Distance Learning: Week III – English I
General Instructions: Choose ONE article to read from the menu below to read and answer the questions below.
A. Each article should take between 45 and 90 minutes.
1. For your chosen article, create a new document, put it in MLA format, and use the title of the article you are completing. You may use your school One Drive, Microsoft Word, or Google Docs to create the document.
2. Submit ONE document with your chosen article responses to your teacher via turnitin.com under Distance Learning – Week 3. Fifth line: Distance Learning, Title: Article # ___
Response questions to answer based on the article you choose to read (each response should be between 5-7 sentences):
1. What does this article reveal about people in our society and our world right now?
2. Based on what you read in the article, what lifelong lessons can you take away from this experience? 3. What part of this article surprised you? Why?
4. Based on the topic of your chosen article, what do you think will be permanently changed in the world once the lockdown is over? Why?
5. In what way can you relate to the topics discussed in the article? Be specific!
Article #1: How bored families are getting through the coronavirus lockdown
To understand the "Quarantine Olympics," an internet trend that has come out of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, look at the place where it began: the Presley family home in Cornelius, North Carolina.
If anyone had peeked inside the residence on April 8, they would have seen the Presleys playing dodgeball. Yet none of the players could see each other, and they used rolls of toilet paper instead of balls.
"We played through all the board games and everything, so we had to get creative," said Alex Presley, age 25. For the past month, Alex has been hunkered down with his girlfriend, twin brother and parents.
The rules of "blindfolded toilet paper dodgeball," as Alex calls it, are simple: Once you're hit by a roll of toilet paper, you're out, and only then can you take off the blindfold. To make the game even more challenging, the Presleys spun in circles to dizzy themselves before they began to play.
The result was utter chaos.
Absurd Projects Combat Quarantine Boredom
Alex created a video of the game, which he set to a soundtrack of Mozart and then shared on TikTok. In the video, five people stumble around a living room with their faces covered by sweatshirt hoods. Shouts mingle with the muted thuds of rolls bouncing off windows and walls.
The family's recent game night activities have made them internet famous.
and viral parody videos. These videos entertain people who are desperate for fun as the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide.
Blindfolded toilet paper dodgeball is just one event in the Presleys's "Quarantine Olympics." The competition series has gone viral on TikTok.
The contest began in early April after Alex suggested that his family attempt a challenge he had seen. In the original challenge, participants compete to see how long they can drink water from a cup, using only a straw. While the participant drinks, the cup is continuously refilled with water.
The Presleys' "Straw Challenge" was an instant hit, drawing 7.5 million views on TikTok.
Lively Family Dinners
Now, the family is coming up with new events. Fans watching at home root for their favorite player and play the games themselves. In recent days, the family has faced off in other unconventional contests.
"We try to keep them simple and something that other families that are watching can play along as well," Alex said of the events.
Another family who now has too much free time is the Cannuscios from Massachusetts. Derek Cannuscio, a 14-year-old with a passion for cooking and comedy, has turned family dinners into extravagant themed experiences that are wildly popular on TikTok.
Derek treats his family to themed dinners two or three nights a week. He combines his skills in the kitchen with light comedy to recreate restaurant experiences.
In one video, Derek is a hibachi chef. He whips up fried rice and shrimp on a griddle.
Derek's sister, 18-year-old Caitlin Cannuscio, said that Derek's dinners, which are made using supplies he finds around the house, have inspired other families to experiment with their own meals and come up with their own themes.
"I don't know what I would be doing in quarantine without this," said Caitlin, who films the meals for TikTok.
Song Lyrics Get A Rewrite
Other families have channeled their energy into creating parody videos.
The Marshes, a family of six from the United Kingdom, went viral in late March. The family shared their isolation-themed arrangement of "One Day More" from the musical "Les Misérables." Ben Marsh said that the new lyrics came "out of the different frustrations that everyone has had over the last couple of weeks."
"One day more, another day another destiny, shopping for online delivery," sings Danielle Marsh, Ben's wife, in a video posted on Facebook.
The video has received worldwide recognition and was even shared by Academy Award–winner Anne Hathaway. Hathaway won an Oscar in 2013 for her role in "Les Misérables."
Canadian author Joel Sutherland and his family filmed a live-action parody of the title sequence for "The Simpsons." The family used a smartphone, old Halloween costumes and props found around their house.
The video recreates the cartoon's introduction shot-for-shot. Sutherland posted the finished product to Twitter on April 8. It has been shared by the "The Simpsons" producer, Al Jean, and the show's official Twitter account.
"Doing creative projects is a good way of keeping yourself busy and keeping yourself not depressed," Colleen Morris said. Morris is Sutherland's wife.
For many families, outlandish activities during lockdowns have helped strengthen their relationships with each other.
Before sheltering in place, Caitlin Cannuscio said her family was often so busy that they "never really ate dinner together."
