Teacher Review: Lisa Bennett

“Students in my classroom have been reading the news on a daily basis. News-O-Matic presents current news in a fun and engaging manner and my students are always excited to open up their iPads and start reading what’s news today.

The students’ morning routine is to read all five stories for the day and then to select one that they want to write a summary about. I have a created a bulletin board that they then add their summary of news to. We also have a class discussion about what is in the news and share opinions about the stories. This becomes a student-led discussion, giving voice to some students who may not otherwise speak up. News-O-Matic has opened up a whole new world to them and makes them realize there is so much more going on in the world that they may never have heard of.

There are many things I love about this app. I love that the app can read the stories to the students. This helps my struggling readers access the information, without having to feel stressed about not understanding all the words. Many of the stories have accompanying videos that the students love watching. I love the interactive map that shows where in the world the stories have come from, thereby embedding a mini-geography lesson for the students. The interactive games based on that day’s news reinforce what the students have read. I have also begun to use the CCSS aligned teacher’s guide that is now available each day.

Since using News-O-Matic, I have noticed my students referencing stories they have read when we are having class discussions about something related to the current curriculum I am teaching. This shows that not only are they reading the news, they are retaining the information and making connections – a critical component to everyday learning!”

By Lisa Bennett, 5th Grade Teacher, Van Gogh Charter Elementary