COVID-19 Special Report News Discussion Prompts and Pause Points

Before the Movie:

How does COVID-19 spread? (Explain)

How will our winter holidays be different this year? (Predict)

During the Movie (Pause Points):

Stop at the following times in the movie and ask questions or prompt a discussion to keep students focused and to assess their understanding before moving on:

Timecode 1:29: Why are COVID numbers rising again? (Explain knowledge)

Timecode 2:28: Why are the holidays such a challenging time to prevent the spread of COVID? (Make connections)

Timecode 4:20: What causes exponential growth of the virus and why is flattening the curve so important? (Identify cause/effects)

After the Movie:

Look at the four related movies at the bottom of the page. Explain how each is connected to the COVID-19 Special Report News topic. (Make connections)

What are some healthy ways we can connect to our loved ones over the holidays?  (Identify problem/solution)

What would you like to know about the upcoming vaccines? (Ask questions)

BrainPOP recommends reading the movie description that appears on the COVID-19 Special Report Topic Page to your class or have students read independently. Then have them watch the movie once through without pausing. Then, watch it again as class, this time using the discussion prompts.

*BrainPOP’s Discussion Questions and Prompts align to CCSS Speaking and Listening Standards.