We created a student instructions page for the Let’s Talk About Election 2020 youth media challenge to support students participating in distance-learning environments.
Under normal circumstances, teachers would be with students in classrooms, engaging in topical and relevant discussions around the upcoming presidential election. In our current environment, rigorous student discourse has never been more important, even if we are doing so from afar. KQED’s Let’s Talk About Election 2020 youth media challenge launched in January and has already received over 100 video and audio submissions about issues that matter most to teens.
For our new distance-learning context, KQED has made it easier for teachers to lead students through the process of sharing their important evidence-backed opinions about issues like climate change, gun control and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. We created a student instructions page that guides young media producers through the step-by-step process of creating a video or audio commentary:
Step 1: Watch and listen to commentaries produced by students from around the country for inspiration.
Step 2: Choose a topic by exploring the Above the Noise Election 2020 playlist on YouTube and other issues analysis resources.
Step 3: Learn about the components of a commentary script, including how to cite evidence like a journalist, and start writing!