Use Your CADL Card to Help Kids Build Critical Thinking and Media Literacy with The Times Learning Network: Three Ways to Start
Looking for a fresh way to connect classroom learning to what’s happening in the world right now? The New York Times Learning Network is a free hub of teacher-tested resources for middle and high school educators, students and families who want engaging, news-based learning activities (ages 13+).
From ELA and social studies to science and data literacy, The Learning Network provides practical teaching tools across subjects. Using articles, photos, videos, podcasts, and graphics, it helps students build critical thinking, strengthen writing, practice civil discourse, and develop media and news literacy.
Three easy ways to use The Times Learning Network:
- Start a daily routine with Student Opinion. Each school day features a question tied to a Times piece, inviting students to write for an authentic audience in a moderated comments section.
- Use visual prompts to spark writing and discussion. Features like What’s Going On in This Picture? and What’s Going On in This Graph? encourage observation, evidence-based reasoning, and curiosity.
- Make current events low-lift with quizzes and roundups. Weekly news quizzes help students review major stories, learn context, and track their understanding over time.
And the best part is, it’s free with your CADL Card! Grab a free, daily, all-access digital pass to The Times with your CADL card. And if you're not sure how to get started, check out our step-by-step tutorial.
Don’t have a CADL card?