Students read all about it with NIE

For more than 25 years, students in Yuma-area schools have benefited from the use of Newspapers In Education in their classroom.  

Whether using their own curriculum or that provided by NIE, teachers can use the newspaper as a tool for teaching social studies, geography, history, science and much, much more. Participating teachers say that all grades and ages can benefit from NIE.

“Beginners as well as advanced English as a second language students enjoy Yuma Sun articles while they learn reading, writing, listening, math and speaking skills,” said Kevin Mann, a professor of English as a second language at Arizona Western College. “Imagine the excitement in class when a friend, classmate or family member is a featured scholar or athlete. From reading graphs and maps on the weather page, to writing their own cartoon, to writing multiparagraph persuasive essays in response to a current editorial, the Yuma Sun is a catalyst for numerous meaningful activities in all my AWC classes.”

NIE, a community literacy program funded by the Yuma Sun as well as community donations, has provided as many as 13,000 newspapers a week to local schools.

Aside from the Yuma Sun, funding comes from donations from businesses and parents as well as fundraising events held throughout the year, including the Golf Ball Drop, Ultimate Purse Sale, Pet and Baby calendar, Sign on for Literacy and the Relish Show & Expo.

Teachers receive curriculum from major partners and online curriculum provided by the Yuma Sun.
According to a study by the Newspaper Association of America, NIE students score an average of 10 percent better on standardized tests.

Participating teachers are also encouraged to send newspapers home with students as a learning tool to use with their parents.

Karen Phillips, the Yuma Sun’s NIE manager, said: “We ask businesses to partner in our NIE program to help defray the cost of printing extra newspapers each day and because it is a great way to help students learn and become more productive citizens.  NIE partnerships work to better educate our leaders for the future.”

Teachers who would like the newspaper have to request it through NIE. So far there have been 7,000 papers requested for the 2010-2011 school year. Deliveries will begin in mid-September or when funding is in place.

“It seems curriculum changes often, so every year teachers have to relearn how the newspaper can be used. We provide teachers a curriculum to use, so they in turn can teach from the newspaper,” Phillips said. “It sure is more fun to learn from a current newspaper.”