TIME For Kids Releases TIME Edge, a New Digital Literacy Platform for Middle School Classrooms
New York, NY (PRWEB) May 12, 2015 -- According to the Nation’s Report Card—the National Assessment of Educational Progress— eighth grade scores in geography, civics and U.S. history have shown no significant improvement since 2010. There is a clear need for reliable, relevant and informative social studies resources in middle schools. TIME Edge, a new digital platform developed by the editors of TIME and TIME For Kids (TFK), specifically for seventh and eighth grade classrooms, delivers that. TIME Edge features original multimedia content to support digital literacy and global citizenship, a variety of engaging learning tools for students, lesson plans and resources for teachers, and Common Core-aligned quizzes.
“For the past 20 years, TFK has brought engaging nonfiction text to elementary school classrooms. Now, answering a strong demand from middle school educators, we are thrilled to offer a comprehensive digital multimedia platform for seventh and eighth grades,” says Nellie Gonzalez Cutler, editor of TFK and TIME Edge. “With the recent success of the TIME For Kids Classroom App, launching TIME Edge was a natural extension to bring age-appropriate current events content, augmented with engaging features and assessments, to middle school classrooms.”
TIME Edge features in-depth current events articles enhanced with interactive features to support close reading of nonfiction texts. Students can access definitions of challenging vocabulary words to improve skills. Audio and Spanish-language versions of select text and a variety of multimedia tools allow students to engage deeply with the content. They can also read select articles at a lower reading level, which allows teachers to focus on the same content with all students. Additionally, TIME Edge gives teachers access to the TIME Vault, an archive of nearly 90 years of TIME content that connects current events with historical primary sources. Teachers will have access to teaching guides containing discussion questions, close-reading tips, and Common Core resources.
“As more emphasis is being placed on nonfiction literacy across subjects, it’s critical for students to have access to engaging multimedia content focused around information-rich news articles,” says Suzanne Zimbler, executive editor of TIME Edge. “With TIME Edge, we’re offering resources to support critical thinking, close reading and argumentative writing, as well as the teaching and learning of current events, science topics and more.”
TIME Edge is a web-based platform available on any device through an Internet browser. A free preview of TIME Edge is available now, and schools can purchase classroom subscriptions for the 2015-16 school year that include full access to articles, Common Core-aligned quizzes, lesson plans, audio read-alouds, Spanish-language translations and TIME Vault access for teachers.
For more information, visit TIMEEdge.com.
About TIME Edge
Developed by the editors of TIME and TIME For Kids, TIME Edge is the premier digital tool for bringing current events and credible primary sources to middle school classrooms. The robust content is specifically tied to 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts standards, and the platform includes Common Core-aligned quizzes on each feature article, tools for students to explore the texts more deeply and a wealth of resources for teachers. TIME Edge can be used in any middle school classroom, on any device, with articles on a variety of topics including science, social studies and more. In addition to engaging, authentic nonfiction texts, TIME Edge includes access to the TIME Vault, with nearly 90 years of TIME content to use in the classroom. For more information, visit TIMEEdge.com.
About TIME For Kids
With 20 years of classroom experience, TIME For Kids is a trusted leader in education resources for teachers, students and parents. TIME For Kids delivers authentic content that covers a wide range of real-world topics through nonfiction text and multimedia tools that align with the Common Core State Standards. A powerful teaching tool, TIME For Kids builds reading and writing skills and is easily integrated across many curriculums, including English Language Arts, social studies and science, creating lifelong readers and informed citizens. TIME For Kids is a division of Time Inc. For more information, visit timeforkids.com.
Liz Gossens, Communications Strategy Group, +1 202-494-8260, [email protected]
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