NewseumED gives educators, students free access to content
The Newseum has launched a new online educational resources site called NewseumED, which gives teachers and students free access to curated, standards-aligned content from the Newseum’s vast collection of more than 35,000 newspapers, magazines and other artifacts.
The website offers lesson plans that use primary sources and historic artifacts to make history relevant today and to help educators shed new light on current debates about the First Amendment and media ethics. The resource is designed to meet the needs of elementary, middle and high school classrooms, as well as college students and lifelong learners.
“Each year, students make up half of all Newseum visitors,” said Barbara McCormack, vice president of education at the Newseum. “NewseumED represents our commitment to reaching students and teachers beyond our four walls and at all levels to provide them with the wealth of resources the Newseum has to offer.”
The site is launching with two EDCollections that provide curated in-depth interactive explorations of key topics built around historic print, newsreel and other artifacts in the Newseum collection. The EDCollections “Making a Change” and “Women, Their Rights and Nothing Less” explore how civil rights advocates and suffragists used the powers guaranteed by the First Amendment to make their voices heard and enact change. Both “Making a Change” and “Women, Their Rights and Nothing Less” are endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies.
NewseumED includes more than 500 historic documents, 115 worksheets and 86 lesson plans that are easily searchable by type, topic and time period. The educational content is framed by the freedoms and ideals protected by the First Amendment, which acts as a springboard to explore more about the opportunities and challenges of our democracy. Full access to the site requires free, secure registration, but a “share” function allows teachers to offer their students a custom URL that provides access to the site’s content without a login.
The new website enhances the Newseum’s on-site offerings, including free classes for visiting school groups, professional development workshops and adult team-building experiences. Since the Newseum opened in 2008, more than 1.5 million students have taken advantage of the museum’s free classes on media literacy, ethics, civics and more.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
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