Periodicals and Online Reading

As teachers, it is important to find and use text that is motivating, as well as accessible to students, meaning that it is at a level that students can read and comprehend. One way to do this is to incorporate magazines and newspapers into the classroom. These text options provide stories that are current and relevant to the students' lives. They also often offer internet companions with bright pictures and interactive capabilities that keep students motivated to learn the material. Providing material that interests the students and is meaningful in their own life increases the chances that they will comprehend and retain the information! Another important feature of these periodicals is that they are written at a reading level that should be accessible to most of your students, and offer supportive features (such as picture definitions at the 1st grade level of Scholastic News) to help struggling readers. Finally, students may keep these articles, which allows them to mark on them in order to hold onto their thinking or prepare for a discussion!



Here are links to publications that may aid you in teaching content area material.

Scholastic News: http://www.scholastic.com/

Click on the Kids drop-down, then click the Scholastic News quick link. In addition to news articles, there are also podcasts, videos, and more that kids can use to help them read the articles, as well as games and other fun links! Here's a sample newscast on Shakers with photos and audio to accompany the text: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/shaker/index.htm.

There's also an article that helps teachers new to the site navigate all that Scholastic has to offer to support its publications! Check it out: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=369.



Scholastic also has many, many other publications for students from K-12! Check them out at: http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/classroommagazines.htm



Time For Kids: www.timeforkids.com/TFK

This is the kids' version of the widely read publication Time Magazine. This site has a teacher home page and a kids' home page. For grades 2-3 and 4-6, students may read the articles featured in the publication online, and may even search through past issues. There are also Spanish translations and comprehension quizzes! Kids can also do online research through this website, as well as send comments to TFK.



National Geographic Kids: http://www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/

While articles from the publications are not readily available to kids, there is the option to personalize the page and save articles, pictures, etc. for future reference. There are many videos, as well as picture slideshows with accompanying text. Other interesting features are links to recipes and activities, as well as the opportunity to email fun finds to a friend (or teacher)! Information is provided on the website about subscription to the magazine.



National Wildlife Federation for Kids: http://www.nwf.org/Kids.aspx

This site features highlights from publications such as Ranger Rick and Your Big Backyard.



Weekly Reader, etc.: http://www.weeklyreader.com/

This website has exclusive content for the subscribers to its many magazines, including the popular Weekly Reader, as well as free online printables. There are magazines available for grades PreK-12, and the K, 1, and 2 editions of Weekly Reader even have an adapted special education companion available for subscription.