We help students become smart, savvy consumers of news and information. That means learning how to tell what’s trustworthy, recognize different types of content and use journalistic standards to figure out what’s real and reliable.
Our ultimate goal? To prepare students to think for themselves and grow into well-informed adults who are ready to take part in their communities — and in society.
How we teach news literacy
Our Framework for Teaching News Literacy is a guide for educators that includes core standards, essential questions, learning objectives and activities. Teachers can use it to build new courses or to bring news literacy into classes they already teach.
This framework is based on the “Understanding by Design” (UbD)® model, a popular teaching method created by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins. UbD helps students build big-picture thinking skills and apply what they learn to real life. It also brings together the best ways to plan lessons, teach effectively and measure what students are learning.
Our grade band expectations can be used to support a districtwide approach to teaching news literacy.
Our Checkology® virtual classroom
Bring news literacy to life with our online learning platform, where educators can access engaging, real-world lessons and ready-to-use tools that help students think critically and stay curious.
Bring current events
into your classroom
Our weekly educator newsletter, The Sift®, offers discussion prompts and classroom-ready insights to help students navigate today’s information landscape using timely examples of news and viral content.
What Students Learn: Our News Literacy Standards
We focus on five key standards that outline the essential knowledge and skills students need to become confident, capable consumers of news and information. These include the knowledge, skills and mindset to spot trustworthy information, avoid falling for false content and make smart decisions about what they read, watch or share.
Standard 1
Students can tell the difference between news and other kinds of information, such as opinion. They know how to spot ads and sponsored content.
Standard 2
Students understand why the First Amendment matters to American democracy and how a free press helps keep the public informed.
Standard 3
Students learn about the rules and ethics that responsible journalists follow. They use this knowledge to tell the difference between credible news and unreliable sources.
Standard 4
Students build strong critical thinking skills. They check facts and sources, look for weak or false evidence and recognize misinformation.
Standard 5
Students grow into active, responsible citizens who know how to find, share and even create credible information to support a healthy democracy.