Reading newspapers helps adults and children to better understand the world around them and the current events that affect them. It helps give them more confidence to engage with the world around them. For children it also improves their reading and writing skills as well as improves their critical thinking. For parents, reading and discussing the news with their children can help them get a better idea of how they view the world and current events. It can also be a fun activity to do together, especially over the school holidays when families will be spending more time together.

The National Literacy Trust originally started the Tuesday Newsday initiative to encourage teachers to talk about the news with their students. As part of the National Literacy Trust, News Literacy Network, the Charlotte Project has adapted the idea for parents and their children to discuss the news together.

Every week over the summer holiday, we will ask a young student to give us their take on a current news story. We will also post a further 3 stories for you to discuss together. To make it as easy as possible, we provide a series of questions that can form the framework for your analysis of each story.

This week, Saskia, 18, from York looks at the issue of sun-creams damaging the marine ecosystem.

Enjoy the discussion. What do you think of Saskia’s analysis? And she has chosen a further three stories for you to look at

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9877945/Covid-tests-FIVE-TIMES-cost-flights-Screening-expensive-return-journey-Europe.html

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/un-sounds-clarion-call-over-irreversible-climate-impacts-by-humans-2021-08-09/

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/piers-morgan-says-level-students-24725772

Use the question cards to talk about the stories making the news.