Free serialised story offered to newspapers for International Literacy Day

Posted by Emma Heald on August 28, 2009 at 3:39 PM

In celebration of International Literacy Day on 8 September, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers is offering newspapers a free serialised children's story. The story aims to teach children aged around 9 to 12 about newspaper journalism and is accompanied by lesson ideas. The initiative is part of WAN-IFRA's Newspapers in Education Development Project supported by Norske Skog, the Norway-based global paper producer.

"Newspapers and literacy have gone hand in hand for eons," said Aralynn McMane, director of WAN-IFRA young readership development. "In many countries, teachers use newspapers to teach both children and adults how to read, and we constantly hear of new ways newspapers are working with , or even creating libraries. A serial story remains a great tool for all involved."

Some newspapers have already made plans for the story. The Hindustan Times of India (circ. 1.3 million) will arrange contests to encourage students to design and create their own school newspaper and to submit paintings and artwork about insects. El Bravo of Mexico (circ. 420 000) will award prizes to children who complete all the activities for all eight chapters. The Daily News of the United States (circ. 20 000) will print the first chapter as part of its literacy supplement that focuses on pre-school through adult literacy. New Vision of Uganda (circ 36 000) will run it in the form of a competition to encourage children to participate nationwide. They will also air the installments on its radio station every week. The teachers will also be encouraged to use the series to teach comprehension in class.

The story, "Jose - Fly Reporter" about a group of insects who must learn how to get along in order to create a newspaper, "The Fly on the Wall Journal", was written by Cathy Sewell, NIE manager for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and president of The Curriculum Closet, who wrote the "Frannie Learns a Lesson" series that WAN-IFRA offered in 2008. Newspapers in 26 countries, totalling more than 5 million in circulation, ran that tale.

International Literacy Day was established in 1965 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and is celebrated around the world each year on September 8. But there is still a huge problem. According to Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, illiteracy represents a "genuine threat for human development" with one in five adults over age 15 unable to read not only a newspaper but even a street sign or the names on a voting ballot.

WAN-IFRA is offering the story free to any newspaper that would like to use it. The story and activities will be available in English and Spanish, and newspapers will be authorized to translate the story into any other language. In addition story users can join a user group on the WAN-IFRA World Young Reader Network. Newspapers can begin the story any time before the end of the year. To learn more and download the story and art see here.

Sewell will talk about how to use serial stories to their full potential at Making New Connections, the 8th World Young Reader Conference, set for 27-30 September in Prague. Participants can register online and find programme details at http://www.wan-press.org/prague2009

As it has done for the two previous WAN-IFRA's serial stories, the Paris-based "Sardine Features" has again donated photos and a related story for this year's effort. Those materials are available here.