Connect to Choice: Tools & Routines

Connect to Choice

There is tremendous value in giving our students influence over how they learn and what they learn. Here are a few Essential Tips to foster student choice through remote learning!


  1. Provide students choice in where they learn.
    Have students identify a location that they will be learning in. Ideally, this location would be a neutral space, promoting both independence and learning. Have students create a 2-minute Flipgrid sharing where they plan to learn and why this will help them learn best over the course of remote learning. When students finish, encourage them to view and comment on each other’s learning spaces. This can help foster a sense of classroom community and build empathy amongst students.

  2. Provide students with choices in daily routines.
    It is important to maintain daily routines for our students. Doing so will help students feel more comfortable and in control of their learning despite any changes to their learning environments. Have students leverage the Article of the Day, as well as the Latest News section of Newsela to launch into learning each day. Invite students to choose a current event that they are interested in, and read about it! If students are interested in extending their learning, invite them to explore the daily news podcast called KidNuz. When students have explored the news for the day, have them share their favorite stories with each other using Flipgrid! This can foster continued learning and collaboration amongst your students!

  3. Provide students with choices in what they learn.

    • Providing our students with opportunities to learn about areas they care most about can lead to powerful innovation and excitement amongst your students! Foster learning choice with students using the Newsela app in two ways:

    • If you are looking to foster self-directed learning, begin by inviting students to search for content and filter for skills they would like to engage with more. Doing so can help build their competency in a particular area.

    • If you are looking to foster a passion for learning, begin by having students search for content that they are interested in learning more about! Once students feel comfortable with the knowledge that they have acquired, have them create Sets in the Newsela app to show off their learning to teachers and peers

A S K A T E A C H E R

Newsela’s Professional Learning team is here to help, we had office hours to share ways to teach remotely, all staffed by one of our former teachers!

On Demand Office Hours :
Google Classroom
Special Education
Remote Learning
English Language Learners

P R I N T A N D P A C K A G E

We know that the digital divide is real, and that not all students have consistent access to the internet. Distance learning, like the classroom, should be accessible for all. Several NCEs recommended printing out 1-2 weeks worth of instructional content to have on hand so students can access materials to continue their learning at home. And, if you have a class library and are able, try sending a few books home for students to have on hand during their time away from the classroom.

E D U C A T O R S P O T L I G H T

Newsela Certified Educator Kristen Rafferty:

“My first thought is that I could utilize technology, like Wakelet, to create learning paths for students that could be self-directed at home or in an environment outside of school. My immediate follow-up thought is that not all kids have access to technology at home. With this consideration in mind, I would encourage kids to read anything they could get their hands on, put their curiosity to work by exploring the world around them, practice math skills using practical applications like following a recipe or helping make a budget for grocery shopping, and to enjoy the time with their family.”

G O O G L E C L A S S R O O M

You can use Newsela’s built-in assignment and article-sharing tools to seamlessly push content to your students in Google Classroom.

Here are some resources on how:

C A N V A S

Canvas can help ensure that your classroom discussions and assignments don’t miss a beat during remote learning! Here is how you can foster a classroom environment on Canvas:


  • If you are looking to get started with Canvas, this information will help you launch student learning instantly.

  • If you are looking to create a discussion as an instructor, use this lesson outline to customize a discussion that will help ignite student thinking.

  • If you are looking to create an assignment for your students, use this assignment shell to help you get started!


A host of ideas to help you maintain a strong grounding in your curriculum.