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March 19, 2021, 11:54 a.m.

Student Reporting Labs: Teenagers reflect on how their worlds changed during the pandemic

Summary

For teenagers, this year of quarantine and remote school forced an unprecedented experiment in learning and coping. We asked our network of student journalists to reflect on how their worlds changed and what they're looking forward to once the pandemic is over.
  • Many of the teenagers interviewed for this piece described longing for all the things they missed, including sports and the freedom to drive anywhere.
  • Some also said that the last year has made them more humble or more empathetic.

Five Facts

  • Who appears in this video and where are they from?
  • What are some ways teenagers in the video think about the past year?
  • When and Where are schools reopening?
  • Wh y do some interviewed describe becoming more empathetic during the past year?
  • How has the pandemic affected teenagers differently around the country?

Focus Questions

Looking back on the past year, what was the most important change in your life? Do you think this experience has made you a different person in any way? Media literacy: Where do you think the producers of this piece found the teenagers to talk to?

For More

It's been a year since schools began to close as part of COVID restrictions. As a bookend to the video above, you may want to watch this video from Student Reporting Labs that asks students similar questions about life under COVID, but from the perspective of the pandemics early weeks:

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