Trustworthy News Sources
NASA Visualization Explorer
Updated stories help kids stay up to speed with space exploration
Bottom Line: Weekly updates and striking visuals make it easy for kids to stay informed about NASA's most recent discoveries.
NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet
Tons of climate change info from expert sources in one easy place
Bottom Line: This is a one-stop shop for climate change info, from basic intro content to practical guides and raw data; good for middle schoolers and up.
The New York Times
Easy access to news, but most content is available only to subscribers
Bottom Line: Provides an easy-to-use news resource, but only section front pages are accessible without a subscription.
NPR One
Trusty podcast app has quality content but lacks learning supports
Bottom Line: An enticing free option for connecting current events to content through podcasts, but student engagement hinges on how you incorporate it.
Kid- and Student-Friendly News Sources
Time for Kids
Pro news zine balances kid-friendly content with teacher supports
Bottom Line: This is an excellent cross-curricular resource that goes way beyond delivering the news and toward true news literacy.
News-O-Matic EDU
Daily news stories and supplements keep elementary schoolers current
Bottom Line: This highly useful current events platform can be a daily fixture of elementary school classrooms.
News2you
Draw kids into weekly news with powerful symbols and voice narration
Bottom Line: Students can expand literacy skills, learn about the world, and get involved with discussion questions and activities.
KidsPost
Kid-centric news site could use more comprehensive, timely content
Bottom Line: While it doesn't provide complete news updates, analysis, or writing practice, KidsPost content makes for interesting, kid-themed reading assignments.
Newsela
Great stories, just-right leveled reading; now mostly by subscription
Bottom Line: Up-to-date, high-interest articles will meet students right at their level, and help teachers bolster students' nonfiction reading skills.
Science News for Students
Cool STEM articles with learning supports make for fun, informative reading
Bottom Line: Free, fascinating articles make science relevant to students.
PBS NewsHour Extra
Trusted news brand's current events site could pique teens' interest
Bottom Line: This isn't going to necessarily excite students, but the high-quality content is credible and timely and should support interesting discussions.
TimeEdge
Digital news source builds literacy and measures progress
Bottom Line: A top-notch digital news source with interactive features; a good tool to add value as students learn critical-thinking and close-reading skills.
The Learning Network
High-powered news site offers daily resource to process current events
Bottom Line: Driven by a trusted news organization with its finger on the pulse of the world, this free resource can be a reliable source of activities and ideas for current event discussions.
Primary and Secondary Sources
Smithsonian's History Explorer
Browse and use American history artifacts and activities
Bottom Line: This is a handy resource that, with some effort, will uncover resources for kick-starting curious learning.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Powerful stories and media centralize African-American history
Bottom Line: While there aren't ready-to-go curricular materials, this modern, well-curated, and well-contextualized digital collection is sure to inspire compelling lessons.
Library of Congress
Dig into famed library's collection of research goodies
Bottom Line: The Library of Congress delivers the best of America's past and present, and with teacher support it could be a reliable research resource for students.
Smithsonian Open Access
Stellar museum-based resources available for exploration and use
Bottom Line: This high-quality collection of museum resources -- ranging from artifacts to full-blown exhibits -- provides unlimited exploration for students, reliable primary sources for teachers.
National Archives
Access U.S. history with treasure trove of docs, genealogy, and other resources
Bottom Line: NARA's website wasn't designed for kids, but they can definitely use it to research and learn about history, genealogy, and the U.S. population and government.
Digital Public Library of America
Organized digital library features piles of useful primary resources
Bottom Line: DPLA is at the top of the list of high-grade, online primary source collections if teachers make effective use of what's on offer.
Google Arts & Culture
Well-curated art and history site inspires curious learning
Bottom Line: A beautifully presented one-stop shop for compellingly curated and contextualized art, history, and culture resources, but it's lacking educator supports.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Extensive resource collection supports teaching about the Holocaust
Bottom Line: As a valuable resource for anyone teaching or learning about the Holocaust, time to explore and plan is necessary in order to make the materials effective.
The National WWII Museum - New Orleans
High-quality resources and activities offer an in-depth study
Bottom Line: Materials and activities support a thorough study of World War II, making this a valuable resource for both teachers and students.
Data USA
Elegant treasure trove of data could fuel lessons and projects
Bottom Line: An efficient research tool that makes it easier to incorporate stats into a host of lessons or projects focusing on the U.S.
Google Scholar
Academic search engine, an excellent source for credible research info
Bottom Line: This smart tool can help teens locate credible material for paper and report writing, general research, and other school projects.
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
History and art intersect on the Met's vast, reading-centric site
Bottom Line: This resource from the Metropolitan Museum of Art beautifully illustrates art's evolution and is great for research, but more interactivity would help balance out the text-heavy content.
News Aggregators
AllSides for Schools
Civics site offers building blocks for meaningful dialogue
Bottom Line: This site meaningfully promotes dialogue rather than argument, and collects a lot of resources you might normally have to curate yourself.
Google News
News site offers a useful platform for research, critical thinking
Bottom Line: With some cautious supervision and adept guidance from teachers, this is a good tool for seeking, reading, and evaluating stories from multiple sources.
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