Your comprehensive guide to using NLP resources. |
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An inside look: Back to School |
The new school year is here, and we’ve got you covered with fresh tools to make teaching media literacy smoother and more engaging. Our Back-to-School Starter Pack and Getting Started with Checkology Guide are built with educators in mind — packed with time-saving tips, classroom-ready activities and easy strategies to help you set the tone for the year. They’ll also give your students a chance to see right away why news literacy matters and how it connects to the world around them.
Inside, you’ll find icebreakers that double as teachable moments, lesson-launch ideas that hook students’ attention and strategies for building a strong foundation in critical thinking. The Starter Pack helps you create space for meaningful conversations, while the Getting Started Guide walks you through Checkology setup, offering quick pointers that make classroom management easier so you can focus on teaching instead of troubleshooting. And here’s the big news: Over the summer we’ve rolled out a new and improved version of Checkology — and it’s now available in Clever! That means smoother logins for your students, simplified access for you and even more opportunities to explore lessons and our additional resource offerings in our new hub.
Of course, this is just a preview. You’ll have to open the Starter Pack and Guide yourself to see all the ideas and resources waiting for you. Check out the Starter Pack and Getting Started Guide and we wish you a successful school year!
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Welcome to the Insider Spotlight section, where we feature real questions from our team and answers from educators who are making a difference teaching news literacy. This month, our featured educator is Kalynne Pudner from Shorewood, Wisconsin, where she teaches ELA to middle school students. |
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⭐ Capstone experience brings civics to life |
Don't miss the newest interactive addition to Checkology: “Take action: Putting news literacy into practice.” In this activity, students cap off their Checkology learning by developing a personal code of ethics for information they seek, share and produce. This single-period activity comes in two versions (middle and high school) and features an interactive scenario to help students reflect on what it means to be a responsible participant in a democracy. Log in to Checkology (or register if you’re new), and search “Take action: Putting news literacy into practice.”
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⭐ Explore RumorGuard with new student handouts |
Explore the new "RumorGuard Report: Don’t Be Fooled," a handout that helps students reflect on steps anyone can take to fact-check viral claims. Intended for grades 6 and up, this close reading resource also includes an extension activity. Log in to Checkology (or register if you’re new), and search for these resources by title to access and/or download them.
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⭐ Check out new Daily Do Now collections |
Our popular Daily Do Now slides are now available as standalone collections organized by topic and grade level. We have collections for upper elementary, STEM, vocabulary, artificial intelligence and more. Updated Daily Do Now slides will return for the new school year in the first issue of The Sift newsletter on Sept. 8. Log in to Checkology (or register if you’re new), and search for Daily Do Now to access and/or download them.
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⭐ The Sift returns next week |
Your guide to the week in news literacy is back on Sept. 8! 🙂 The Sift is a time-saver, providing two classroom-ready slide decks and discussion prompts each week. Topics include social media, artificial intelligence, journalism, press freedom and misinformation. New to the newsletter? ➡️ Use this link to subscribe.
| ⭐ Scroll Smarter – together |
Are your students’ parents and families looking for guidance on navigating the news and social media with kids? Tell them to sign up for Scroll Smarter, NLP’s new monthly newsletter filled with family-friendly news literacy tips, resources and updates. The first issue will hit inboxes on Sept. 9. |
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For district admin and school leaders: |
⭐ Join Cohort 5 of the District Fellowship Program |
NLP’s District Fellowship program is designed to improve education and civic engagement for students by involving district leaders in the development and implementation of news and media literacy education. Fellowship Districts receive funding, support and professional development to design and implement a plan toward a districtwide guarantee that all students will receive at least one unit of news and media literacy instruction sometime before they graduate from high school. The application for Cohort 5 will open in October of this year. Interested? Check out newslit.org/district-fellowship for more information.
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🐝 It’s more than a spelling bee stage; it’s a stage for growth. |
Students who participate in spelling bees strengthen vocabulary and language skills, gain confidence and develop a lifelong love of learning. Enroll your elementary or middle school in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program and give your students the words they need to shine their light on the world! Sign up today for $199 per school at https://spellingbee.com/enroll.
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🍰 Sept. 4: Eat an Extra Dessert Day 📚 Sept. 8: World Literacy Day ❗Sept. 24: National Punctuation Day |
🔓 Early October: District Fellowship Cohort 5 application opens 💻 Oct. 28: NLP hosting an edWebinar |
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Click here to answer a question and be entered into a raffle to win NLP swag! |
Congratulations to Rene Marion, who teaches adult basic education and high school equivalency, for winning last month’s giveaway! |
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© 2024 The News Literacy Project 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 440, Washington, DC 20015 [email protected] |
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