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NIE TEACHER FAQ
Newspapers In Education (NIE) puts the newspaper, literally a "living textbook," into the hands
of educators and students. NIE also provides nationally acclaimed curriculum materials that help
teachers incorporate timely content from the newspaper into all areas of study for their students.
More about Las Vegas NIE.
Why should I use the newspaper in my classroom?
Research has shown that students who use newspapers as part of their curriculum score
10% higher on standardized tests than students who do not utilize the newspaper in
their classroom. In addition, using the newspaper has been found to significantly
enhance the student learning experience by providing real world examples and
experiences to respond to the age-old question of "When am I ever going to use this
in real life?"
A national study, "Measuring Success! The Positive Impact of Newspaper In Education
Programs on Student Achievement" shows that NIE programs work especially well for
low-income, minority, and English Language Learner students. NIE provides these
students with the tools to learn the English language and local culture, in addition
to exposing them to critical life skills, such as finding a job in the classified
advertisements, reading the stock tables or weather report, or finding items on sale
at the grocery store. These students might not otherwise have access to the newspaper
or to these important abilities.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal Sun has a number of curriculum/teacher guides,
supplements, and resources available to you in order to assist you in planning your
courses around use of the paper. We recognize that educators are busy people with
limited resources, so we've done all the work for you. All you have to do is sign
up for your free newspapers and you'll receive a number of easy-to-implement lesson
plans and other curriculum-enhancing ideas, all approved to meet the federal No Child
Left Behind standards, State of Nevada's standards and Clark County School District's
Essentials Curriculum Framework.
Special world, national, and local events, such as the 2004 Elections and Las Vegas'
Centennial Celebration during all of 2005 will be featured in Newspaper In Education
program materials in the upcoming school year.
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How does the newspaper benefit my students?
Using the newspaper to teach a variety of subjects has many qualitative benefits in
addition to improving student performance.
Classroom newspapers:
- sharpen students' thinking skills.
- spark enthusiasm for meaningful classroom interaction.
- increase students' interest and motivation by providing study materials relevant to their lives.
- prepare students for active citizenship in our democracy.
- provide teachers with new, creative teaching techniques.
- involve schools in the lives of the communities they serve.
- improve relations with students' families.
- respond to the needs of local businesses as future employers.
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What subjects can I teach using the newspaper?
While reading, literacy, language arts, and social studies/current events are the
most obvious subjects that appear when using the newspaper in the classroom, there
are plenty of math, science, health, geography, economics, and other lessons that can
be gleaned from the newspaper. In math, students can practice graphing skills by
tracking temperatures and precipitation using the weather report. You can teach
percentages and interest rates by determining the financing cost on the purchase of
a new car. In science, students can apply the scientific method of inquiry to their
examination of an on-going news story or investigation. Geography skills can be
taught by tracking sports teams as they crisscross the country to compete in games.
For a practical application, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun can be
utilized in a stock market simulation game. Truly, the possibilities are endless
when your "textbook" contains brand new material every single day!
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Can I earn Professional Development Education credit for using the newspaper? How?
Periodically, Newspapers In Education will hold workshops for educators as the demand
arises. Some of these workshops may be full-day Saturday workshops in which educators
will be able to earn Professional Development (PDE) credit. Each workshop will
provide teachers with innovative and unique tools for utilizing the newspaper in
daily lesson planning. Workshops might be based on a general theme, such as "Using
the Newspaper in Elementary School Classrooms," or they may be more focused on a
particular topic or event, such as "Elections 2004: How to Teach about Government,
Civic Responsibility, and Current Events Using the Newspaper." Shorter evening
workshops will also be offered throughout the school year for interested teachers.
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Do I have to pay for my class set of newspapers? Does my school have to pay for anything?
Newspapers In Education is available to any teacher that requests the service at no
charge! The Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun partner with local corporations
in order to offset the cost of the newspapers. We are able to get newspapers
sponsored for schools at a significantly reduced price. Rather than having schools
pay for their own copies, the LVRJ/Sun works to promote NIE to local businesses. In
exchange for some positive business exposure, many companies are happy to provide
newspapers for southern Nevada students.
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