What's News?

What You Need

Newspapers
Weekly news magazine
A daily national TV news program
Atlas or globe
Highlighter

What to Do

This activity can be most useful to younger children if it's done from time to time to get them used to the idea of "news." Older children benefit from doing it more often, at least once a week if possible.

• Look through the daily newspaper or a recent news magazine with your child. Ask her to decide what pictures or headlines have some connection to history. For example, a news story about the signing of a peace treaty might also show pictures of similar events, such as the signing of the Yalta treaty, from the past. A story about the current Russian leader might give a historical overview and show pictures of Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev. A story on a Supreme Court ruling that affects school integration might have a headline that mentions the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Use a highlighter to mark these references.

  • With your child, read the articles you've chosen. Make a list (or have her do it) of any references to events that did not happen today or yesterday, or to people who died some time ago.
  • Talk with your child about what these past events and people have to do with events happening today. Help her record these connections in her history log.

• Watch the evening news or a morning news program with your child. Help her to write as many references as possible to past history. Discuss the links she finds between these references and the news story you heard. In an atlas or on a globe, help her point out where the stories she watched took place.

• During another session of TV viewing, help your child focus on how the information was communicated: did the newscaster use interviews, books, historical records, written historical accounts, literature, paintings, photographs? Did the newscaster report "facts"? Did she express opinions?

• Help your child compare several accounts of a major news story from different news shows, newspapers and news magazines.