Creating a lifelong love affair: newspapers and children.

Wouldn't you love to hand every teen a set of keys labeled voracious reader, world-class citizen, globally confident, and discriminating character? Those keys would enable these young adults to cruise anywhere they choose in life. You can do this by creating an addiction to newspapers.

We created a newspaper for children in elementary and middle school

to meet those goals. We want to prepare kids to become comfortable with the genre of newspapers. As we build fluency, we help them become newsreaders for life. In this article, I'd like to impress upon you the value of making newspapers accessible to young readers. Below are some practical ideas on how to involve your patrons with newspapers. Then I'd like to introduce you to our newspaper. Real News for Real Kids.

Black and White and Read All Over

In a study of 1,500 18-to-34-year-olds released September 28, 2004 by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, 62 percent of young adults who had a class where newspapers were distributed and used as part of the curriculum say they read a weekday newspaper regularly. Of those with no exposure to newspapers in school, only 38 percent say they are regular newspaper readers today.

"This new study proves that when newspapers are an integral part of the education process, there is a lifelong impact in encouraging readership and literacy," said Margaret Vassilikos, senior vice president of the NAA Foundation. "It is critical that students of all ages and demographics have access to newspapers in the classroom."

The NAA has also found that when students become newspaper readers, their standardized test scores shoot up by 10%. For students at risk, their scores skyrocket up 29%. That's why we're so passionate about introducing kids to newspapers.

Newspapers-in-Education

Newspapers are called the Living Textbook because of their current news and interdisciplinary nature. More than half of all newspapers in North America have a Newspaper-in-Education program. Their sole purpose is to provide newspapers to students as a learning tool in the classroom. Call your local paper and ask an NIE coordinator to conduct a workshop for your patrons.

Dawn Kitchell is the State Director of the Missouri Newspapers-in-Education program working with newspapers throughout Missouri to help encourage youth readership. She said, "Libraries are in such a wonderful position to make newspapers accessible to everyone."

What's the Buzz?

Dawn Kitchell initiated a newspaper, library, and school partnership program called Book Buzz. It promotes reading with a monthly children's book column published in the newspaper. Each month the column suggests three quality children's books and invites young readers to read the books and offer feedback by submitting reviews to their newspaper.

Book Buzz has been adopted by the entire community and librarians and parents have come to value the column. The Book Buzz column is free to newspapers nationwide. For more information, visit www.mopress.com. Then contact your local paper about running this feature in their paper.

Hands-On Journalism

You can offer a simple, ongoing class for junior high students in which kids can create their own book to keep at the library: a history-in-the-making scrapbook of today's hot news stories: Our World 2004-2005. The kids cut out articles, headlines, clippings from hard news and feature stories, and their own quotes to create a timeless treasure. They can write in their own captions (called cutlines) under favorite or amazing photos. Stories can be classified as world, national, state or local. They can write their own letters-to-the-editor to post among the pages, learning to take a critical stance of their own.

If kids have made use of any of the events listed in a local paper, they can add their quotes to the book. For example, "I went to the International Fair after I saw it advertised in The Columbia Daily. It was awesome. I ate sushi for the first time and got to play calypso music on steel drums." (Krista J. 14, Discovery Middle School.) Talk to me about real world utility utilizing an authentic resource. It doesn't get any better than this!

To make the book, you can set up these cooperative literacy learning centers and students can rotate each session:

1. Cut It: This reading and cutting table will come complete with newspapers and magazines and scissors.

2. Add It: adding the articles to the book: Use roll-on glue, colored paper, and notebook pages.

3. Write It: Students add their own letters to the editors and personal quotes, as explained above.

4. Art It: Decorate the pages with art supplies such as stickers. Bright markers can be used to highlight phrases.

Newspaper Focus Groups

If you don't get Real News for Real Kids in your area, you can still create meaningful discussion questions to supplement your local paper's stories. Have all the students read the same article out of the newspaper. Follow our format if you want to create discussion focus groups for middle or high school students.

Our first question assesses what students have learned in the text. What did the article say? The second question helps them make broader applications. What does this mean in the world around me? The last question drives home the point personally What does it all mean to me?

For example, when we wrote about the Iditarod Races in Alaska we asked:

1) What sort of challenges did the mushers face while racing on the Iditarod trail?

2) What sort of races and challenges do champions face every day?

3) What are your challenges and how can you persevere to overcome?

A Newspaper Just for Kids

I started Real News for Real Kids for students in 1st-8th grade last January, we write major headline world, national, and state news in an easy-to-read format. Students write our local news. To emulate an adult newspaper, we include sports, an editorial section, and advice columns. We publish every other week throughout the school year. Real News looks, feels, smells, and reads like a newspaper, but it's brighter and friendlier than an adult newspaper. We use a larger font and words are defined within the text.

