15 News and How to Report

Digital

Help children recognise the importance of reliable information and develop a critical attitude towards how events and issues are reported.

Though children in kindergarten don’t read the news, and may not watch the news at home, they will be sensitive to the way in which stories are told (as when you leave a piece of the story out of an explanation), and how a lack of information can make it difficult to do things (as when you don’t know that sockets can harm you when you are a baby).

Making it Inclusive

Refer to how people have access to news in different ways and ask them how it appears in their own families. Highlight how someone who reads no newspapers, does not have access to digital technology and doesn’t have a mobile phone may be limited to the way they receive the news.

Task 1: Newspapers and Magazines

1. Take some newspapers and magazines to class and talk about whether newspapers or magazines are read in their families and have them look through the newspapers and magazines and cut things out they find interesting. Use recommendations from Making it Inclusive above to deepen the conversation. Ask them to bring shoe boxes from home the following week.
2. Then, on another day show them examples of newspaper collage (For example, from links of examples online you can find) From their previous newspaper and magazine cuts and, if they wish, new ones they can create their own collages and decorate shoe boxes (remember to have some extra boxes for children who didn’t bring them).

Task 2: Making a newspaper

Create a newspaper for the kindergarten (with images and only a few words and sentences). Place it on a wall for the rest of the school at the end of each term, and make sure to report about activities on sustainability and on being critical towards digital technology. Start by showing them newspapers and ask them what news would be important to report in their school newspaper, and how to present it for people who are still learning to read. Accept everything — even really silly ideas. Ask them if the news can have anything that is not true and if one can reserve an area for literary stories — if yes, discuss how one must distinguish it from the rest of the news in the newspaper.

Task 3: Going Digital

Create a digital newspaper for kindergarten at the end of each term (with images and only a few words and sentences). Start by showing them newspapers online and ask them what news would be important to report in their school newspaper and how to present it for people who are still learning to read. Accept everything — even really silly ideas. Ask them if the news can have anything that is not true and if one can reserve an area for literary stories — if yes, discuss how one must distinguish it from the rest of the news in the newspaper. If you already do a newspaper on a board, discuss with children how to transfer it to a digital format and what things can be done there which are too difficult to do on the board, and vice versa.

Variations

• Environmental Magazine Create an environmental magazine.
• Our Toys and Games Magazine Create an inclusive magazine featuring toys, games and play experiences that everyone can enjoy.

Further Ideas

• A classroom blog for Parents Create an online blog for the parents of the class.
• Newspaper School going Digital Create an online newspaper blog in which children share ideas, experience, and tips on how digital technologies and digital tools can be used creatively and responsibly in the classroom.