SUMMARY

Joan Wicks is a sixth-grade humanities teacher in Los Angeles who helped her students rebound from COVID learning loss through her devotion and advocacy. The school was recently recognized with the California Distinguished Schools Award. Wicks shares her Brief But Spectacular take on inspiring a love of learning.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who is Joan Wicks, and what is her background?
2. Where does Wicks teach?
3. Why is literacy especially important for the next generation, according to Wicks?
4. How does Wicks try to encourage an interest in reading in her students?
5. What is the value of libraries in inspiring a love of reading, according to Wicks?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Wicks says that literacy is important to the current generation of students because "we have never had a generation that's about to face what they're facing."

• What do you think she means? What unique challenges is the current generation of students facing?
• What literacy skills (reading, ability to comprehend and make media) do you think are especially important for the current generation of students?

Media literacy: Wicks says that young people are like "sponges" and follow the habits of their parents when it comes to taking in media such as books or news. Do you think this is true?

• What types of media to you read, watch or listen to that is the same as your parents?
• What types of media do you pay attention to that are different than the media your parents pay attention to?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do: Discuss as a class — what are your favorite sources of media, whether for entertainment or information? This could include books, online news sources, social media, video games or any other source of information.

• What kind of media are the most popular in your class?
• Do you think this influences what kind of information you absorb?
• Is your media consumption more similar to your parents or family or to the other students in your class? Why do you think that is?

Teachers: Check out this lesson to start a conversation about media sources and what news and information is most important to your students.

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