Many of our articles are followed by discussion questions aimed at polishing critical thinking skills. We use inferential and evaluative questions and zero in on personal application to kids' daily lives. Once kids hear about the news, read the article in our paper, and discuss it, NOW they have something to write about. Our extension creative writing activities are based on state learning standards.

At no charge, we offer an assessment tool and vocabulary log online. For our parochial students, we offer Faith Follow Ups, which are extension lessons to our news stories.

We build character education lessons into some of our stories. For example, when we covered the primaries, we instilled perseverance. Generosity permeated the columns of our story about Oprah's giving away 276 cars.

The reaction to Real News around the community has been amazing. In one semester, our circulation has skyrocketed to over 12,000. We deliver our newspaper free of charge to students in public, private, and home education groups. All the libraries and many businesses participate too. We are funded through advertising and sponsorship.

Why the Need?

I started Real News for my two sons. When they were 10 and 13 years old, I found myself running to them with exciting news stories from the local paper. It became a rather agonizing ordeal having to stop to explain every other word and today's complex issues. I said to myself, someone should write a newspaper for kids. Then I thought, hmmm, I write for the newspapers and I write books for teachers. Maybe it should be me!

I want kids to understand the issues in their world. I want kids to be able to express themselves. And I want to take away the intimidation factor. Kids should not feel threatened by newspapers. We want them to know that in any city, any day, they can find an informative, fun friend who will gossip with them and give them some direction as to where to go around town. And this friend is cheap ... less than 50 cents for most issues.

Principals, parents, teachers, and most importantly, kids have heartily endorsed our newspaper. "I'm very impressed with this paper. It combines all the subjects. And making it relevant is critical for 7th graders. I use part of it every day," said Heather Dixon, a 7th-grade English teacher.

The reception we've had in schools has been exhilarating. Most principals say, "Why wouldn't I want this newspaper for all my students? Bring 'em on!" Eighth grader Nathan Johnson said, "My brother and I have agreed that this really is a neat paper with all the different features. If fact, we decided we'd even pay a quarter for it."

Real News is reaching the English language learner and remedial high school students as well. It's designed to promote family literacy so that kids can interact with adults about today's issues.

We Never Shush Librarians

Here's what three have to say about Real News. Beth Wheeler Dean, the Head Youth Librarian at the Huntsville Public Library in Huntsville, AL, said, "The newspaper is very well received by library patrons. The primary comment from the kids is "Ooooh, cool!" Both home and traditionally schooled children enjoy the papers immensely. We are so glad to be able to offer this quality newspaper to our patrons."

Stephanie Walker works in Youth Services at the Madison Public Library in Madison, AL. She said, "A publication written for kids is an original literary undertaking. Breaking down how a particular event or news item affects their lives, from the war in Iraq to the presidential election, will encourage this generation to develop a sense of community and philanthropy at an earlier age.

"The patrons at our library snatch up Real News for Real Kids as soon as the new issue is out. It is a joy to see students curl up in a library chair with a newspaper. This publication is paving the way for the future citizens of communities everywhere, instilling in them a crucial responsibility, both in journalism and civic duty."

School librarians have been quick to catch on to the value of Real News for Real Kids. Kay McDaniels, librarian at Holy Spirit School in Huntsville, AL said, "Real News provides a safe environment where children can learn about current events without the shock factor that the daily news would normally encounter. Our students enjoy reading your paper in the library, classroom, and at home."

Bring Real News to Your Town

You can bring Real News to your own area. We can mail hard copies to your patrons. Or you can ask your local newspaper to contact us so they can publish Real News as a section: a newspaper-within-the-newspaper.

But we also want to offer our pages for libraries to adapt and publish it in their own communities. Newspapers, publishing companies, libraries, and desktop publishers all over America can use Real News as a springboard to extend your educational presence in your town. You can publish this newspaper as a library project to reach students across the spectrum: public, private, and students educated at home.

Students in your own area can write and publish book reviews within the pages of Real News. You can use other pages to let the community know about your events. Usually one or two pages of advertising/ sponsorship more than pays for the printing and cost of the pages.

This unique vehicle will promote literacy and library awareness, with each child having a copy in his own hands. We've had a variety of businesses want to partner with us: TV stations, radio stations, hospitals, aerospace companies, service clubs, bookstores, realtors, restaurants, food stores, office suppliers, stables, dentists and doctors, and so many more.

I am continually flabbergasted at how many people are willing to devote themselves to this project. I've heard several times, "Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" It's never too late to drive forward with a new idea whose time has come.

For more information, contact us at:

REAL NEWS, INC. 792 Seina Vista Dr., Madison, AL 35758 256.464.9492 www.rnrk.com [e-mail]

Real News makes it easy for kids to understand current events in their world. This newspaper for children can be brought to your town.