All About Newseum ED

About this Web site: Newseum ED is an excellent resource for school librarians and was recently listed on AASL’s Best Websites list. The link for this resource is https://newseumed.org/ . This resource is a product of the Newseum Museum in D.C. It’s super easy to sign up for the site, all you need is an email for your username and a password. The site is free to use and can be used to access resources relating to the 1st Amendment, media literacy, civics, and more.

What it offers: I could see myself utilizing this resource often since it offers so much for school librarians and educators. There are thousands of lesson plans, classes, artifacts, and other learning tools that you can access once you sign up. It seems very user-friendly with tabs and search tools to help you find the resources you need. Tabs at the top of the page are broken down into “Classes and Training”, “Tools”, and “News”. You can also narrow your search with options such as “Type of Tool”, “Topic”, “Grade”, etc.

In the Library: I could see this tool being used by school librarians at all levels. They offer classes and lesson plans broken into grades 3-5, 6-8. 9-12, and even college level courses. The classes that you can sign up for take place at the Newseum Museum, which could be a great experience on a school field trip to D.C. This would be especially convenient for my school since we are located right next to the capital. For those unable to physically travel to the museum, lesson plans and other useful resources are still available online. The lesson plans tie in nicely with a library curriculum and SOLs. An example of one of these lessons is titled “E.S.C.A.P.E. Junk News”. This is a lesson made for grades 6-12 but I think could easily be tweaked for lower grades. This lesson uses an acronym that teaches students how to evaluate information such as news. Students then work in teams to practice their new knowledge on real news sources.

You could also use the web site to access ED Collections. These are curated resources that are separated into eight different topics. Possible topics to explore range from “Recognizing Bias” to “Uncovering How News is Made”. I think that students could really benefit from the resources about how news is made which may help them understand the mechanics of putting together newspapers and news websites. They also offer collections to help librarians and educators further their own learning with ED Collections like “Taking Charge of Your Role” which offers items like flowcharts to display or activities to conduct with students.

In today’s world of “fake news” and constantly evolving technology, I believe a site like Newseum ED can be a valuable tool to add to a school librarian’s “toolbox”. It offers resources for school librarians and students at all levels without costing a cent. We as librarians have a duty to provide students with the skills they need to navigate the online world, and this resource helps to lessen the burden.