NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
Directions: Second Nature is a video series from PBS News Student Reporting Labs about how young people are working to protect the environment and combat climate change. Choose one of the following Student Reporting Labs (SRL) stories to watch (or watch them both!) and answer the discussion questions. The third video in the series is included in the What Students Can Do section below.
VIDEO 1 SUMMARY: This Howard University program makes environmentally-conscious clothing chic (see video above)
Hailey Morris served as president of HUWEA, a student association at Howard University that finds opportunities for Black students to promote sustainability and environmental justice. HUWEA’s sustainable fashion initiative promotes eco-friendly shopping practices through tours of thrift stores, flea markets, and farmers' markets in Washington, DC.
VIDEO 2 SUMMARY: Bringing Los Angeles’ Spanish-speaking community into climate conversations
The University of Southern California’s Sustainability Sin Fronteras newsletter aims to inform Los Angeles’s Spanish-speaking community — often excluded from environmental conversations — about sustainability issues. The story features the work of USC student Mayte Abrica, who co-founded the newsletter, and Miguel Ordeñana, the Senior Manager of Community Science at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, who helps bring hands-on science and climate education to LA locals.
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
- Who are the individuals or groups featured in the segment?
- Where is the college/university located?
- When did the student(s) become interested in protecting the environment?
- How does the solutions-based work discussed in the video help the environment?
- Why were the students drawn to work that helps the environment?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- What environmental problems where you live would you like to see covered in the news? What are some potential solutions?
- How do you think having youth reporters cover climate stories in your community could make a difference?
Media literacy: From the name, what do you think "solutions journalism" is? Check out the Solutions Journalism Network. Why do you think some journalists have actively made the decision to include solutions in their news stories?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
- Check out our lesson on the third video in the Second Nature series, Young photographer documents disappearing salt marshes to inspire action, which appeared on the national broadcast of the PBS News Hour.
2. Photo activity: Do you enjoy taking pictures or know someone who does? Have you ever thought of becoming a photographer? If you could make it your profession, what would be your subject?
If you have a camera or cellphone (or complete with a classmate, family member or neighbor who has one), take a few shots of your local environment — that is, the neighborhood or area where you live or go to school. What do you notice? Anything new that you may have never noticed before? What makes the photo unique or one-of-a-kind?
The SRL stories focus on solutions journalism, which includes not just reporting on a problem but also covering solutions to the problem. Did you photograph something that might be indicative of a problem (i.e. some litter on the sidewalk)? What solutions can you come up with to help solve the problem or at least make it a little better?
Credit: Screenshot PBS News Hour Classroom
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