Parents' Guide to

Newsela: News and nonfiction at your reading level

By Ashley Kemper, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Extra! Extra! Great leveled texts and assessments.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Free Education
Newsela: News and nonfiction at your reading level Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Newsela App: Screenshot #1
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What’s It About?

NEWSELA: NEWS AND NONFICTION AT YOUR READING LEVEL allows kids to discover thousands of daily news and nonfiction articles about current events and trending topics. Kids can search for keywords by selecting the search feature or explore texts by clicking the icon in the top-left corner. When browsing texts based on topics, a visual overview is at the top of the screen followed by a summary of the topic and a list of articles that match this subject or theme. Once kids click into an article, they can adjust the reading level by using two fingers to scroll up to increase complexity or down to decrease it. To access assessments, translate texts into Spanish, and share articles via email or social media, users click on the corresponding icon at the bottom of the screen. Kids can also filter texts based on key topics (opinions, war and peace, science, kids, money, law, health, arts, and sports).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (4 ):

Although the app was designed primarily for the classroom, all kids can benefit from the well-crafted articles available at many reading levels. Each text is engaging and relevant. Because articles are organized visually, kids who may be overwhelmed with text-heavy search results are given easy access to quality text. Each feature provides leveled support and builds strong reading comprehension of nonfiction texts. At each of the five levels, kids can access assessments that effectively check comprehension and encourage kids to look back at the text to fine evidence. No matter the website or app, Newsela: News and nonfiction at your reading level is a great way for all kids to explore current events.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about current events by reading recent articles in Newsela: News and nonfiction at your reading level. Because the overall information is the same despite the reading level, kids and adults alike can make important connections to real-world topics of interest.

  • Families can practice asking meaningful questions about each article. Empower kids to find the most important details in each article and quiz each family member on how much they remember about the text.

  • Ask kids the difference between primary and secondary sources: Why is it important to read both? What is the benefit of reading primary documents for learning new information?

App Details

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