In Newsela’s growing catalog of content, you can find everything from breaking news to fiction, depending on your subscription.
Each article is available at 5 reading levels, and new articles are published daily. Newsela’s articles come from premier content partners such as the Washington Post, Scientific American, and Smithsonian.com. At the MAX reading level, you’ll see the original article and the publication source.
Learn more about the content available to you below.
Note: Educators with the Lite experience (i.e. without a Newsela subscription) are able to view an alternating collection of free articles. Any of the other content that is not included in the current collection require a subscription. For a quick comparison on content by subscription, click here.
Newsela ELA
Newsela curated collections
There are two paths to finding content on Newsela ELA, through search or by exploring the curations that are ready to use on your Newsela ELA browse page here in the left-hand nav menu. You’ll find collections curated to support a variety of classroom strategies, or to complement existing curricula and novels
To browse collections,
Click ELA at the top of the page.
Select 'All ELA collections' from the left-side navigation bar.
Alternatively, select the curriculum you use or the collection most relevant to your classroom from the same left-side navigation bar (for example: novel studies, paired-texts, etc.)
Select the materials that align with your classroom.
Read through the resources in the right-hand panel, activities in articles, and view any lesson sparks to help guide your instruction.
Fiction and Poetry
With your Newsela ELA subscription, you’ll find fiction and poetry content published on their original level.
To explore Fiction and Poetry,
Click ELA at the top of the page.
Scroll through the left hand navigation bar with “ELA” at the top.
Select Favorite Fiction and Poetry, Poetry, or Fiction and Drama.
Nonfiction
Biographies, essays, interviews, overviews, primary sources, procedural articles, and speeches are part of your Newsela ELA subscription.
To find this content, navigate to the library or
Click Content Library at the top of the page
Select 'Articles and Texts from the dropdown menu
On the left side filters panel, expand 'Topics' and click on 'View all' within it
Proceed to select from the list of topics under Non-Fiction at your preference. You will be able to select from biographies, essays, interviews, overviews, primary sources, procedural articles, speeches, and more!
You can also search for key terms, which will return results from all content available in your subscription, which can then be filtered down as well.
Decodables for older readers (Powered by StoryShares)
Newsela is partnering with StoryShares to bring decodables for upper elementary through high school-age students who need foundational skills support into the Newsela ELA content library.
Decodables for older readers support the Science of Reading by reinforcing explicit, systematic phonics and morphology instruction while providing age-appropriate, engaging content. Many struggling readers in upper grades have gaps in foundational skills, and decodables offer structured opportunities to practice both phonics patterns and morphemes (prefixes, suffixes, and root words) in context. This repeated exposure strengthens phonemic awareness, orthographic mapping, and morphological understanding, leading to improved word recognition, fluency, and reading confidence.
By ensuring that texts are both accessible and engaging, decodables help older readers focus on comprehension rather than decoding individual words. High-quality decodables use compelling narratives and relevant nonfiction topics to maintain motivation while reinforcing essential literacy skills. By incorporating morphology, students not only improve their ability to decode but also expand their vocabulary and understanding of word structure, helping them transition to more complex texts and bridge the gap between foundational skills and grade-level reading expectations.
When using decodables, the assignment builder looks and feels the same as our regular ELA content; however, consider the following when implementing.
Assigning a decodable reader differs from assigning a standard Newsela text in both selection and instructional approach:
Selection: Decodable readers are assigned based on a student’s phonics and morphology skill level, ensuring alignment with specific literacy needs. In contrast, standard Newsela texts are assigned based on reading comprehension level, background knowledge, or subject-area relevance.
Instructional Approach: Decodable readers are used in structured literacy lessons, small-group phonics and morphology instruction, or interventions, with a focus on decoding, morpheme recognition, and fluency. Students engage in activities such as reading aloud, word work, and phonics/morphology application exercises. Newsela texts, on the other hand, emphasize comprehension, discussion, and analysis, with students engaging in annotation, writing prompts, and higher-order thinking.
Student Experience: When assigned a decodable reader, students apply specific phonics and morphological skills and focus on word structure and meaning. With a Newsela text, students engage in leveled reading to build comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
To find decodables in the Newsela ELA content library:
Click on Content Library at the top of the page
Select 'ELA Decodables for Older Readers' from the dropdown menu
Scroll or use the left side navigation bar to find both the decodable text sets and the thematic connections associated with each book
Lesson Sparks / instructions resources are provided for each decodables text set, as well as the thematic connection accompanying it:
Click into the decodables text set or the thematic connection of your choice
Locate the desired lesson spark on the right-side panel and click on it
Select 'Open full page view' at the top of the side panel to open the lesson spark in a separate tab
Newsela Social Studies
Newsela curated collections
When you click Social Studies in the top menu, in the left hand navigation menu you’ll find collections curated to support a variety of instructional needs, or to complement existing curricula
To browse Curated Collections,
Click Social Studies at the top of the page.
Scroll through the left hand navigation bar with “Social Studies” at the top.
Select the curriculum you use, or the collection most relevant to your classroom.
Select the materials that align with your classroom.
Read through the resources in the right-hand panel, activities in articles, and view any lesson sparks to help guide your instruction.
Nonfiction
Primary sources, content connected to historical periods, and more are part of your Newsela Social Studies subscription. Within Newsela Social Studies, you’ll find content that facilitates not only social studies instruction, but also supports other content areas.
To find this content, click on Content Library at the top of the screen, or
Click Social Studies at the top of the page
Scroll through the left hand navigation bar with “Social Studies” at the top and explore the different collections listed
You can also search for key terms, which will return results from all content available in your subscription.
Newsela Science (Legacy)
Newsela curated collections
When you click Science in the top menu, you’ll find collections curated to support science instruction, and to complement existing science curricula in the left hand navigation.
To browse Curated Collections,
Click Science at the top of the page.
Scroll through the left hand navigation bar with “Science” at the top.
Select the curriculum you use, or the collection most relevant to your classroom.
Select the materials that align with your classroom.
Read through the resources in the right-hand panel, activities in articles, and view any lesson sparks to help guide your instruction.
Nonfiction
Articles outside of collections aligned to science topics and objectives are also a part of your Newsela Science subscription. Within Newsela Science, you’ll find content that facilitates not only science instruction, but also supports other content areas.
To find this content, click Content Library at the top of the page
You can also search for key terms, which will return results from all content available in your subscription.
Newsela STEM
Newsela Curated Collections
When you click STEM in the top menu, you’ll find collections curated to support science, math & technology instruction, and to complement existing curricula in the left hand navigation. These will include Newsela's Generation Genius Science and Math video lessons.
To browse Curated Collections,
Click STEM at the top of the page.
Scroll through the left hand navigation bar with “STEM” at the top.
Select the curriculum you use, or the collection most relevant to your classroom.
Select the materials that align with your classroom.
Read through the resources in the right-hand panel, activities in articles, and view any lesson sparks to help guide your instruction.
Nonfiction
Articles outside of collections aligned to science, math & technology topics and objectives are also a part of your Newsela STEM subscription. Within Newsela STEM, you’ll find content that facilitates not only STEM instruction, but also supports other content areas.
To find this content, click Content Library at the top of the page
You can also search for key terms, which will return results from all content available in your subscription.