NewsLit Nation Insider: Opportunities for you and your students

 
 
 
 
 
We’ve been busy at NLP these days as we gear up for a virtual Celebration Event on June 10 to honor an educator, journalist and student of the year. Stay tuned for details about this year’s winners, and learn more about last year’s honorees. In the meantime, thank you for your commitment to integrating news literacy skills and concepts into your curriculum.

Miami-Dade County Student Article Contest
Student voice is a catalyst for positive change in schools and communities. For this reason, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, in partnership with NLP, is hosting a writing contest to empower students to be civically informed and engaged. To participate, students in grades 6-12 must write a 500-1,000-word article about a local, national or international story that explains how news literacy skills would have prevented misinformation from being spread. Articles will be judged by a panel of journalists. Visit NLP’s website for subject prompts and more information on how to submit your students’ work. The entry deadline is May 15.

Professional Development
Join our Instagram Live with Axios reporter Sara Fischer
Join NLP and Axios on Instagram at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 6, for a conversation between Peter Adams, our senior vice president of education, and Sara Fischer, Axios’ media reporter. They will chat for 45 minutes about numerous news literacy topics, from how to spot and avoid misinformation on Instagram to why false and misleading content, especially in visual form, appeals to us. They will describe the real-world costs of misinformation, discuss possible solutions — including steps you can take when browsing your feed and stories — and answer questions from viewers. No registration needed; simply go to the @newslitproject feed to tune in.

Join the News Literacy Project for Upcoming NewsLitCamp® events.
NewsLitCamp is a free daylong professional development experience primarily for middle and high school educators and librarians. Using an “edcamp”-style of continuing education, it features topical sessions (developed with input from participating educators) in the morning and educator-driven planning and development time in the afternoon. This format gives education professionals an opportunity to come together in the engaging, fast-paced environment of a news organization for a day of news literacy training as well as conversations with journalists and NLP experts. Watch our NewsLitCamp video for a preview and check out these upcoming virtual NewsLitCamps:
  • Educators in Columbia, South Carolina, can join NLP, South Carolina ETV and Public Radio, and Richland School District Two for Friday afternoon sessions on May 14 and May 21.
  • NLP, The Wall Street Journal and #NYCSchoolsTec welcome educators from across the U.S. on Thursday, June 3.
  • Minnesota educators can join NLP, the Star Tribune and Sourcewell Technology on Tuesday, June 15.
Register today to reserve your seat. Space is limited.

Resources
Upper elementary grades:
We’re excited to announce the debut of a new upper elementary resource designed to help students learn the difference between fact-based and opinion-based statements. The lessons include a fun slideshow activity, handy flowchart, graphic organizer and other materials tailored for grades 4-6. Be sure to check out our critical observation challenge involving Elsa from Disney’s Frozen. This is part of a growing collection of resources for students in these grades. Please share with your colleagues.

“TRUST ME” Documentary:
Don’t forget, the “TRUST ME” documentary and classroom viewing guide are still available. The documentary delves into manipulation and misinformation by exploring human nature, information technology and how news and media literacy can engender trust. Use the password NLP-Teacher to access the film. Our classroom viewing guide helps you use the film as a teaching tool and can be adapted to your needs. You can find the registration link and more information on Page 7 of the viewing guide.

Office Hours:
Join us on the last Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. PT/ 4:30 p.m. ET for tips and updates on using Checkology® and to get answers to your questions. We’ll introduce you to Misinformation May, our new Checkology course, during Office Hours on Thursday, April 29, the last of the school year.

Best regards,
Ebonee Rice, Vice President, Educator Network
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