Insider Spotlight: Kalynne Pudner

Welcome to the Insider Spotlight, 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.

Q: What are your go-to NLP resources this back-to-school season?

A: There was no doubt that I’d be using Checkology again. But the grab-and-go guides make this easier than ever, and I appreciate the News Literacy Starter Pack’s “What to teach when…”

Q: How do news literacy skills help students succeed in your class and beyond?

A: In my class, we have a journalism unit, and the skills the kids learn in Checkology are directly applicable to their investigations and reporting. When we are doing informative writing, it gives them research skills – specifically for smart searching and discerning the legitimacy of sources. And in the argumentative writing unit, it strengthens their ability to identify and evaluate evidence in support of their claims. Beyond, these resources inculcate the habit of being critical thinkers, especially as this pertains to input from internet searches, chatbots and social media.

Q: How do you help students engage their critical thinking muscles after summer break?

A: I try to connect something concrete to my “Welcome to 8th grade” statement that our overarching aim is the pursuit of truth. This year, I’m going to introduce the concept of the “liar’s dividend,” asking the kids to discuss in groups what they think it means and how it relates to the idea of truth. Then I’m going to show them the TikTok on “KPop Demon Hunters” in which Hannah [Covington, Senior Director of Education Content] explains what the liar’s dividend is and what its implications are.

Q: What is one news literacy skill or ability you hope students leave your classroom with this year?

A: I want them to recognize the importance of assessing the flood of input they’re exposed to, asking themselves two questions: “Oh, yeah?” and “So what?” The News Literacy Project is the best source of tools I’ve found specifically for the “Oh, yeah?” and the one ability I hope they take with them is knowing which tool to use for assessing which kinds of input.

Q: What advice would you offer to an educator who is hesitant about bringing news literacy topics into their classroom?

A: Sign up for the News Literacy Project newsletter, and go explore the “For Educators” tab. (Sometimes I fantasize about all the goodies I would use if I were teaching Social Studies instead of ELA!)