While teachers and school districts are at various levels of proficiency, using Internet news with students can be accomplished in a few different learning environments including: using an multimedia project or large-screen television for whole class viewing, individual viewing in a computer lab, or small group viewing in a computer station set up.
Internet news sites are a perfect tool for teachers in the classroom. Teachers and students can explore current events and world news together, but no teacher wants to click onto a site and be surprised by a current headline that is inappropriate for classroom discussion. Thanks to some well-respected publications and other kid-friendly sites, that doesn't have to be the case. Names like Time and Scholastic lead the pack with top-notch sites offering news and information suitable for kids and the classroom. I was surprised, however, at the small number of newspapers that had dedicated a special kids' section as a part of their online offering.
When a teacher uses the Internet to bring the world to his/her classroom, a multitude of higher level thinking skills can be put to use. News headlines are a great opportunity for students to practice and understand main idea. Debating the pros and cons of a current issue is another important skill. The list could go on and on.
According to a survey by Jupiter Research, the number of kids with classroom Web access is expected to jump from 1.5 million in 1996 to 20.2 million in 2002. With those numbers in mind, I've looked at a few of the kid-friendly, classroom-friendly news sites and listed them here for you.
SCHOLASTIC NEWS ZONE - http://teacher.scholastic.com/newszone/ -This daily current events web site is designed with students in grades three through eight in mind. A product of the Scholastic Internet Group and the editors of Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic, the primary goal is "to make news fun and appealing to kids by presenting it to them on their level, showing them its relevance to their lives, soliciting their opinions, and encouraging their interaction."
They accomplish these by including featured sections like "Top News" and "Special Reports" where kids can expect to see the most current news. Participation is encouraged in a poll and they can take news IQ quiz to test their skills at "WHAT'S YOUR NEWS I.Q.? by answering a question from a recent news headline
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