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Challenge | 50 minutes

RAPID RESPONSE: How War in the Middle East Affects American schools


OVERVIEW

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News and social media reports are horrifying and many American students and adults have familial, personal, religious, and cultural connections to the region.

How are history teachers and others handling the complicated past and present of this unfolding human catastrophe? How are school leaders caring for their communities and addressing the fear, anger, devastation and heartbreak students are feeling?

YOUR CHALLENGE

Record a short video (under 3 minutes) exploring how school communities are being impacted and how they are responding. You can interview a teacher, counselor, dean, or other adult.

Interview a history teacher:

  • Describe the conversations in your class about the Israel - Hamas conflict
  • What questions do students have?
  • Do you feel prepared to answer their questions?
  • Do you generally try to incorporate current events into your discussions of history– why or why not?

Interview a school counselor or other adult:

  • How do you provide space for students' feelings?
  • What kinds of things are you hearing from students about the war in the Middle East and their feelings around it?
  • What can be done to support the school community with empathy and kindness?
  • What advice do you have about consuming news about the war?

DEADLINE: OCTOBER 26TH

OPTIONS

Record a teacher or another adult: Record a teacher, counselor, dean, or other adult in your school and/or community using the suggested questions (above) as a guide. Add your own questions too, and ask good follow up questions based on the answers you hear.

Record yourself: This could be in the form of a video diary, where you record yourself talking straight to the camera using the suggested questions.

CONSIDER THESE EXAMPLES AS YOU PRODUCE YOUR MEDIA. VIDEO WILL BE EDITED INTO A MONTAGE BY SRL EDITORS:

Michigan teachers respond to the Oxford school shooting

High school students share their hopes for the Biden administration

ON CAMERA IDENTIFICATION: For the record, please say and spell your full name (first and last) on camera. Also please describe how you want to be identified in this video. For example, “I’m an 11th grade student at Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, California” NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS USED BY SRL’S EDITORS TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS ON SCREEN. WE NEED IT IN ORDER TO PUBLISH YOUR VIDEO.

PRODUCTION STEPS

  • Decide which option you would like to pursue.
  • Reach out to your interview subject(s) for a pre-interview and schedule a recording date.
  • Prepare and practice.
  • Record the interview(s) and make sure to thank your subject for their time. They must sign our media release if they are under 18.
  • Transfer your footage to your computer or device and transcribe using Otter or similar service.
  • Before uploading your video, watch it. Submit your raw video and transcripts using this SUBMISSION FORM to submit your materials. We encourage educators to watch the videos and review them for technical issues, and ONLY SUBMIT THE BEST 5 PER SCHOOL OR CLASS.

PRODUCTION GUIDE

USE/DOWNLOAD: RAPID RESPONSES SKILLS AND STANDARDS CHECKLIST + CHECK OUT: HOW TO RECORD A RAPID RESPONSE

When possible, please use a a microphone while recording (lavalier or shotgun). If you are unable to, be mindful of sound in your filming location (avoid busy hallways or distracting areas)

It is important to follow these guidelines if you would like your video to be considered for publication:

UPLOADING VIDEO FILE

Rename the video file with your information: STATE_School_Name_AI.mp4 Example: CT_BensonHigh_SallySmith_AI.mp4

File type: .mp4, codec: h.264, resolution: 1920x1080, 30fps

Exporting .mp4 using Premiere or Final Cut Pro

EXAMPLE OF DESIRED COMPOSITION FOR RAPID RESPONSES:

composition.width-800

Subject is looking at the camera, centered, from the chest up, normal headroom.

HOW TO SUBMIT TO PBS NEWSHOUR STUDENTS REPORTING LABS (SRL)

Submit your best 3-5 responses here. Please do not include any text or music in your submissions.

Journalism

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information.

Source: American Press institute

Media

Media refers to all electronic or digital means and print or artistic visuals used to transmit messages.

Source: NAMLE

News Media

All forms of media created with the purpose of informing the public and delivering news through specific mediums such as radio and broadcast stations, digital news organizations and others.

Media consumption

The act of consuming any form of media including anything that is text or visual. It can be books, television, papers, flyers, advertisements, newspapers, information on the Internet, etc.

Issue

​​A subject or problem that people are thinking and talking about

Source: Cambridge Dictionary

Diversity

The condition of having or being composed of differing elements. Especially in the context of the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc. in a group or organization

Source: Merriam Webster

Timeliness

Immediate, current information and events are newsworthy because they have just recently occurred. It’s news because it’s “new.”

Human Interest

People are interested in other people. Everyone has something to celebrate and something to complain about. We like unusual stories of people who accomplish amazing feats or handle a life crisis because we can identify with them.

Interview

A conversation between two or more people where the purpose is to gather information and facts. The interviewer asks questions and the interviewee provides information based on their knowledge about a specific topic or issue.

Conflict

When violence strikes or when people argue about actions, events, ideas or policies, we care. Conflict and controversy attract our attention by highlighting problems or differences within the community or between groups. Sometimes conflict can be subtle and manifest as tension.

Empathy

The term “empathy” is used to describe a wide range of experiences. A generally definition is the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. In media-making, creators can have empathy for their subjects and the audience can empathize with the characters.

Video profile

The story of one person, has voiceover (VO), b-roll, pictures, nats (natural sound), interviews of family members or peers of that one person.

A-Roll

The primary video and audio that drives your story from beginning to end.

Montage

A selection of separate sections of video that form a continuous, edited piece.

Video Portrait

A short video clip that captures the interview subject in their natural state. It involves a person looking into the lens for a few seconds. It’s like a still photo but video!

Perspectives

Historical understanding requires recognizing this multiplicity of points of view in the past, which makes it important to seek out a range of sources on any historical question rather than simply use those that are easiest to find. It also requires recognizing that perspectives change over time, so that historical understanding requires developing a sense of empathy with people in the past whose perspectives might be very different from those of today. (NCSS D2.His.4.9-12 - D2.His.8.9-12)

Speaking and Listening - Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Reading - Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Historical Sources and Evidence

Historical inquiry is based on materials left from the past that can be studied and analyzed. (NCSS D2.His.9.9-12 - D2.His.13.9-12)

Creative Communicator

Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. (ISTE)

Global Collaborator

Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. (ISTE)

Change, Continuity, and Context

At its heart, chronological reasoning requires understanding processes of change and continuity over time, which means assessing similarities and differences between historical periods and between the past and present. (NCSS D2.His.1.9-12 - D2.His.3.9-12)

Gathering and Evaluating Sources

Whether students are constructing opinions, explanation, or arguments, they will gather information from a variety of sources and evaluate the relevance of that information. (NCSS D3.1.9-12 - D3.2.9-12)

Speaking and Listening - Comprehension and Collaboration

Language - Knowledge of Language

Topics

Journalism

Representation

Stereotypes and Misconceptions

Race and Justice

Video Production

Civics

Education

Identity

Active Prompts

Levels

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Materials

Post It Notes

Camera or Mobile Phone

Camera

Mobile Phone

Internet

Notebook

Estimated Time

50 minutes