Concrete Rose

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.

2. What are some examples of toxic masculinity you see in society today?

Teaching Suggestion: Discuss what toxic masculinity requires from both men and women in society. How are men expected to act? How are women expected to reciprocate in interactions with men? Why have these qualities been identified as “toxic”?

• The short video “Toxic Masculinity in Boys is Fueling an Epidemic of Loneliness” from NBC News shows various viewpoints of growing up as a boy in the United States and provides perspective from Niobe Way, a developmental psychologist from NYU. This video can be used to compare and contrast with students’ responses to the initial discussion question.
• The APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men outlines information on the current understanding of the psychological needs of boys and men in response to the rise of society’s use of the term “toxic masculinity.” The publication provides an introduction to basic psychological thought processes and methods.

Short Activity [optional]

Discuss The Devastating Effects of Race and Racism by talking about the concept of redlining. Before delving deeper into the effects of redlining specifically, brainstorm what these effects might be and how they’re still in place today. Reflect on how this concept is harmful using a cause-and-effect map to plot out your thoughts.

Teaching Suggestion: View the University of Richmond Digital Scholarship Lab’s interactive map entitled “Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America” and focus on a city chosen by the group. Discuss the significance of the color coding and its meanings.

• A ‘Forgotten History’ Of How the U.S. Government Segregated America introduces redlining as a concept and how it continues to impact housing in the United States today.
• Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America is an interactive map that shows redlining in major cities across the United States. This resource and the topic of redlining can also be used to discuss explicit versus implicit acts of racism.