The Scoop on Current Events!
Kid-friendly News
1. National Geographic Kids News Stories and National Geographic Kids News Bites
With categories like animals and nature, robots, archaeology, and space, there’s something to engage all of your students here. The “news” tab and “stories” subtab at the site shows thumbnail images and headlines that you click on to read the news. Though it is updated regularly, no date is given for the stories. The “news bites” subtab is more of a blog with news items of interest, and dates are listed there.
2. Youngzine
This site is crisp, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. It includes broad categories such as science and technology, our earth, world news, and society and the arts. Articles are written specifically with a young audience in mind, and many videos are included at the site in addition to a world map which locates the origin for many of the stories. There is also a social aspect to the site. Students can contribute comments, enter contests, and participate in the “U Write” portion, if you are looking for opportunities for authentic writing to be shared with a wider audience.
3. Scholastic News Online
Included here are highlights from the print version of Scholastic’s classroom news print magazines. The source (magazine) is given for article. Much of the content is free if you don’t subscribe to the magazine, but additional resources are available when you do. Articles can be printed or emailed, which is a nice feature. This site is a bit busier than the two above, but it’s still easy to navigate.
4. Gogo News: Big News for Little People
Recommended for ages seven and up, this site posts a new article each day about a current event. An option to listen to some of the articles is a great feature for ELL students. Gogo News also has an uncluttered interface and is easy to get around with just a few clicks.
5. Dogo News
Like the others, this site provides articles of interest to young learners in a number of categories. The maps feature and additional web links are an added plus, but what distinguishes this one is its connections to national standards and its access to new vocabulary. A sidebar next to the articles links it to standards and by clicking on vocabulary words you are brought right to a dictionary entry. The ability to print articles so that students can do a close reading on their own, before or after a group reading, is another benefit. More ideas about how to integrate this site into your language arts curriculum can be found in the TeachersFirst review.
6. News for You Online offers news articles, an accompanying teacher’s guide with comprehension and discussion questions, and a “classroom ideas” section. Audio support is available for ELL students.
7. Teaching Kids News
This site has the look of a newspaper, and has over 350 articles archived. General category tabs appear at the top and articles are written in a kid-friendly voice. Curriculum connections such as reading strategies, writing prompts, and a grammar feature are included, along with suggestions for differentiation. Articles can be printed for small group and independent work. Based in Canada, it contains some articles mainly of interest to Canadian schools but in general it has a wide scope.
8. Our Little Earth: Global News for World Citizens
This news source is updated every two weeks and can be delivered via email. The articles are somewhat general in nature as a result, but they definitely have kid appeal and cover a wide range of topics. They are short and accessible to middle elementary readers. Some might serve more as “teasers” to go somewhere else for a more in-depth look at the topic.
9. Science News for Kids
This site begins with elementary level but includes more advanced reading selections for your more able science news addicts. Partner able readers with students who may onl be able to decode the image captions.
10. Readability plug in
Install and click this handy web browser tool to strip away distracting ads from any online news article as you project it on screen or interactive whiteboard. Add white space and subtract irrelevant material to help your students focus on the news.