How Great is KidsNews!
As educators, we’re constantly looking for quality resources that engage students, align with curriculum standards and support literacy development. One standout resource that ticks all these boxes is KidsNews—a free online literacy tool from NewsCorp Australia.
KidsNews provides daily news articles carefully written for primary and secondary school students. These articles cover a wide range of topics, from current events to science, sports, and more, all in an accessible and age-appropriate format. The best part? It’s completely free!
For educators, KidsNews is more than just a news site. It offers rich content that can be integrated into literacy programs, making it an ideal tool for teaching reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing skills.
Andrell Education and KidsNews: A Powerful Partnership
Since 2016, Andrell Education has recognised the value of KidsNews, and during every training session, we have encouraged educators to check it out. We think it’s an ideal literacy development tool and helps enhance students’ vocabulary and writing skills.
Did you know that we even write VCOP (Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers, Punctuation) activities tailored to the news articles on the platform? These activities challenge students to identify and use high-level vocabulary, explore different sentence starters, and experiment with punctuation in their writing. The collaboration between KidsNews and Andrell Education means teachers can access high-quality literacy activities seamlessly integrating with current news content.
Why I Use KidsNews in My Classroom?
1. Real-World Learning:
Using news articles in literacy lessons helps connect students with the world around them. The timely and relatable stories provide a perfect starting point for discussions on current events. This real-world context makes learning more meaningful, helping students see the value of literacy skills in everyday life.
2. Differentiated Reading Levels:
KidsNews is designed with diverse learners in mind. Each article is available in three different reading levels, allowing me to differentiate for students who need additional support or challenge. This flexibility ensures that all students can engage with the same content but at a level appropriate for their reading ability.
3. Cross-Curricular Opportunities:
The wide variety of topics covered in KidsNews makes it an excellent resource for integrating literacy across subjects. Whether I’m teaching science, history, or geography, I know I’ll be able to find a relevant article to support my lessons. This cross-curricular approach helps students make connections between what they read and what they learn in other subjects. More importantly, it gives them the content knowledge that they can then use to make their writing connect to their audience on a deeper level.
4. Ready-Made Teaching Resources:
Each article is print-friendly and includes lesson ideas or activities to reinforce key literacy skills. These resources save me time and provide ready-to-use classroom materials aligned with our curriculum goals.
How to Get Started with KidsNews
Getting started with KidsNews is easy. Visit (https://www.kidsnews.com.au), browse the daily articles and select the ones that suit your classroom focus.
With a few clicks, you can access print-friendly articles, complete with Soundcloud recordings, as well as lesson ideas and VCOP activities that align with the content.
As well as article-specific activities, there is also an everyday activity downloadable to get you started.
If you’re already familiar with VCOP strategies, integrating KidsNews into your existing literacy program will be seamless. Use the articles to introduce new vocabulary, practice sentence structure, or inspire creative writing tasks.
Incorporating current events into your literacy program is a powerful way to engage students and promote essential reading and writing skills. KidsNews provides the perfect platform for doing just that, offering free, differentiated resources that can easily be adapted to suit any classroom.
At Andrell Education, we give it a big tick of approval as an indispensable resource for educators looking to enhance their literacy lessons.
If you’re not already using it, now is the perfect time to explore how KidsNews can transform your teaching.
