Top 20 reasons for using Picture News!
Compiled by teacher and writer, John Dabell
Picture News is an excellent resource for developing spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and can boast many benefits:
- Accessible to all children
- Helps children develop their prediction skills
- Fires imaginations and creative thinking
- Connects children to the wider world; local, national and international
- Promotes diversity and cross-cultural competency and knowledge
- Champions oracy by encouraging children to talk about the news
- Helps to develop empathy, sympathy and respect
- Helps identify British values, shared values and differences
- Facilitates opportunities for children to be open with each other and safely discover what others’ perspectives may be
- Makes concepts memorable
- Fuels verbal and written communication
- Can accelerate understanding
- They are enjoyable, thought-provoking and challenging prompts
- Encourage children to question credibility, reliability and intentions
- Builds vocabulary and strengthens rapport
- Trains children to be reflective and interactive
- Builds investigative and journalistic thinking
- Contributes to being a global classroom and school
- Bridges geographic, linguistic, ideological and cultural barriers
- Encourages children to see themselves as player in the world and participating reflectively