Episode 25
World Leaders Tackle Pandemic | Courts Carry On | Pop-Up Book Designer
Teachers, episode resources including worksheets, guides and access to Google Classroom can be found at the bottom of the page. Want to hop to there now? Click here.
Keep an eye out for these vocabulary terms in the episode:
herd immunity (noun) when a disease is unable to spread because enough people in a population are immune to it.
setting (noun) the environment where a story takes place.
stimulus (noun) something meant to cause a reaction.
vulnerable (adjective) more likely to get hurt.
TOP NEWS: World Leaders Tackle Pandemic
Hello everybody, welcome back to NewsDepth!
Folks around the world are looking to their country’s leaders to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Let’s take a spin around the globe and see their responses.
We start here in America. President Donald Trump is eager to get America back on its feet. Last week, he announced guidelines for reopening businesses and ending social distancing. Trump’s plan involves three stages of reopening as the number of COVID-19 cases decreases.
Trump said the federal government will work hand in hand with governors to get their states up and running:
We'll talk about Ohio's specific plans in a little bit. Across the U.S., more than 22 million people in the United States filed for unemployment over the past four weeks.
To help folks make it by without jobs, the federal government began sending out stimulus checks last week. A stimulus is something meant to cause a reaction. In this case, people are being sent money to help boost the economy.
Speaking of paychecks, the president of the South American country of Ecuador announced that he and his cabinet will be taking salary cuts due to the coronavirus. President Lenín Moreno tweeted that he is reducing his own salary by 50 percent.
The country of about 17 million is one of the worst affected in South America. They have seen over 7,800 cases of COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization.
Now to the United Kingdom. Here Prime Minister Boris Johnson was recently released from a hospital. Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 and spent three days in intensive care. After getting a clean bill of health, he made sure to thank hospital workers and the people in the UK who are social distancing.
Not every county is participating in social distancing. In Sweden, they are taking a completely different approach to the pandemic — herd immunity. Herd immunity is when a disease is unable to spread because enough people in a population are immune to it.
Herd immunity is often attained through vaccinations. For example, when a lot of people get the flu shot, herd immunity can help keep people who are unable to get the shot from getting sick.
Since there is no vaccine for COVID-19, Sweden is relying on people recovering from the illness and those who are naturally immune to protect others.
Reporter Phil Black has a look at how Sweden’s approach is working:
Thanks, Phil.
Well back in America, we are relying on social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine has said he will be reopening businesses that are able to keep workers and customers safe in Ohio on May 1.
DeWine said Ohioans will need to be smart about getting close to each other as businesses reopen, especially folks who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Vulnerable means more likely to get hurt. This includes people with weak immune systems and the elderly.
However, DeWine also announced that K-12 schools will remain closed through the end of the academic year. He said he made the decision after talking with lawmakers, the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction and educators.
He said the closures will help reduce the spread of the illness because, while children aren't likely to get COVID-19, they can still spread the virus.
For this week’s poll we want to know how you think businesses in Ohio should reopen come May. Vote below or click here if the poll does not load!
PETTING ZOO: Mini Horses Cheer Up Nursing Home Residents
Among those most vulnerable to the coronavirus are folks living in nursing homes. To keep them safe, many nursing homes are not allowing visitors. Ohio Governor DeWine even ordered people not to visit the centers and workers to notify the family of the residents if anyone gets sick with COVID-19.
Not having visitors can make life lonely though, which is why one horse farm took their rescues on a special ride.
Reporter Olivia Russel has NewsCat’s pick of the week!
Thanks Olivia and NewsCat!
TOP NEWS: Courts Carry On
The coronavirus can't halt everything. The Supreme Court of the United States announced it will be hearing cases by telephone in May. The court is the highest in the country — the very top of the judicial branch.
The Supreme Court justices had already postponed their March and April cases due to the pandemic. Now they will return, virtually at least, in May.
Live audio of the proceedings will be available to the media and the public. This is unusual since the courts don’t normally provide a live feed, just audio at the end of the week. They have plenty of cases to make it through, including several involving Trump and others about copyrights and robocalls.
In Ohio, courts are finding similar ways to carry on. New technology at a courtroom in Youngstown, Ohio, allowed a very special hearing to take place last week.
Reporter Gerry Ricciutti has the story:
Thanks, Gerry.
POLL RESULTS & INBOX
From that feel-good story, let's turn to your observations from last week! Rick has the results from last episode's poll and a selection your answers to the Inbox question:
We've got more of your great answers on the NewsDepth Inbox page.
TOP NEWS: Story Setting Springs to Life
Last week Rick read your tips on staying positive during the pandemic. Plenty of you said you find reading is a fun way to relax and destress.
“My best tips to everyone is to do what makes you happy, like for me reading makes me happy.”
“Some of my best tips for staying positive while you’re stuck at home is to do fun, free activities. If you are sad and missing your friends, then you could read a happy book. Reading is really good for your brain and you could start reading a really good book that you never even knew existed.”
For fans of the book series Lord of the Rings just reading wasn’t enough. In Washington, a couple of ladies brought the books’ setting to life. A setting is the environment where a story takes place.
Reporter Ellen Tailor takes us to the women’s hobbit home:
Thanks, Ellen. The hobbit home is closed to tourists right now due to the pandemic, but it inspired our write-in question.
Now it’s your turn! We want to know: what story setting would you like to bring to life? Be sure to include the book’s title and author.
You can use the inbox form below to submit your great letters. If the form doesn't load you can also write to us by clicking here.
Rick will share some of the best answers next week!
SKETCHBOOK: Meet a Pop-Up Book Designer
Let’s stick to literature. If you thought that hobbit home brought a story to life, you’ll love how author Keith Allen makes his stories jump right off the page!
Margaret Cavalier has the story for us:
Thanks, Margaret.
If you want to try your hand at making a pop-up, Keith has some fun freebies on his website just for kids.
A+: Sherwood Elementary Students Pay It Forward With 'Giving Plates'
This week’s NewsDepth A+ goes to some sixth-grade students who are serving up kindness in their community! Ninety-eight sixth grade students from Sherwood Elementary in Cincinnati created a project called “Giving Plates.”
They decorated dinner plates with kind words and pictures. Then, they took their crafts home and filled them with treats and goodies. They handed out their caring creations to neighbors, former teachers and coaches. Those who received a Giving Plate were encouraged to continue passing them along.
Through the project, students learned to promote kindness and how to take care of others. One student Callen gave a plate to his neighbors.
"My favorite thing about making the giving plates was having the thought that it will be passed from family to family making people smile," he said.
And another student, Elizabeth Schmidt, gave her plate to her volleyball coach because she wanted to show how much she appreciated her.
"I learned that giving is way more important than we think," she said. "If someone received it then they know that people appreciate them and if I were getting a plate I would be so happy because I would know that people took time to give the plate to me and think about me."
Way to go, Sherwood Elementary! We’re proud to award you this week’s NewsDepth A+ for paying it forward with Giving Plates.
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.
Stay in Touch
That’s all the news we have for you in this week’s Backpack edition of NewsDepth. But there are plenty of ways to stay in touch!
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