomenon a problem / becoming a problem in todays society? Answer ~ I think economic inequality is (a / becoming a) problem because
Problem / Economic Inequality
Spending goverment money on preshool education will solve the economic gap.
Minimum wage is the problem. We should raise the minimum wage to a living standard.
Latin America's solutions will work in any coutnry, because we all pay taxes to governments.
Respond
Respond
Respond
Respond
Respond
Respond
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graphic ~ choose one statement from the above. Write it here _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ To make your argument you should understand that they are connected. In the next two charts (1) list your argument facts and ideas, (2) show how your argument connects to both the center point and the other points. list
Facts
For 1 Against
Add more if needed


graphic ~ choose one statement from the above. list
If this -- then
If this -- then
Write your statement position here. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________________________
If this -- then
If this -- then
If this -- then
Now start the
As a team choose which points they will speak about. Each person will listen for the opposite point and create a new response to what the other person has said. A: point 1 B: responds to the point and give a new point. C: responds to B and give a new point. After all persons have spoken each person can respond to any point given by the opposite team, or add more points from their team which will need responding to from the opposite team.
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Dear Teacher/ Student, After you have finished this please look for more in this series to challenge yourself. This is only part of a curriculum. It starts with Dr. Roys Everything Grammar. Dr. Roys Everything Grammar Volumes I and II will develop the skills of story and essay writing, while at the same time building a foundation in grammar. The repetition of grammar, combined with reason and speaking, culminating in a story or essay will prepare students for this series. Going beyond this book is a book to expand the outlines into essays. Good essays are able to build and defend an argument. Building a structure for debate will springboard off this skill set.
Dr. Paul R. Friesen
Page 17 of 17

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Discovery Discussion Debate

Economic Inequality Latin America

Discovery Discussion Debate

Title: An unequal continent is becoming less so

Gini back in the bottle

Discuss the Story

Economic Inequality- Latin America

Discovery Discussion Debate Before you start

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate Discovery

. __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________ . __________________________________________

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Discovery Discussion Debate

Graphic Organization ~ Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics

paragraph 4 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

paragraph 3 ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

Discovery Discussion Debate

Problem / Economic Inequality

Discovery Discussion Debate

Add more if needed

Discovery Discussion Debate

Write your statement position here. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________________________

Now start the

Discovery Discussion Debate

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

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. . . .

paragraph 4

paragraph 3

Write your statement position here. __________