🌿 News literacy for mental health and wellness

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Imagine your students confronting a viral video racing through their social feeds. Is it genuine or a convincing AI fake? In a new interactive activity on the Checkology® virtual classroom, “Take action: Putting news literacy into practice,” learners are asked to tackle exactly this challenge. Available in two tracks, for middle or high school, the activity moves beyond simply asking students to identify misinformation; it also gives them the chance to analyze evidence, consider how stories circulate among peers and communities, and articulate a personal code of ethics for the information they consume, create and share. 

By emphasizing civic engagement (NLP’s fifth standard of teaching news literacy),”Take action” helps students link classroom learning with their responsibilities as citizens. The central question — What does it look like to apply news literacy as a responsible member of a democracy? — invites learners to see their actions not only as personal choices but also as contributions to the integrity of our shared information ecosystem. 

“Take action” is meant to be a culminating experience in Checkology, and it helps students tie their skills together in a way that feels both practical and lasting. Zoomed in, the scenario mirrors the digital dilemmas learners already face in their daily lives. Zoomed out, it reinforces the habits of digital citizenship that extend far beyond the classroom. As we approach the end of the first semester, plan ahead to assign this capstone activity and help students cement their news literacy skills. 

Q: What skills do you teach to help students determine what’s real as they navigate a chaotic flow of information? 

A: The primary skill I lean on is lateral reading. I cannot stress enough to students how important it is to leave the source they are viewing and check it against other sources. I especially encourage students to do this when they are having a heightened emotional reaction to something they are viewing. Oftentimes, social media posts are created to elicit reactions and leave out important context. Students can use lateral reading to have a clear head about what they are reading before they repost something that is not real or that needs more context. 

Q: Ever hear a student ask, “So what?” How can students take their news literacy learning into the real world? 

A: News literacy is an essential skill in the “real world.” We make decisions every day based on the information available to us. We need to use strategies like zoning information, lateral reading, determining bias and evaluating credibility to make informed decisions not only about government issues, but also about issues that affect our finances and happiness. It’s also important for building empathy and relationships with people who have different experiences from our own. With news literacy skills, we can appreciate multiple perspectives. 

Every day, students scroll past viral beauty hacks, “miracle” cures and health trends that look convincing but aren’t real. Help them learn how to pause and think critically about what they see online, and support their resilience against misinformation, with our News Literacy for Mental Health and Wellness page. Visit our resource hub to watch and read about educators and students from around the country who use news literacy lessons to learn to separate health facts from fiction. And make sure to download our free Brain Gains planner, designed to help you lead students through weekly exercises about vetting sources, examining data, weighing evidence and more. The planner even concludes with an opportunity to assign “Take action,” described above! 

We recently relaunched our organization website, newslit.org, making teaching news literacy easier than ever. Explore upcoming events, preview every interactive lesson and resource now available on Checkology, and find the tools you need to strengthen students’ critical thinking. Logged-in Checkology users can search and access resources directly from our website while new users are prompted to register first. Check it out for yourself now at newslit.org.

Good news — you don’t have to lose access to NICKLpass! While our partnership is ending, we’ve worked with NICKLpass to bring you a special reduced rate so you can keep enjoying the accounts and publications you already love. With NICKLpass, you can create your own bundle, pick the publications that matter most to you and keep them all in one simple, seamless, paywall-free place. 👉Complete this interest form and the NICKLpass team will be in touch to help you get started. 

📅 NOV. 5 and NOV. 6:

Join us today and tomorrow for an engaging 30-minute webinar to learn more about Checkology’s foundational lessons in essential news literacy topics and understand how to get started with the platform. Plus, learn what’s new for the 2025-26 school year! The content of these sessions is the same — choose the date that best fits your schedule.

The News Literacy Project will be presenting at the following conferences this month and in December. If you’ll be in attendance, please say hello!  

We’re excited to share a new report from the EDSAFE AI Alliance and CivxNow: States of the Union: Rebuilding American Civics for a Digital Republic. The report, co-developed by leaders across the K-12 and higher education system, educators, industry, parents, and advocates, explores how artificial intelligence is transforming communication, trust, and civic participation — and how states and local leaders can act now to renew civic education for a digital world. Read the report HERE. 

Click here to answer a question and be entered into a raffle to win NLP swag! 

Congrats to Alex Luciano, who teaches second grade and adult education, for winning last month’s giveaway!  

🧠 Nov. 5: National Stress Awareness Day

💙 Nov. 17-21: Anti-Bullying Week

🦃 Nov. 27: Thanksgiving