Santa Fe study guide: Have mass shootings become part of American culture?
Essential question: how might learning about the lives of those students and teachers killed in mass shootings affect people’s outlook on school safety and gun violence?
May 23, 2018
Essential question: how might learning about the lives of those students and teachers killed in mass shootings affect people’s outlook on school safety and gun violence?
Share
Video summary:
Discussion questions:
1. How might learning about the lives of those students and teachers killed in mass shootings affect people’s outlook on school safety and gun violence?
2. Read the excerpt from the AP story above and reply to the questions below.
“The mother of one slain student said her daughter may have been targeted because she rejected advances from Pagourtzis, who was an ex-boyfriend of her daughter’s best friend. Sadie Rodriguez said her 16-year-old daughter, Shana Fisher, repeatedly told him no, and he ‘continued to get more aggressive.’ The week before the shooting, Fisher ‘stood up to him’ by embarrassing him in class, Rodriguez said.”
Antonios Pagourtzis, the father of Dmitrios, said he wished he could have prevented the shooting at Santa Fe High School, according to the Associated Press:
“He said he suspects his son was under pressure, perhaps due to bullying. ‘Something must have happened now, this last week,’ he told the station. ‘Somebody probably came and hurt him, and since he was a solid boy, I don’t know what could have happened. I can’t say what happened. All I can say is what I suspect as a father.'”
3. Several mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. in 2018. Have mass shootings become part of American culture? Explain.
4. Media literacy: As you read, be aware of the word choice used by the author. Notice the word “killed” was used in the first first bullet point above. Another word choice could have been “murdered.” What is the difference between these two words? Is one more appropriate or accurate than the other?
Extension activity:
Visit PBS NewsHour Extrafor more education resources designed to help teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. @NewsHourExtra