The Classroom Enrichment Program is about more than just simply dropping newspapers into classrooms. We strive to help teachers and students use those newspapers to reach the standards set forth by New York State and the federal government. For that reason, we have nearly 40 different curriculum guides available – at no charge (if you are a member of the Classroom Enrichment Program). To sign-up for any of these guides, simply click here and download our guide form.

OnLine

• Times Union Classroom Connection – (grades 3-12) A weekly current events teaching guide available only on the Classroom Enrichment website www.classroomenrichment.com
• The activities change weekly and are customized to be used with the Times Union.

Parade Magazine Classroom online edition: www.paradeclassroom.com – Downloadable lesson plans and activities to use with your Times Union newspaper. Teacher guides and new information weekly.

Social Studies/Current Events

• Character Matters! (grades 4-12) – Issues related to character education, focusing on individual values such as respect, responsibility, honesty, and tolerance
• Conflict Resolution (grades 4-8) – Real-life examples, activities, puzzles, and games to help students understand and resolve common disputes
• Cultural Diversity (grades 4-8) – Activities designed to help students recognize the similarities of all peoples, as well as to respect the uniqueness of all individuals
• Positive Thinking (grades 4-12) – Attitude is really everything and this guide shows students why. Designed to help kids think positively in everything they do.
• Education for Freedom (grades 7-12) Helps students to understand the importance of protecting their First Amendment freedoms through exercising their rights and responsibilities as citizens
• The Elections (grades 4-12) – Step-by-step analysis of elections, raising student awareness of the presence of politics in their own lives.  Activities involve charting, analyzing and reacting to elections and the overall political environment
• Pigskin Geography (grades 4-8) – A popular program based on following the teams and schedule of the NFL to learn about U.S. geography.
• Pigskin, Jr. (grades 2-5) – A popular program based on following the teams and schedule of the NFL to learn about U.S. geography.
• Slam-Jam Geography (grades 4-8) – Learn about U.S. geography by following the schedule and teams of the NBA
• Slam-Jam, Jr. (grades 2-5) - Learn about U.S. geography by following the schedule and teams of the NBA
• The Law (grades 4-8) - See how law works at school, home and on the street
• Albany Heritage Area: Field Trip Explorations (all ages) – A comprehensive listing of educational organizations and field trips in the Capital Region.
• Exploring Diversity (grades 3-8) – Explore the concerns, prejudices, pressures and opportunities diversity brings as you grow up.

English/Language Arts

• Creating a Classroom Newspaper (grades 4-8) – Activities directing students to prepare and produce their own newspapers
• English (grades 4-12) – Separated into three teaching levels, activities are based on using the Times Union for critical thinking, analysis and creativity.  Activities range from writing an editorial about a school or local issue to creating a fictional “postcard home” sent from a comic strip character.
• Literacy/Using the Newspaper to Teach Adults (Adults) – Uses the Times Union as a relevant teaching tool to promote letter recognition, basic sentence structure and basic writing skills. Activities include identifying words with two syllables, putting words in alphabetical order, and utilizing plurals.
• Literature Applications (grades 4-8) – Enhanced look at writing styles, as well as basic story elements, within the context of the Times Union. For example, one activity includes identifying basic literary elements in a typical news story.
• Press Ahead! (grades 4-8) – Step-by-step instructions on helping students create a classroom or school newspaper
• Writing With the Newspaper (grades K-8) – Writing activities based on using the Times Union as a resource
• Writing Applications (grades 9-12) – 97 writing activities based on using the Times Union as a resource
• Reading First NIE! (grades preK-5) – Helping teachers reach and understand the reading standards set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Mathematics

• Math News (grades 4-8) – Activities promote problem solving, logical thinking, and overall analytical thinking.
• Motorsports Math (grades 4-8) This award winning program involves using results from NASCAR Winston Cup races to learn about a variety of topics, including statistics, graphing and probability

Life Skills

• SEFCU Financial Literacy (grades 5-12) – Teach your students about finding a job or place to live by using the newspaper. They, using materials from SEFCU and other sources, you can teach your students how to pay bills, buy food and budget for their future.

Science

• Earth Day Every Day (grades 4-8) – Newspaper activities for many subject areas that encourage students to help preserve the planet
• Weather Wire (grades 4-8) – Activities based on using the weather map and statistics using the Times Union weather page.  Meets six out of the seven NYS Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science and Technology
• Schoolyard Science (grades 3-6) – Includes interactive science experiments.

Art

• Editorial Cartoons (grades 4-12) – Activities include designing and interpreting editorial cartoons
• Celebrate Theatre (grades 8-12) – Activities for teachers and students after attending theatrical performances

Multiple subject areas

• Messages and Meaning/A Guide to Understanding Media (grades 8-12) – An introduction to the forms and issues related to media literacy
• Newspapers and the ‘Net’ (grades 4-12) – Teach students how to read and learn information in the Times Union, research the topic through the use of the Internet, and then make conclusions.  While many students know how to surf the Internet, these activities show them how to ‘surf’ constructively. Learn some basic terminology and a few navigating skills while exploring the Internet with your students.
• Newspapers Maintain the Brain (grades 4-12) – Newspaper activities that utilize critical thinking and creativity to enhance skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, math, social studies, and science
• Random Acts of Kindness (grades 3-12) – Built around excerpts from the Kids’ Random Acts of Kindness book (Conari Press), it encourages students to share their ideas about kindness, fosters camaraderie and gives you an opportunity to deliver “good news”
• Read on This Summer – Sends kids on a book tour with stops in seven genres: biography, mystery, non-fiction, animals, science fiction, adventure and African-American writing. For each genre, there’s a suggested reading list, three newspaper activities (primary, intermediate and advanced) and a student-reading log, in which they can record and evaluate books they read.
• The Ultimate Newspaper Activity Guide (grades 4-12) – A 45-page teacher’s guide with activities in English/language arts, mathematics, social students, economics, science, technology and newspaper use
• Target Date (grades 3-8) – Get newspapers from all across the U.S. on the same date, and then compare news coverage in these papers with the Times Union's coverage
  Food for Thought (grades 3-8) – This guide offers a fun approach to the study of nutrition, as well as social, economic and cultural connections. Special feature: “What’s Cooking Around the World” and the food pyramid. Also, be sure to check out the LiveSmart page, each Wednesday in the Times Union.
• Supermarket Smarts (grades 3-6) – Teaches math, language arts, science, nutrition and marketing, in an engaging way. If you’re interested in this guide, please contact us about potential tours of a local supermarket.
• Choosing Success (grades 3-8) – Attitude is everything! Learn how to choose optimism and achieve the success that comes with a positive outlook
• Building Self-Esteem (grades 3-6) – Use a combination of individual and group activities to reinforce student self-esteem
• Map Skills (grades 3-6) – Introduction into a wide variety of maps from treasure maps to park maps, site plans and seating diagrams. Skills include understanding symbolic representations, giving and following directions, using scale and computing distances
• Live Without Hate (grades 7-12) – Offers students a look into hate crimes and what they can do to stop them
• The Teen Files: Issues That Matter (grades 7-12) – Covers a wide range of topics, including peer pressure, drugs, eating disorders, depression, alcohol, smoking and more. Examines some of these vital issues and strategies for dealing with them.

Times Union Special Sections
1 per teacher order

• Dutch Albany – A look back at the first settlements in the Albany area, with a special interest on the Dutch heritage.
• Battles of Saratoga – An in-depth look at the turning point of the American Revolution.
• Times Union 150th Anniversary: Legacy of Change – The Times Union looks back at 150 years of serving our community. This section comes with a special curriculum guide.