December 2013…Educators now can expand their health, writing, reading, and civics lessons by using a new, free teacher’s guide tied to Healthy NewsWorks publications.
The guide includes worksheets and dozens of activities to help teachers incorporate writing and research lessons into an established curriculum. The lessons also align with the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards and can be adapted to a variety of grade levels and student skill sets.
“The teachers’ guide is important because more students will be able to experience journalism writing and parts of the newspaper,” said Natalie Shuler, a teacher at Cole Manor Elementary School in Norristown, Pa., who was instrumental in developing the resource with input from other teachers. “Everything we do in the newspaper relates to Common Core Standards.”
The guide is divided into three parts:
- Activities connected to our recent book, Leading Healthy Change in Our Communities 2013.
- Activities related to our health-focused school newspapers.
- Activities that focus on heart health, a special focus for Healthy NewsWorks during the 2013-2014 school year.
Each section offers a variety of activities to engage students in reading, writing, and responding to articles featured in Leading Healthy Change in Our Communities or their school newspaper. In addition to building journalism skills, the activities reinforce the importance of community service and encourage students to become advocates for healthy habits among their friends and families.
Created for teachers by teachers, the guide is available on our website. Readers are encouraged to share their experiences and suggestions with the Healthy NewsWorks team at editor@healthynewsworks.org.
—By Beth Hodge, Healthy NewsWorks volunteer
