MANAGEMENT TIPS

These nine quick tips can help make your newspaper experience run much more smoothly, from delivery to disposal.

Develop a strategy
Ask yourself, what do you want to accomplish by using the newspaper? Here are some suggestions:
1. Use the EALR – matched, subject-specific Newspapers In Education (NIE) curricula (NIE has more than 40 guides matched to the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements at this time — for a complete list, go to our curriculum listing).
2. Use one of the NIE special programs that are offered each year at specific times (see our program descriptions).

Delivery: Clarify where the papers will be delivered at your school before the first delivery is made. If they are to be delivered to the office, make sure the school secretary and custodian are aware of it.
Noisy activity: Using newspapers as part of your curriculum creates noise in your classroom. This is one sign of happy, motivated students doing newspaper activities, but you might want to warn neighboring classrooms when you are doing newspaper activities. You might also want to work out a system with students that alerts them to excessive noise and helps them quiet down.
Review: Since the newspaper is often full of controversial material and material that is inappropriate for some age groups, particularly in elementary school, you should always check out the newspaper for that day before your students see it, if that is a concern.
Start position: This is the position where the newspaper is face up (that is with the nameplate and top of the front page showing) in front of the student, with each section in order. If you want the newspaper returned to this position at the end of the newspaper activity, you should teach the start position first thing when newspapers are handed out.
Pull section: Pull out one section (sports, classified, etc.) and teach using just that one section. For example, serialized stories run anchored on Tuesdays in the Northwest Life section. For younger students, it's ideal to just use this section of the newspaper in your classroom.
Pre-moistened wipes: Avoid the line-up at the bathroom, sink or fountain by having available a package or container of pre-moistened wipes when using newspapers in the classroom.
Recycle and clean-up: If you don't have a recycling program at your school, connect with the NIE recycling program and set one up. If your school does have a recycling bin that travels around the school, make sure it's near your classroom at newspaper time. And make sure you order the right amount of newspapers for your class. For more information about recycling, call 206/652-6208.
Take home: Many teachers write the student's name at the top of the newspaper and then send the newspaper home with the student (this, at least, solves the recycling problem!). Since the newspaper is perceived as an adult medium, students usually feel proud to be carrying it home (especially the younger ones). It also encourages families who are not subscribers to become newspaper readers and promotes literacy in general.