As we approach News in Education Week (March 3 – 7), we wanted to highlight our curriculum resource created for 2014, Introduction to News Literacy (PDF). This curriculum is a condensed and modernized version of the High Five 2012 curriculum, offering three units of media literacy activities and lessons. Each unit takes about one or two weeks of class time.

Here are some of the lessons and activities from Introductory News Literacy that we suggest educators might break out as special NIE Week classroom activities:

• Media’s purposes and the “why” of media (activity)

• Text structures in the newspaper and constructing content (activity)

• The First Amendment and school-based publications

• Quotations and interviewing and asking the right question (activity)

• Who are the readers?

Introductory News Literacy is one of many resources available for educators, NIE coordinators and others interested in teaching youth about news and the news-making process. If you’re interested in what else we offer, take a look at our youth news literacy archives.

Some highlighted resources that may also be of use:

• News as the first rough draft of history, and what’s news where? (+ corresponding Common Core standards)

• Media literacy: evaluating the news and understanding where it comes from (+ corresponding Common Core standards)

• A good read: Literacy strategies with newspapers

Coinciding with NIE Week, API will additionally be publishing new pieces in its Good Questions series pertaining to original ideas and successful projects around youth involvement in news.

In 2014, API will also be building a new website for youth interested in news. For more updates on what’s in store, consider joining our NIE listserv or subscribing to our API newsletter of industry must-reads, Need to Know.

Have questions about the resources or ideas about youth and news programs? Contact API Program Coordinator Kevin Loker at kevin.loker@pressinstitute.org.

UPDATE: NIE Week 2014 is now over. Here are the links to our NIE Week 2014 Good Questions series:

• Planning for tomorrow’s 20somethings: 6 good questions with youth researcher danah boyd
• Breaking down barriers to reading news: 7 good questions with Newsela’s Jennifer Coogan
• Modernizing news in the classroom: 7 good questions with the New York Times’ ‘The Learning Network’