Student News Daily

Free!

Student News Daily provides users with current event articles, quizzes, and other resources. After launching the website, the day’s top stories are loaded and users can access them by clicking their headline. The article will then load and, in addition to the text, they may also include images, follow-up questions, videos, and links to other resources. If users are interested in the answers to the questions, users will have to look at the bottom of the article or signup for the daily email listserv.

From the top of the screen, additional options are offered. First, users can click the “Archives” button and access previously posted content (e.g., past articles, best of the web highlights, world events, editorials, cartoons, and more!). The “Resources” button offers users content related to past events, such as the 2016 Presidential Election, and provide information about popular topics, like Media Bias and political beliefs. If users wish to sign up for the email listserv, they can do so by clicking the “Answers” button.

Instructional Ideas for Student News Daily

1. As an activity to open class, teachers can have students read a specific article posted to this website. Then, if questions are included in that article, teachers can have students respond to them. If questions are not included, teachers can write their own questions and have students respond to those instead. Once all students have read the article and responded to the questions, teachers can use the questions and answers as a springboard to a class conversation.
2. Teachers can have students read an article posted to this website. Next, they can have students use either the Newsela website or the Google search engine to locate additional information about the topic. Students can then use that information to confirm or refute the information in the original article. As students complete this work, they can keep a record of the information they found using Evernote or Padlet. Once finished, students can share their ideas!
3. Under the “Resources” tab, students can choose the “Identifying Types of Media Bias” option. Students can then read about the different types of bias. Next, students can review the articles posted to this website and work to identify where and when different types of bias appear in at least one article. Once an example of bias is identified, students can compose a short response where they explain in writing how bias is reflected in the article. Students can then share their findings in small groups, with a partner, or as part of a whole-class discussion about bias. Lastly, to add a twist, teachers can have students use the Genius Web Annotator tool to mark where examples of the bias are that appear in the article.
4. As an engaging way to review current events from the past week, teachers can have students complete the “Friday’s News Quiz” option that recaps happenings from the past week. Answers to the quiz are shared via the website’s email listserv. Teachers can also have a class discussion where students share their responses to the questions.
5. After reading an article from this website, teachers can have students summarize it in a single sentence, write a response to the article where they offer counterpoints to it, and/or explain what they think is going to happen in the near future based on the article.

Screenshots of Student News Daily

screenshot of student daily news