Teach Secondary Issue 14.8

Teaching ‘the news’ is a minefield. Teachers need reliable, tried-and-trusted resources that safeguard against misinformation, while equipping students with the critical literacy skills to question, evaluate and navigate the media landscape with confidence. That’s why First News has created a new KS2/3 resource that’s rooted in the Media and Information Literacy Alliance’s five aspirations – to be informed, empowered, healthy, socially conscious and connected. The end result, First News’ Media & Information Literacy TeachKit, sets out the essential knowledge and foundational skills young people need to thrive in today’s information society. An impressive collection of related resources on topical news items is available for teachers to download, including lesson plans, teaching slides and parent guides, along with vocabulary and scenario cards, worksheets and templates. These resources combine to form a powerful package that can help students dig past the headlines to question sources, analyse meanings and sharpen their critical thinking. Every lesson plan is thoughtfully put together, with clear learning objectives and helpful guidance on how teachers should look to navigate sensitive content. The lessons follow a balanced format that carefully blends starter activities, reading, class discussion, creative production and reflection. Editable PowerPoint slides are also included, giving you the flexibility to adapt and tailor the content so that it’s a better fit for your particular context and certain groups of learners. A downloadable parent guide accompanies each lesson, featuring “Ask me what I learnt today” prompts to spark meaningful conversations at home. The MIL TeachKit is intuitive and user- friendly, giving you instant access to your downloads, saved lessons and any resources you’ve created. You can personalise your dashboard so it’s tailored to the yeargroups and subjects you teach, while also tracking your school’s network activity. Quick links make it easy to jump straight to the resources you need, and you can seamlessly toggle between expert-written and community-crafted lessons and packs. One of its standout features is a built-in AI tool, which enables you to create high-quality lessons in just two minutes – a real game- changer for busy teachers. Students need news they can trust. First News’ MIL TeachKit can equip themwith the essential skills they’ll need to become confident, media- and information-savvy citizens, while providing teachers with impactful tools for getting students to question, analyse and reflect on all the media they encounter, use and create. A toolkit to instil essential life skills in your pupils A T A G L ANCE MED I A L I T E RACY • From a leading source of news and news-based learning for children • Free frameworks created with the Media and Information Literacy Alliance (MILA) • Schemes of work that slot easily into your timetable • Teaching packs connected to real, up-to-date news stories • Designed to help students become lifelong media interpreters first.news/mil Helps students engage with media in healthy, critical and active ways Encourages students to interrogate sources of news and information Empowers young citizens to become more informed and active participants in society Develops students’ critical thinking so that they can make more balanced, evidence-based judgements about the information they encounter The complete package for any media-savvy classroom You are looking for practical, ready-to-use tools that can bring media literacy to life, help students look past the headlines, explore issues in depth and develop the critical skills they need to question, analyse, and make sense of the world around them. V E RD I C T P I CK UP I F . . . REVIEWED BY: JOHN DABELL Media & Information Literacy TeachKit R E V I E W teachwire.net/secondary 96