Newspapers and news organizations worldwide offer News in Education (NIE) programs to advance the use of newspapers in schools. The main purpose of the program is to improve reading, spelling and writing abilities as well as media literacy and critical thinking skills. NIE programs help teachers at all levels use newspapers to meet their curriculum objectives in the classroom.
Click on the links below to begin planning your NIE program.
- Just Think: Teaching critical thinking with newspapers (Curriculum Guide)
- ABC Life Literacy Canada – Family Literacy Day: January 27
- Provincial curriculum documents
- Additional resources (downloadable, online and local programs)
Just Think: Teaching Critical Thinking with Newspapers
Developing critical thinking skills is an increasingly important part of the curriculum in elementary and secondary schools. Using newspapers and their websites in the classroom can provide an opportunity for students to practice these new skills as they examine coverage of national and local issues.
News Media Canada’s curriculum guide for teachers, Just Think: Teaching Critical Thinking with Newspapers, offers suggestions for activities using newspaper content in the classroom. This comprehensive document includes lesson plans, marking rubrics and other educational resources.
Originally developed by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, the guide has been adapted by News Media Canada for use in Canada.
Family Literacy Day: January 27
Every year on January 27, ABC Life Literacy Canada hosts Family Literacy Day, the largest national family literacy event in Canada. Literacy organizations, schools, libraries and media groups will coordinate numerous literacy-themed events and activities across the country in honour of this special initiative.
Family Literacy Day® is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.
News Media Canada is a proud supporter of Family Literacy Day, distributing public service announcements and editorial resources from ABC Life Literacy Canada to our members.
For more information, visit the Family Literacy Day website.
Curriculum Overviews
News Media Canada has compiled curriculum overviews for each Canadian province. This research highlight areas in which newspapers can be used in the classroom to achieve specific grade appropriate learning outcomes from Grade 4 to Grade 12 in relevant subjects such as English, Social Studies, Communication Studies, Law and so on. Each PDF also provides links to associated education websites and curriculum documents.
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Saskatchewan
The American Press Institute also offers many different resources that news organizations, educators, advisors, parents and students can use to better understand how news and media work:
- American Press Institute: News Literacy Curriculum for Educators
- American Press Institute: Newspapers in Education Resources for Newspapers
- American Press Institute: Youth News Literacy
Additional resources
Downloadable:
Online:
- ABC Life Literacy Canada
- Teaching Kids the News
- Global Youth & News Media Prize
- MediaSmarts: Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy
- MediaSmarts: Diversity in Media
- SMART: Where to download SMART Learning Suite software
- SMART: Where to find more training opportunities (both free and fee-based)
- American Press Institute: News Literacy Curriculum for Educators
- American Press Institute: Newspapers in Education Resources for Newspapers
- American Press Institute: Youth News Literacy
Local Newspapers in Education programs
Contact your local daily or community newspaper to learn more about individual NIE programs across Canada. Click here to find a newspaper.