Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book By Jamie Preston, Family Literacy Coordinator Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book By Jamie Preston, Family Literacy Coordinator P icture books are great tools because they have lots of illustrations and a few well-chosen words. You can use newspapers in the same way as picture books but with an added bonus: They come fresh and new each day. Recent studies have shown that listening and speaking are “building blocks” that children use to become readers. By talking with your children about pictures, headlines, ads, recipes, and lists, you will help them to develop the skills they need to become good readers. What’s special about using newspapers is that they help adults talk with children about the “here and now.” Focusing on items that reflect children’s everyday lives is particularly effective because the printed age comes alive for them. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book One newspaper photo helped my child gain a better understanding of her world. One day a fierce storm left a big tree stuck under a bridge near our house. My child and I had never noticed the tree until the local newspaper ran a picture of it a few days later. In the picture, it looked like a giant had picked up a huge toothpick and jammed it sideways into the arch of the bridge. After we saw the picture, we stopped to look at the tree. That led to a good discussion about what happens to the river during a storm and what city crews would have to do to free the tree from the bridge. Many other lessons are open to parents and care- givers who use a newspaper with a child. Pictures are useful “talking points,” but other parts of the paper can serve the same function. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  Ask beginning readers to look for headlines that begin with a particular sound, such as “b” or “s.” Your child can circle the words with that sound or cut them out and paste them onto a sheet of paper. You can clip letters out of the paper and let your child use them to make words or even string together the whole alphabet. Help your child cut out words and paste them under favorite pictures from the newspaper or your family’s own photos. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  Ads are simple, attractive items for young children to use. Food ads are particularly good because they show products that children see in the home. Children can match the name in the paper with the one on the box sitting on the breakfast table. They can clip out the pictures in the food section and make a poster of their favorite foods. If they are ready to start counting, they can look at prices or help you clip coupons. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  Following a simple recipe can help a child understand that a yummy-looking dish can be made from items found in your kitchen or at the supermarket. With the help of an adult, a beginning reader can copy words from the recipe onto a shopping list. Children learning about good nutrition can compare “per serving” counts in different recipes. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  Before going to a movie, parents can show children the schedule for the local theatre. Even if children are too young to read the listings, seeing a parent use reading to plan activities is important. Before (or after) going to a movie or other cultural event, find one or several reviews, and read them aloud. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  For sporting events, children can learn numbers by looking at scores and jersey numbers. Seeing pictures of a favorite team after an exciting game can help a child feel closer to the action. Talking about the headlines can help a child remember what happened during the game. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  The comics are good for more than a laugh. The comics’ colorful pages give gift wrapping a personal touch at children’s parties. A child may choose her favorite comic to display, so the wrapping paper says, “This gift is from me, and this is the comic I like best.” You may choose to set aside a small pile of colorful comics for special occasions. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  Check newspaper listings for book signings by authors of picture books. Meeting the authors and artists of the books can be a thrill for young readers and usually costs nothing but your time. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book  The weather graphics contain lots of information about days of the week, temperatures, and weather conditions. You can use as little or as much of this information as you like, depending on how ready your child is to grasp it. Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.

Using the News with Elementary Students How to Use the Newspaper Like a Picture Book These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you begin to see the paper as a big, daily picture book, the possibilities are as far-reaching as your imagination and as close as the child sitting next to you. What better way to help children talk about their world than to open a newspaper? Information provided by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in conjunction with Newspaper Association of America. By Jamie Preston, Family Literacy Coordinator (2003) Copyright © Notice: The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of The Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Tech University.