I’ve shared some of the reasons why I think News-O-Matic is a great choice for integrating informational text into your everyday instruction. Not only is nonfiction reading an important skill, but students can learn how to become informed citizens by interacting with news stories on a daily basis. News-O-Matic has developed a list of different ways to use this tool in the classroom, check out their top seven below!
News-O-Matic Top Seven Tips
- At Morning Meetings: Start the day by discussing a news story found in News-O-Matic.
- Independent Reading: Differentiate reading by assigning different levels to students in your class. As they read independently they can still dive into the same content as their peers.
- Geography Enrichment: Discuss where each daily story takes place with your class. This is also a great way to connect to a virtual reality experience.
- Small Group / Shared Reading: Assign roles as students explore each news story in partners or small groups.
- Vocabulary Development: Have students identify new words in context as they read. Students might use a movie-making tool to bring a new vocabulary to life. I love the idea of having students share new words with their peers in the context of their reading materials.
- Week in Review: Ask students to evaluate which articles from the week are most relevant. This is an opportunity for them to create faux tweets or real tweets to share on a class Twitter page.
- News Selection Process: Give students the chance to make a case for why certain news stories should be included in each day’s issue. Having students curate content is a great way from them to shift from content consumers to evaluators of content. You might also connect this to your speaking and listening standards by asking students to share their thinking aloud to the class.
Learn more about News-O-Matic by visiting their website!