NewsEd: Bringing News into the Classroom

Growing up with technology and the Internet, our students are now more connected to what is happening around the world than ever. Together with the readership moving online, more and more people are also getting their news from sources such as social media, blogs or alternative news sites. With the emergence of the buzzword "fake news" in 2017, resources from mainstream news agencies such as SPH can help teachers and students sift out credible information from online 'noise'.

Developed with teachers in mind, The Straits Times Schools (ST Schools) has launched NewsEd, a news portal that curates and categorises articles by teaching topics and learning outcomes. News articles can illustrate lessons in a tangible way, making them a valuable teaching resource in the classroom.

News by Teaching Subject

When a search is done using the search bar, teachers can choose to limit their search results to specific news sections. These news sections are curated by ST Schools and include hot topics relevant to Singapore such as "Fighting Fake News" and "SG Secure".

Teachers can also choose to search by MOE teaching subjects such as "Social Studies". There are also articles that can help to illustrate values or lessons that can be brought into Character & Citizenship Education classes.

News by Learning Outcomes

When entering a search in the search bar, teachers are also able to limit their search by learning outcomes. These articles can supplement lessons intended to have students come away with critical thinking skills (21st Century Competencies) or core values (Character & Citizenship Education; Values-in-Action).

Learning Activities

A unique feature of NewsEd is that articles come with pre-loaded activities that can be useful for teachers planning their lessons. Teachers can also change the content of the activity sheet to customise it for their own lessons. After students have completed the activity sheet, teachers can mark and comment directly on the platform to provide instant feedback. Alternatively, teachers may also use the responses received from students to generate further discussion or reflection on an issue.

To find out more about how to use NewsEd, you may refer to this user guide by The Straits Times.

You can also access NewsEd from the list of Databases in our library portal.

[*Afternote: As of 2019, subscription to NewsEd has been discontinued. To access SPH publications, you may access via Newslink or NewspaperSG in our databases.]

#Feb2018