The events of the last two weeks have shaken our nation to its foundation, and many educators are scrambling to address tough and divisive issues in the classroom that are occurring in real time. Uncertainty and anxiety are unavoidable, but NLP is here to support you.
Next week, we again team up with The E.W. Scripps Company for the second annual National News Literacy Week (Jan. 25-29) — which could not come at a more important moment in time. To kick things off, we’ve launched a national public awareness campaign that promotes news literacy and the role of the free press in American democracy and underscores the theme of the week — how to become NewsLit Fit. The campaign is part of a series of efforts to establish news literacy as a fundamental life skill and to provide educators, students and the public with the tools needed to be informed and empowered.
We are also excited to showcase a new and urgently needed Checkology lesson on “Conspiratorial Thinking” during National News Literacy Week. It teaches students how and why conspiracy theories develop, what makes them seem so compelling and how to avoid falling into their cognitive and emotional traps. Check out the preview!
We hope that you are excited to participate in National News Literacy Week. Here are several ways you can get involved:
Visit NewsLiteracyWeek.org to test your “news literacy fitness” and take the pledge to become more news-literate.
Join the conversation on social media at #NewsLiteracyWeek and help to amplify our messaging. Check out this social media sharing kit designed for educators.
Monday, Jan. 25, 3 p.m. ET: Participate in a live Twitter chat with Ebonee Rice, NLP’s Vice President, Educator Network, and several of our NewsLit Nation ambassadors on at #NewsLiteracyWeek.
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET: Attend our free, virtual NewsLitCamp with CNN Worldwide — a unique professional development experience. Register here.
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 4 p.m. ET: Join us for an edWeb session, Avoiding the Rabbit Hole: How to Recognize and Understand Conspiratorial Thinking, with NLP’s education team. Register here.
Introducing NewsLit Nation
To highlight the critical role teachers play in the fight against misinformation and to achieve our goal of embedding news literacy in the American education experience, NLP is introducing NewsLit Nation: the virtual home of the News Literacy Educator Network. The NewsLit Nation community will encourage you and your fellow educators to learn from one another in a shared space, gain a sense of belonging, exchange best practices with others in the field and enjoy perks and incentives to support you in the classroom. The network will provide ongoing training via professional development opportunities and support through online forums and message boards. Join NewsLit Nation starting Monday, Jan. 25, at www.newslit.org (click the “For Educators” tab) as part of the kickoff to National News Literacy Week.
NewsLit Nation Speaks
Because we need your input to better understand your needs and to design materials that work best for you, please complete this brief anonymous survey about the civic impact of NLP resources. And when you do, we’ll enter you in a drawing for a $100 gift card. Survey will remain open until Feb. 16, 2021.
Professional development
NewsLitCamp® Feb. 5: Illinois educators, please join us on for a virtual, teacher-centered NewsLitCamp in partnership with the Chicago Public School Libraries. The day will feature breakout sessions with journalists from Block Club Chicago, the Better Government Association, ProPublica Illinois, and more. Sign up today to reserve your seat.
These FREE programs are part of a series of NewsLitCamp events held in collaboration with a diverse group of news organizations around the country. If you are interested in a NewsLitCamp in your area, please feel free to let us know via this form.
Resources
TRUST ME Documentary and the importance of news literacy: 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 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.
Register for Office Hours — held the last Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. PT/ 4:30 p.m. ET — for tips and updates on using our Checkology® e-learning platform and to get answers to your questions. This month’s topic is News Literacy: How Librarians and Media Specialists use Checkology with Students. Come and learn from NLP ambassadors K.C. Boyd (Washington, D.C.), Cathy Collins (Boston) and Samantha Solomon (Bay Area) during this special edition of the Office Hours series.
