I was compensated for my time and effort in providing my honest opinion of Channel One News. All opinions are my own. 

It's no secret that I homeschool all four of my boys. That being said, I also try to follow the current standards of the school system should they ever return to public school in the future. Right now, those are the Common Core State Standards. I have shared information about Channel One News in the last few months and how it can be an amazing way to promote family conversations and how it can help give children a global perspective. This month, I wanted to share how Channel One News is helping us learn at home, and how it is a fantastic resource that meet the guidelines for new Common Core State Standards.

New Common Core State Standards have a strong emphasis on media literacy and non-fiction reading skills. Most children aren't exactly thrilled with the idea of reading non-fiction content. In fact, it can be like pulling teeth to get them to do it without falling asleep. As I have discussed in the past, it is also difficult to find a way to expose children to news content that is age appropriate. Channel One News solves both of these problems though. They present new on current event topics that is both age appropriate and engaging. They also have transcripts of each of their news videos that can be used for current events work in the classroom.

For example, we have been studying the Civil War in our homeschool classroom. This video from Channel One News on Gettysburg presents what might be considered dull information in a fun and interact way to the boys. It is a lot more fun than seeing me stand up at the front of the room and drone on, I promise. Go ahead, check out this video from Channel One News on Gettysburg.

See? A lot more fun. Plus, each video comes with a text transcript that can be used for non-fiction reporting projects, current events and so much more! Here is a sample of part of the written transcript from the video above.

"The Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 was also seen as the turning point of the Civil War. Some 50,000 soldiers, North and South, were killed, wounded or missing in action. And it was the sacrifices at the Battle of Gettysburg that inspired Abraham Lincoln to give his famous Gettysburg Address here just a few months after the battle."

I really love how Channel One News has helped to make our homeschool classes on current events more interactive. Before I was introduced to Channel One News the boys had no access to news sources whatsoever because I could not edit out the inappropriate content in local new programs. Now, they get a daily dose of news tailored just for them, and it helps us meet Common Core State Standards to boot.

Want to try out Channel One News for yourself? It's free to sign-up. You can register here, but be sure to choose "parent" from the drop down box so that you will have the option for home use once logged in.