What’s the difference between First News Engage Printables and Engage?

First News Engage is the name of our news-based literacy tools. Schools can choose:

  • Engage Printables
  • Engage (with the option to upgrade to Engage Pro)

Both are weekly reading activities based on the latest issue of First News, published during term-time. They are produced in three levels, for Lower Key Stage 2, Upper Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3.

Engage Printables are weekly comprehensions, vocabulary puzzles, quizzes and fortnightly debates, produced as PDFs to print or add to your online classroom.

Engage is an online, interactive version of our reading activities, and include weekly comprehensions, vocabulary puzzles, polls and monthly debates. Schools can choose to upgrade to Engage Pro, for additional features such as tracking pupil progress, storing pupils’ completed work, rewarding success through personalised badges, and automatically assigned activities at each pupil’s reading level.

Many schools choose to use Engage and Engage Printables side by side across lessons and homework, and others will choose one format. Engage Printables must be purchased be a newspaper subscription, whereas Engage can be purchased as a standalone product, or with the newspaper.