Case Studies
NLT Research
A National Literacy Trust evaluation in May – July 2015 of First News activities in schools found that children made significant progress in reading, and their attitudes to and behaviours around reading improved.
Case Study – Martin Primary School
Children love having the physical newspaper in class and sharing the stories with each other.
In my classroom editions of First News are kept in book corner and children enjoy taking their own hard copy every week.
“The children are really engaged”
All the children in my class are really engaged with the newspaper and the reading resources that accompany it. They enjoy the activities and find the stories included in the issues very interesting.
“Great for guided reading”
Children are encouraged to find out about news and to actually read the stories in order to answer comprehension questions. The ihub is also great in both guided readings sessions as an activity and as an additional homework tool.
“Great for different kinds of readers”
Even those who struggle to read find the challenge they need in the newspaper.
“They Choose to Read First News”
They choose to read articles in First News, where they might not be so keen to. One child in my class in particular really struggled to read and did not enjoy guided reading sessions. However, he very happily gets a laptop, reads the article and is able to discuss the stories.
“They all love the newspaper”
The children in my class all love First News and frequently make links between the things they hear in the news and read in the newspaper.