Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • What factors determine whether a child will be successful when they become an adult?
  • Who has raised you? Summarize their contributions to your development.

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of economist Melissa Kearney discussing the current statistics regarding one- and two-parent households. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #1: Current Statistics (5:29).

  • What has become “abundantly clear?”
  • Based on the clip, how have the issues of child poverty, inequality, and social mobility been addressed in the past?
  • Summarize the “stats” discussed in the clip.
  • According to Melissa Kearney, when did the change in household composition occur?
  • What “shocking and dramatic” gap has emerged?
  • Where has been the “largest decline?”
  • How does the “wide gap” today compare to that of the 1980s?
  • What is the “shame” of the situation?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage.

  We recommend having your students complete the activity in a jigsaw format to save time. Or, depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• ENGAGEMENT

  Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following two video clips that provide two perspectives about the theory that the decline in two-parent married households is a driving factor in many of America’s economic issues. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #2: Why Does It Matter? (5:54).

  • What is “clear in the data,” and what does it mean for kids to “do better?”
  • According to Melissa Kearney, what role does income play into the success of a child? Why?
  • What else does a “second parent” provide?
  • Summarize the third “mechanism” and related evidence.

• Clip #3: Counterarguments (7:20).

  • Based on the clip, why can’t the effect of a second parent in the house be proven?
  • What argument does Melissa Kearney “not see evidence” for?
  • Upon what does each “individual case” depend?
  • What is the “marriage premium?” Compare the examples provided in the clip.

• ANALYSIS

  Direct students to the analysis section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to choose to complete either Option #1 or Option #2. Then, have them view the following two clips in your section that offer additional details about the decline in two-parent married households. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• OPTION #1 - Clip #4: Other Studies (5:12).

  • Summarize the first study described by Scott Winship and what the study found.
  • What did the second study “find?”
  • According to Melissa Kearney, what resources would a harmful parent bring into the household?
  • Summarize Kearney’s comments about “the marginal versus average,” and what question the discussion raises.

• OPTION #1 - Clip #5: Boys Versus Girls (9:15).

  • In what ways are boys “falling behind?” Why?
  • What is “common sense,” and how is it present in the data?
  • Who does the “gender gap” currently favor, and how does it “spiral?” Define the additional boost described in the clip.
  • What are boys “particularly sensitive to,” and what consequences does this have as compared to girls?
  • Based on the clip, what is the impact of having black dads living in a local neighborhood?

• OPTION #2 - Clip #6: Causes of Decline (8:51).

  • What is “driving” the decline in two-parent married households?
  • Based on the clip, what has been the trend regarding teen pregnancy?
  • List the three possible “broad explanations” of inequality.
  • Summarize Melissa Kearney’s comments about economics and social norms.

• OPTION #2 - Clip #7: Pushing Back (7:13).

  • According to Scott Winship, what has been the trend of income for men?
  • Summarize Melissa Kearney’s comments in response to Winship.
  • When is the “value proposition” of marriage reduced, and upon what do the “gains to marriage for women” depend?
  • Has the “safety net” played a role in the decline of marriage? Why or why not?
  • Why might there have been an “even larger increase” in single motherhood? Would making the safety net “more stingy” fix the issue?

• REFLECTION

  After your students finish sharing their findings from the last section and recording their peers' findings as well, direct them to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following final video clip in which economist Melissa Kearney discusses what can be done about the decline in two-parent married households in America. Direct your students to answer the related questions and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #8: Moving Forward (2:28).

  • What policies or steps “would make a difference?”
  • According to Melissa Kearney, what social norm needs “reestablished?” How so?
  • Based on the clip, what root causes should be addressed?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having learned about the decline in two-parent married households in America, assess the significance of the issue and what should be done about it, if anything. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your response.