Search for Content in Newsela
Our advanced search experience allows you to filter and find relevant content to support your instruction.
Newsela's search combines lexical and semantic matching to provide comprehensive content results that populate a stacked ranking based on relevancy.
To use the search function simply type in keywords into the search bar, and either click enter on your keyboard, or select one of the preloaded options that appear
To Narrow Your Results use the filters. See below for more information on the filters available.
Sort By
Select your preferred articles order display from the drop down menu at the top right corner of the screen. You can sort by articles that best fit the search criteria, or articles that have been added most recently
Content Type
The filters at the top of the screen can be used to narrow down the search results to a specific type of content:
Articles
Vidoes
Text Sets
Interactives
Worksheets
Reading Levels
Use the Reading Levels filter on the left side panel to narrow down your search results either by Grade Level or by Maturity Level
Grade level
This filters the reading level of the content. For example, an article about the summer olympics has 5 levels for 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th grades.
Maturity level
This filters the maturity of the content. For example, an article about the summer olympics would have an Upper Elementary School – Middle School rating.
Selecting maturity levels with this filter will limit your results to articles that we have designated for the specified grade band
Lower Elementary School: These are articles best suited for grades 2-4, often with visual supports for comprehension. They are chosen for younger readers and do not require extensive background knowledge. Scary or Sensitive subject matter is never included in content that is marked as Lower Elementary. Lower Elementary content is available at a range of article levels between 2-6.
Upper Elementary School: Articles best suited for readers in grades 4-6. These articles typically include a single main idea and sometimes require background knowledge. Scary or sensitive subject matter is never included in content deemed appropriate for Upper Elementary classrooms. Upper Elementary content is available at a range of article levels between grades 2 and 12.
Middle School: Articles best suited for grades 6-8. These articles may require background knowledge and are intended to facilitate awareness of global events and issues. Middle School content is available at a range of article levels between grades 2 and 12.
High School: Articles in this group typically requires background knowledge and maturity and are often too complex for younger students. We believe that Teachers and caretakers know their students best and so they still are able to assign any maturity of article to any student of their choosing. High School content is available at a range of article levels between grades 2 and 12. are available at a range of article levels between grades 2 and 12.
Instructional Support
Use the Instructional Support filter on the left side panel to narrow down the search results to articles that include these specific activities:
Decodables: Check mark this option to limit your search only to decodables.
Power Words: Check mark this option to limit your search only to articles with the Power Words activity.
Formatives by Newsela: Check mark this option to limit your search only to content items that have ready-to-use Formative activities associated to them.
Generation Genius: Check mark this option to limit your search only to content items that include a Generation Genius video
Spanish: Check mark this option to limit your search only to articles that are available in Spanish.
Reading Skills
Use the Reading Skills filter on the left side panel to narrow down your search results to content that quizzes students on one or more of the reading skills listed:
What the text says
Main idea
Key details
Summarization
Theme
Connecting people, events, ideas
Word meaning & choice
Text structure
Point of view & purpose
Interpret multimedia
Arguments & claims
Standards
Use the Standards filter on the left side panel to narrow down your search results to content that has activities aligned with a specific standard and standard sets
Click to expand the Standards filter on the left side menu
Check mark standards from the displayed options, or
Click on 'view all standards' to pull up the standards window
Within the standards pop-up window, the tab titled 'All' will display a list of all the standards available within your account.
You can scroll down the list or use the filters (by standard code, by subject, by grade or by publication date) to locate the desired standard(s).
Check mark the box(es) next to the specific desired standard(s).
Click the 'Apply filters' button to pull up the list of articles aligned to the standards you selected
You can also create a Standards Set and save it to your account for future use. This will allow you to search for articles matching the same standards set repeatedly without needing to apply individual filters. To do this:
Click on the '+Create Standards Set' tab at the top of the Standards pop up window.
Apply the filters per your desired criteria (Standard code, Subject, Grade and Publication Date)
Click on '+Add to Set' next to individual standards you'd like to include in your set. The selected standards will be listed under the Set's title field. If you need to remove a selected standard from the set simply click on 'Remove from Set' next to it
Proceed to title your new Standards Set
When ready, click on the blue 'Create Standards Set' at the bottom of the pop up window. Your new Standards Set will now be saved as a separate tab within the standards pop-up window. You will be able to access it moving forward
Continue to apply your newly created Standards Set to your search filters by clicking on 'Apply filters' to pull up the list of articles aligned to the standards you selected
Now that your Standards Set is saved, you can access it at any time and if needed also edit it to your liking
Tip: Standards will display based on the school with which your account is associated and the classes you have created. The school locations dictates what state standards you see.
Topics
Use the Topics filter on the left side panel to narrow down your search results to articles that include specific topics.
Click on 'View all' to pull up the full list of topics. Depending on the type of subject subscription you have, you'll be able to filter the full list by subject or even by skills.
Use the search bar within the Topics window to narrow down the topics list as needed.
Check-mark your choice(s) and click 'Apply Filters' for the filter to apply to your articles search results view.
