Is it safe to go back to school this fall?

COVID-19 caused global disruptions in every day life, and education was no exception. Schools closed and kids went home without the aid of their teachers, the connection to their friends and, in many cases without access to vital special education services, nutritious school meals, and counseling supports. Now leaders and decision makers have to decide if students can go back to school this fall.

investigate

Teachers

Download the teacher's guide to follow along. 

Investigate

Use this graphic organizer to keep track of new information.

Contemplate

Use this worksheet to answer the Contemplate questions.

State Working to Return All Students to CT Schools As COVID Numbers Inch Upward

Lack of Internet Access Caused Thousands of CT Students to Miss Out on Distance Learning

Lamont Doubles Down on Opening Schools - But Says the State Won't Enforce It

Teachers Share Safety Demands Ahead of Schools' Reopening

contemplate

Who created this message?

  • What kind of “text” is it?
  • How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
  • What are the various elements (building blocks) that make up the whole?

 

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

  • What do you notice (about the way the message is constructed)? 
  • What’s the emotional appeal?
  • What makes it seem “real?”
  • What's the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

  • How many other interpretations could there be?
  • How could we hear about them?
  • How can you explain the different responses?

What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

  • What type of person is the reader/watcher/listener invited to identify with?
  • What ideas or perspectives are left out?
  • How would you find what’s missing?
  • What judgments or statements are made about how we treat other people?

 

Why is this message being sent?

  • What's being sold in this message? What's being told? 
  • Who is served by or  benefits from the message
    – the public?
    – private interests?
    – individuals?
    – institutions?