Finally, keep it simple,
Bomba says. Tell children
the news (“we’ve had an
election, and here’s who
won”), and then ask them
about the questions they have.

Don’t shun social media
“Twitter is our public conversation now,
but it can be very inappropriate for chil-
dren,” says Caroline Knorr, senior media
editor for Common Sense. The organization
is a national nonprofit that provides fami-
lies and schools with tech and entertainment
recommendations. But what’s said on Twitter makes its way
quickly to other news outlets. This can pro-
vide parents with many teachable moments,
Knorr says. The most obvious one for 2020 is
that politics is a “contact sport.” Political com-
ments are often emotional and designed to get
attention — two great points to make with
children. “It’s a good time to talk about your own
family values,” she says. Parents can say,
“When we disagree in our family, we are
respectful, and we use facts to support our
views,” she suggests.

A Common Sense survey revealed that kids
get most of their news from their families
and other kids, but they like to get news from
social media. Parents should not trivialize a
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
child’s inter-
est in social
media, Knorr
says, but use it as
another opportunity.

Find out how media lit-
erate your child is, she advises.

Common Sense also has a checklist to
help teens fact-check the news they consume
(see sidebar).

Ask these questions
After the 2016 election, many educators started
to look into how we consume news and con-
sider our news sources. Sarah McGrew, a
former teacher in Washington, D.C., is one
such researcher. McGrew works as an assis-
tant professor of education at the University
of Maryland, College Park, and studies how
students evaluate information online.

Parents should have conversations with
their children not only about the news, she
says, but also how the news is produced.

It’s easy for both adults and kids to jump
into appealing or riveting online content.

But they should first ask where the content
comes from and if that source is reliable and
recognizable. What makes a source reliable? Parents
should explain to kids how reputable news
sources have reporters who name their sources,
editors who read over stories and fact checkers
Raising a political junkie?
to verify
information. Reputable news
sources also print cor-
rections when they get
something wrong.

“That’s the process of news that leads
us to put our trust in an organization,”
she says.

The third question to consider is whether
there is evidence to support this news. What
do other sources say? This is particularly
important to evaluate as kids view videos,
photos and infographics, which they con-
sider to be reliable even when they are not,
McGrew says.

“One of the strengths of the internet is that
there are always other sources,” she says. “We
do not have a scarcity of information.”
A study from the Stanford History
Education Group released in 2016 revealed
that 82 percent of middle schoolers can’t
tell the difference between an online news
story and an online advertisement. It’s good
then for parents to review with children
the different types of content on a web-
site — news story, opinion, advertisement
and more, says McGrew, who was one of the
study’s co-authors.

“An informed citizenry is the bedrock of
democracy,” she says. “And we are increasingly
informing ourselves on the internet.” T
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Here are four books for kids hooked on civics, thanks to Keren Joshi, children’s librarian at D.C.

Public Library’s Deanwood Neighborhood Library. Visit baltimoreschild.com for more book
suggestions as well as website suggestions from Maryland Public Television.

“What’s the Big Deal About Elections” by Ruby Shamir | Nonfiction, grades K-4
Did you know that Election Day is on Tuesday because that was the best day for farmers to vote?
Or that George Washington was our only elected president who ran unopposed? Or that Native
Americans were only given the right to vote in 1924? It’s all true! Find out more election fun facts.

“Book Uncle and Me” by Uma Krishnaswami | Fiction, grades 2-5
Every day, 9-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up
a free lending library next to her apartment building. But when the mayor tries to shut down the
rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something.

“The Great Greene Heist” by Varian Johnson | Fiction, grades 5-8
Jackson Greene swears he’s given up scheming. Then school bully Keith Sinclair announces he’s
running for Student Council president, against Jackson’s former friend Gaby de la Cruz. Gaby
wants Jackson to stay out of it, but does he?
“Your Own Worst Enemy” by Gordon Jack | Fiction, grades 9-12
For fans of Andrew Smith and Frank Portman and movies such as “Election” and “Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off” comes a hilarious and satirical novel about the highs and (very low) lows of the electoral
process, proving that the popular vote is the one that matters most. T
26 Washington FAMILY JANUARY 2020