27 TOOLS

Most Reliable and Credible Sources for Students

Give your students access to trusted, reliable, and credible sources for news, current events, and research. Do you have students working on a research paper? Are they keeping up with the news to build reading and critical thinking skills? It's easy for students to go astray and get duped by untrustworthy, deceptive news sources or research studies. This list will point students in the right direction, toward sites and apps with vetted, fact-based, and fact-checked work. There are kid-friendly news sites and apps that adapt journalism to different reading levels and kids' sensibilities as well as primary and secondary research resources from leading institutions like the Smithsonian and NASA. We've also curated a few well-known sites and apps for older kids and adults like the New York Times and NPR. Of course, all news has some measure of bias, so it's important to combine reading these news sources with news literacy lessons.

Trustworthy News Sources

NASA Visualization Explorer

Updated stories help kids stay up to speed with space exploration

Bottom Line: Weekly updates and striking visuals make it easy for kids to stay informed about NASA's most recent discoveries.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet

Tons of climate change info from expert sources in one easy place

Bottom Line: This is a one-stop shop for climate change info, from basic intro content to practical guides and raw data; good for middle schoolers and up.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

The New York Times

Easy access to news, but most content is available only to subscribers

Bottom Line: Provides an easy-to-use news resource, but only section front pages are accessible without a subscription.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free, Paid

NPR One

Trusty podcast app has quality content but lacks learning supports

Bottom Line: An enticing free option for connecting current events to content through podcasts, but student engagement hinges on how you incorporate it.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

Kid- and Student-Friendly News Sources

Time for Kids

Pro news zine balances kid-friendly content with teacher supports

Bottom Line: This is an excellent, cross-curricular news source that'll keep kids current and build their thinking skills.

Grades: K–6
Price:
Paid

News-O-Matic

Daily news stories and supplements keep elementary schoolers current

Bottom Line: This highly useful current events platform can be a daily fixture of elementary school classrooms.

Grades: K–8
Price:
Free to try, Paid

News2you

Weekly newspaper makes current events accessible to all

Bottom Line: This a pricey tool but it's packed with a school year's worth of content and handy accessibility features.

Grades: 2–8
Price:
Paid

Newsela

Great stories, just-right leveled reading; now mostly by subscription

Bottom Line: While pricey, Newsela has ascended into an all-in-one destination for leveled, non-fiction reading.

Grades: 2–12
Price:
Free, Paid

CBC Kids News

Real news stories and videos for and by kids

Bottom Line: This is a robust resource for real and accessibly-written news stories students, but don't expect interactive elements or supporting materials.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free

Science News for Students

Cool STEM articles with learning supports make for fun, informative reading

Bottom Line: Free, fascinating articles make science relevant to students.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free

PBS NewsHour Classroom

Trusted news brand's current events site offers daily discussions

Bottom Line: There's a wide variety of current, credible, and high-quality content on this site that should support interesting classroom discussions.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

TimeEdge

Digital news source builds literacy and measures progress

Bottom Line: A top-notch digital news source with interactive features; a good tool to add value as students learn critical-thinking and close-reading skills.

Grades: 7–8
Price:
Free to try, Paid

The Learning Network

High-powered news site offers daily resource to process current events

Bottom Line: Backed by a world-class news team, this stunning free resource can fuel daily topical discussions.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Primary and Secondary Sources

Smithsonian's History Explorer

Browse and use American history artifacts and activities

Bottom Line: This is a handy resource that, with some effort, will uncover resources for kick-starting curious learning.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Powerful stories and media centralize African-American history

Bottom Line: While there aren't ready-to-go curricular materials, this modern, well-curated, and well-contextualized digital collection is sure to inspire compelling lessons.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Library of Congress

Dig into famed library's collection of research goodies

Bottom Line: The Library of Congress delivers the best of America's past and present, and with teacher support it could be a reliable research resource for students.

Grades: 1–12
Price:
Free

Smithsonian Open Access

Stellar museum-based resources available for exploration and use

Bottom Line: This high-quality collection of museum resources -- ranging from artifacts to full-blown exhibits -- provides unlimited exploration for students, reliable primary sources for teachers.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

National Archives

Access U.S. history with treasure trove of docs, genealogy, and other resources

Bottom Line: NARA's website wasn't designed for kids, but they can definitely use it to research and learn about history, genealogy, and the U.S. population and government.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free

Digital Public Library of America

Organized digital library features piles of useful primary resources

Bottom Line: DPLA is at the top of the list of high-grade, online primary source collections if teachers make effective use of what's on offer.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free

Google Arts & Culture

Well-curated art and history site inspires curious learning

Bottom Line: A beautifully presented one-stop shop for compellingly curated and contextualized art, history, and culture resources, but it's lacking educator supports.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Extensive resource collection supports teaching about the Holocaust

Bottom Line: As a valuable resource for anyone teaching or learning about the Holocaust, time to explore and plan is necessary in order to make the materials effective.

Grades: 6–12
Price:

The National WWII Museum - New Orleans

High-quality resources and activities offer an in-depth study

Bottom Line: Materials and activities support a thorough study of World War II, making this a valuable resource for both teachers and students.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Data USA

Elegant treasure trove of data could fuel lessons and projects

Bottom Line: An efficient research tool that makes it easier to incorporate stats into a host of lessons or projects focusing on the U.S.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free

Google Scholar

Academic search engine, an excellent source for credible research info

Bottom Line: This smart tool can help teens locate credible material for paper and report writing, general research, and other school projects.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

History and art intersect on the Met's vast, reading-centric site

Bottom Line: This resource from the Metropolitan Museum of Art beautifully illustrates art's evolution and is great for research, but more interactivity would help balance out the text-heavy content.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

News Aggregators

AllSides for Schools

Civics site offers building blocks for meaningful dialogue

Bottom Line: This site meaningfully promotes dialogue rather than argument, and collects a lot of resources you might normally have to curate yourself.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Google News

News site offers a useful platform for research, critical thinking

Bottom Line: With some cautious supervision and adept guidance from teachers, this is a good tool for seeking, reading, and evaluating stories from multiple sources.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

More Picks for You

  • Lessons and Tools for Teaching About Artificial Intelligence

  • Media Literacy Games, Tools, and Lessons

  • Great History and Geography Games