Directions: Read the summary, watch the video and answer the discussion questions. Have students record what they found most significant in the summaries and ask them what they’d like to learn more about. For a transcript of the video, click here.
Summary of the top news: The Thanksgiving holiday was a welcome pause for some, but millions of people in the U.S. are out of work and struggling to put food on the table. And as food insecurity soars across the nation due to COVID-19, the hardest hit are often children and people of color. Even as stocks trade near record highs, partly on news of successful vaccine trials, nearly 800,000 filed first-time unemployment claims again last week.
Also in the news:
- Despite warnings that travel could accelerate a COVID-19 spike across the country, many Americans flew or drove to gather with family, even if fewer people than normal traveled during the busiest travel time of the year.
- President-elect Biden continued to fill out his proposed cabinet, choosing advisors and officials for his national security team, his economics team and others.
- President Trump’s efforts to overturn presidential election results in battleground states continued to fail in court. Meanwhile, critical states certified election results, and more are expected to do so in the coming week.
Discussion:
Warm up questions:
- Who is helping those struggling to feed themselves and their families?
- What jobs are most affected by COVID-19 and restrictions?
- Where and when have federal or local governments provided relief for those struggling financially during the pandemic?
- Why hasn’t Congress passed any additional relief since the spring?
- How else is COVID-19 impacting the economy aside from job loss and food insecurity?
Focus questions:
- What do you think is the best way for governments or communities to help those struggling to feed themselves and their families?
- Based on this report, what is “food insecurity” and how do you think it could best be addressed on a national level?
Media literacy: What news do you think was most important from this summary? What important news are you aware of that was left out?
Additional resources
- Why is the stock market soaring while so many continue to struggle financially during the pandemic? Discuss using this story.
- Learn more about the fight of one tribe central to the Thanksgiving story as they seek to restore ancestral lands.
- This isn’t the first election in U.S. history that has been contested well after election day. To learn more about contested elections, check out this lesson plan.
