St. Louis Public Radio
An empty classroom at a high school in Bruhl, Germany. Schools across the country are closed again despite early success in getting children back into classrooms during the pandemic.
This story was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center
Last week, as she has every week this school year, Kansas City-area teacher Julie Pierce greeted her second graders on Zoom before taking them on a virtual trip to the Arctic for a fast-paced reading lesson.
“Adaptations are things that help them survive,” Pierce explained. “Remember, we wrote, ‘Puffins have thick feathers to help them keep warm.’ So you’re going to be looking for your animal’s adaptations, OK?”