February 15, 2018 | Middle School, High School
Section 1: Ebola
Watch Carl Gierstorfer’s Behind the Scenes of "We Want You to Live" video.
As a class, answer the following questions:
- Where did Gierstorfer go and what did he report about for this project? How long was he in country?
- Did he get to include everything he covered in his film? How do you think journalists choose what to include in a story and what is left out?
- What challenges did hospitals and health professionals face at the beginning of the epidemic? How did that help spread the disease?
- How do you think the U.S. healthcare system would handle an epidemic of this magnitude?
- What questions would you ask Gierstorfer about his reporting and experience working on the project?
Section 2: HIV/AIDS
Watch Jon Cohen’s Meet the Journalist video.
As a class, answer the following questions:
- Where is the video filmed and why did Cohen choose to shoot it there?
- What is his project about?
- The project includes videos from six different locations. What are those locations and why are they included?
- What do you know about HIV/AIDS? Did any of the topics that Cohen highlighted surprise you?
- What are the different media and outlets where he is publishing? Why does Cohen want to present his work in more than one place and in more than one format?
- What questions would you ask Cohen about his reporting and work on the project?
Section 3: Current Events
- As a class, choose a disease, outbreak, or health topic that has been in the news recently.
- Each student will select a different news outlet that includes health reporting and identify one story about the issue that was published in the last few months.
- Read or watch your story and create a three sentence summary about the piece to share with your classmates.
- Think about why the journalist is covering that particular disease in that particular location and/or population.
- Who is the intended audience?
- Who are the people covered in the story? Who is quoted?
- After everyone presents their summaries, identify trends in the reporting about the issue. What are the similarities and differences in the way the topic is covered?
Educator Notes:
This lesson plan is designed to introduce students to Gierstorfer’s and Cohen’s reporting before the journalists visit St. Louis classrooms. Each section was designed to work as a standalone exercise that takes approximately 15 minutes of class time.
For educators in other locations: Contact the Pulitzer Center education team to be connected with a science journalist online.