"I'm supposed to be at college, so I haven't had dinner with them in a while," said Caitlin, a freshman at Fordham University in New York. "This has all really just brought us together."
Article #2: Opinion: Fear about the coronavirus is normal, but don’t let it control you
The novel coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, are sweeping the globe. With thousands of deaths already, and many tens of thousands of people infected across the world, it's safe to say that the coronavirus has become one of the biggest events of the 21st century. It may only be a matter of time until we see outbreaks everywhere, with public health authorities warning that the disease will probably soon start spreading locally regardless of where you are on the planet.
If nothing else, the coronavirus is scary. And that is, in and of itself, an issue. Let me explain.
The problem with scary things is that we aren't very good at reacting to them. Humans are, when push comes to shove, awful at interpreting risk. We're much more freaked out over turbulence on a plane than a near-miss in traffic, even though of the two a car crash is far more likely to be the source of our untimely demise.
We fear what we don't understand. And what we fear, we seek to control.
In the case of the coronavirus, there are some pretty obvious examples. Reports are out that people are panic-buying everything from toilet paper to ibuprofen, even if there is no outbreak in their local area nor a strong likelihood of a shortage of either any time soon. People are taking to pharmacies in droves, dragging masks off the shelves like there's no tomorrow, even though the evidence strongly suggests that masks are a waste of time for most people. The main reason to buy a mask – something that health authorities have been saying for weeks – is if you yourself are sick, because it stops your phlegm from getting on other people's faces. And don't get me started on those selling supplements to cure coronavirus, because if we want to look at exactly why each immunity-boosting echinacea tea is probably worthless we'll be here until the end of time itself.
There's no shortage of people selling supplements to cure this new infectious disease. There is, however, a distinct lack of evidence that any of it works.
And really, that's what this panic is all about. Coping with the fear. Trying to find a small measure of control over a situation that seems to be made of pure chaos. Even though it's probably not going to work, we all really want to be able to do something to keep ourselves from getting sick. Buying 15 tubs of hand sanitizer feels like a buffer against the darkness, even if you'd really be just as well off getting a normal bar of soap.
So amid the scary stories it's worth remembering that, while we may not have control over everything, there are evidence-based things you can do to help yourself. The World Health Organization has a series of simple tips on its website that anyone can follow. Wash your hands more often, and practice not touching your face. Yes, it seems boring, but often the best advice is precisely that. Even if the pharmacy shelves are entirely clear of N95 respirators, you can probably find boring old soap that'll be more useful anyway.
Ultimately, the most important thing to do is not to panic, because panic is a killer. Take a deep breath, remember that "pandemic" describes a disease's spread not its severity, and keep an eye on the news.
Fear is OK. Fear is natural. We're all afraid, with even the experts admitting that there is a huge number of things about this outbreak that we just don't know yet.
Just don't let the fear control you. You'll probably have to live with it for a while yet.
Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz is an epidemiologist working in chronic disease. The opinions in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsela or its editors.
Article #3: High school Making Masks
FRESNO, California — As doctors and nurses scramble for medical supplies to fight the global coronavirus pandemic, help is coming from an unlikely place — Fresno-area high school students.
Career Technical Education Charter High School (CTEC) has been utilizing its nine 3D printers to make face shields for health care workers on the front lines, said Jonathan Delano, director of CTEC.
Face masks have been particularly challenging to find in the United States since the outbreak. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced recently that the state is set to spend $1 billion to purchase 200 million masks each month to boost its supply.
Their design has been shared with other communities in the state's hardest-hit cities, including Los Angeles. And some of the key designers who helped slash production time are teenagers.
Valerie Castro, a CTEC sophomore, is part of a team of teachers and students who came up with design tweaks that shaved almost 30 minutes off the time it takes to build a face shield.
"That's what really makes this school kind of different," she said. "It's not just teachers doing everything."
Teachers have played a critical role, leading the charge, and several students have added crucial contributions.
"Even though all these bad things are happening, we're able to make an impact in a positive way," Castro said. "It's like leaving your little mark on the world."
Makerbot, a New York-based company that makes 3D printers, has also helped CTEC to maximize the building process.
"Some schools have one or two (3D printers)," Delano told The Bee. "We are unique for how many we have running in our space. That's what we focus on."
CTEC staff and students have provided hospitals, dentists, urgent care centers and retirement homes with masks in Fresno County and surrounding areas, including Valley Children's Hospital and Community Medical Regional Center.
"I was shocked," Stacy S. Vohra told school staff in a video. "We were so thrilled to have the donation from CTEC. This is something that we've been needing."
The entire staff has been rotating going onto campus to produce the face shields every day, Delano said.
When the new 3D printers arrive, some of them will go to students' houses so kids can help with the hands-on process, Delano said.
