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? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
Salt marshes exist on every coast of the U.S., but these important wetlands are succumbing quickly to the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. Grace Go of our journalism training program, PBS News Student Reporting Labs, has the story of how one young photographer from Massachusetts is fighting to protect these places.
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
- Who is Soren Goldsmith, and what is his background?
- What are "salt marshes," and how are they impacted by climate change?
- Where did Goldsmith set up his camera?
- How did Goldsmith seek help for his idea, and who helped him?
- Why does Goldsmith want to draw attention to salt marshes?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- How else do you think technology could help protect threatened ecosystems like salt marshes?
- Are there any threatened environments in your community that you would like to draw more attention to protecting? If so, how would you do so?
Media literacy: Why do you think this segment was produced by a student journalist? What perspective might a student journalist have that a veteran journalist might not?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Students are making a difference in their communities every day through inventive problem solving. Watch the following segment on Dasia Taylor, a student who invented a new kind of suture that detects infections. Then discuss —
- What are some similarities in the paths Taylor and Goldsmith took to addressing a problem through invention?
- How do Taylor and Goldsmith seek out help to make their ideas into realities?
(Teachers: you can find a full lesson plan on Dasia Taylor and solving problems through invention here, and more in our invention education collection here.)
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