The Newspaper in Education program is a free service from The Press Enterprise

Tips for Using the Newspaper

The First Day

Introduce the Paper: Help students understand the organization of The Press-Enterprise, using the index on the front as a guide. Explain that each newspaper section has a letter designation and a page number, and each section begins with page 1. Note the content of each section and the order sections are in. Discuss newspaper terms such as: headline, byline, index, column, lead & wire service.

Practice: Familiarize your students with the newspaper on the first day. Conduct a scavenger hunt where they find different ads, the comics, the stock listings, the weather, etc. This gets them familiar with the paper, its sections and layout.

For Younger Students

Clean hands: Keep a canister of pre-moistened toilettes available to keep hands clean. Or, at the beginning of the class, send one student to the restroom with a dishpan filled with (25 or more) paper towels to add water. The towels will soak up the water and be damp when it's time for clean - up.

Keeping pages together: Staple the top left fold edge of the newspaper for younger children. You can also staple the entire left hand side to keep the paper together like a book.

Space: Consider moving students' desks aside to let them spread out on the floor. Part of the fun of newspapers is being able to spread out, write on them, tear or cut them up and paste them.

Keeping Track: Providing students with an envelope to keep small pieces of newspaper in when they are cutting things out may help them keep track of cut-out items until they are pasted down, and may help to eliminate some frustration.

Older Students

Just Read it: Set aside time to read the newspaper each day for no other reason than enjoyment. No test, no follow-up, just no-strings-attached reading to help develop the reading habit. There's usually something of interest for everyone and reading is more enjoyable when it's something of interest.

Leftovers

Stretching the newspaper: Use only one section of the newspaper at a time. Separate the sections before class starts. Other sections can be saved for another day or shared with another teacher. You may want students to write names on papers and stack them to use again. The newspaper has enough in it for students to use as a text for several days!

Storage: A class set of newspapers will usually fit in a large grocery bag. Bags can be dated on the end or saved for cut - up activities. Or, lay a string halfway across a box the size of a folded newspaper. Put newspapers in the box on top of the string. When the box is full, tie the string and lift the papers out

Getting rid of them: There are several ways you can recycle the newspaper. The best way is to send them home with the children. Another choice is to offer them to the art department to use.