Time Launches Platform To Enhance Middle School Social Studies
In an effort to improve middle school test scores in
social
studies, Time and Time for Kids have
launched a new digital platform to offer students in grades 7 and 8 more content on geography, civics, United States
history and
current events.
TIME Edge, the new digital platform, will feature
original
multimedia content as well as a number of learning tools for students,
lesson
plans and resources for teachers, and Common Core-aligned quizzes.
The platform will offer articles at different
reading levels
with interactive features on current events. It will provide a way for
students
to quickly look up definitions of vocabulary words they don't understand
and
audio and Spanish-language versions of some texts will also be
available.
In addition, Time Edge teachers will have access to
the Time
Vault, an archive of nearly 90 years of Time articles that connect
current
events with primary historical sources.
"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," said Time Edge
Executive Editor Suzanne Zimbler. "We're offering resources to support
crucial thinking,
close reading and argumentative writing, as well as the teaching and
learning
of current events, science topics and more."
The Web-based platform is available on any device
through an
Internet browser. Free previews are available now and schools can
purchase
classroom subscriptions beginning with the 2015-16 school year.
Time Edge is an offshoot of Time for Kids, itself a
division of
Time Inc., which has provided education resources to teachers and
students for
more than 20 years.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.