The Boston News-Letter
Choose a PDF, read on screen, and try the word game.
Choose your PDF reading
All four include an image, vocabulary, comprehension questions, a follow-up reading, and teacher guidance. These English PDFs have selectable text; use the reading below for adjustable text and listening tools.
Read on this page
Words to know
- news
- reports about events
- make words or pictures on a surface
- source
- where information comes from
The Boston News-Letter began in 1704. It became the first continuously published newspaper in English America. An earlier Boston newspaper had lasted one issue. Newspapers help us study what people chose to report.
Talk about the reading
What happened? Point to a detail that supports your answer. What does the picture help you understand? What would you like to investigate next?
Follow-up: Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston. He learned about printing as a boy. Later he moved to Philadelphia. He became a writer, inventor, and public leader. His life connected many places.
How are the two events connected or different? Their order does not prove that one caused the other.
Read the follow-up event →Word match: use the reading
Select a word, then select its meaning. You can use a keyboard or tap. Read the word bank if you need a clue.
Choose a word to begin.
Check the evidence
Research source for this event ↗
Original site illustration. Image source and rights ↗
Historical images, later portraits, reconstructions, and modern topic illustrations are identified in their captions. They are different kinds of evidence.
Try a source investigationVisit a Massachusetts place
Try a source investigation