Curriculum-Planning
Understand why news literacy is so critical in this moment, and how you can empower your students.
Back to School
with News Literacy
Lay the foundation for critical thinking lifelong skills 21st-century abilities media literacy civic engagement
News literacy skills – such as critical thinking, analyzing claims and verifying sources – are essentials in our media- and information-saturated world.
News literacy empowers students to distinguish between news and opinion, between original social media accounts and branded content, between genuine video and AI-generated deepfakes. Without news literacy tools and competencies, students are at a significant disadvantage in the classroom and, later, in civic life.
Fortunately, the News Literacy Project has the answer to help you develop future-ready students. Check out our Back-to-School Guide for resources and strategies to easily incorporate news literacy into your curriculum in grades 5-12. Stick to the order we’ve listed below as you use each set of resources — all FREE — or pick and choose whichever pieces work best for you. And make sure to join us as we explore our best back-to-school news literacy tips during free webinars!
For educators in today’s world, news literacy is too important to try to “squeeze in” or relegate to extra credit.
It’s a must-teach.
GET THE GUIDE
Streamline your fall planning with our free PDF of news literacy teaching resources. Download it using the button below, or explore the interactive PDF embedded right here.
EVENTS
📅 Aug. 15, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT
Get started with Checkology and discover what’s new for 2024-25
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During this 30-minute webinar, learn all you need to know about using Checkology, the News Literacy Project’s award-winning, free e-learning platform. NLP’s Brittney Smith and Erin Olson will walk you through how to set up your account and assign lessons. They’ll also share a short demo of some of the best lessons for getting your school year off on the right foot. Even seasoned Checkology educators will learn something new, as we’ll share a preview of our new lesson on algorithms and generative AI.
📅 Aug. 21, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT
Building a foundation with news literacy: Essential tools for educators
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Join the News Literacy Project’s Brittney Smith and Susan Minichiello for this edWebinar focused on laying the foundation to develop news literacy skills in your classroom. We’ll cover the resources every educator needs in their teaching toolkit this year, including a foundational framework for teaching news literacy, a newsletter that helps you bring teachable moments from the news straight to your students, and standards-aligned Checkology lessons.
EXPLORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL RESOURCES
Explore these two foundational guides, designed to support educators with common standards, essential questions and knowledge/skills objectives for all grade levels.
Dive into news literacy with students in grades 3-6, using this dynamic, three-week unit plan developed in partnership with TIME for Kids.
Newsletters
Your role is so important in news literacy education. Stay in the loop by making sure you’re subscribed to our educator newsletters.
Subscribe to our weekly school-year newsletter covering teachable moments in the news and packed with classroom activities, resources and more.
🔍 Curious to peek inside? Dive into our archive of past issues of The Sift to see what you've been missing! ➡️ View the archive.
Subscribe to our monthly educator newsletter with in-depth looks at resources we’ve developed, plus professional development opportunities and more.
InfoZones & AI
Introduce news literacy concepts and prepare students to encounter one of the hottest topics in news literacy education right now: AI-generated content.
Create your free educator account (or log in if you already have an account) and start exploring our award-winning e-learning platform for grades 5-12. Assign “Checkology 101” (choose from the middle school or high school versions) for a smooth start. Most lessons and activities range from 15 to 60 minutes.
Start with “InfoZones” to explore primary purpose and zoning information. And don’t miss “Introduction to Algorithms” — completely revamped for 2024-25!
Share our AI infographic with students to give them an overview of how the technology works. And use our fun AI quiz to help students find out how sharp their AI-spotting skills are.
Current Events
There’s never been a more important time than the present to teach news literacy! During this election year, empower students to understand how to think about the news (not what to think) with these infographics.
This infographic gives tips on how to navigate fast-moving news stories and avoid rumors, falsehoods and bad actors.
Use this infographic with students to explore six tips for thinking about the perception of bias in news.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Don’t wait! Download our Back-to-School Guide and start your journey toward developing news-literate students.