An old kid's friend spawns something brand-new

NEA Today, Jan 2000

Weekly Reader, Newsweek hook up on new publication aimed at getting kids involved in current events.

Getting students hooked on news is a passion for Sandra Maccarone, editor in chief for the Weekly Reader Corp. in Stamford, Connecticut. So when she and her colleagues realized that there wasn't a timely news magazine for middle schoolers, they joined with the venerable Newsweek to create Teen Newsweek.

"It's vital for teens to stay informed and be interested in the news," Maccarone says. "Without that knowledge, they can't participate in the events that are shaping their lives or be part of our great society."

Teen Newsweek, launched in September, reaches 300,000 sixth to ninth graders. Packaged to took like Newsweek, the magazine offers enough variety to draw both female and male readers, Maccarone says.

The new magazine also gives students access to sources other than TV sound bites for their news-and offers teenage girls, in particular, an alternative to the beauty magazines that target them.

"Teens, as well as adults, need multiple sources of news and multiple points of view," Maccarone says.

With content closely tied to curricula, the magazine is primarily used in social studies classes to teach current events and civic studies. But Maccarone hopes that language arts teachers will begin adopting it.

The magazine features news stories, columns, a cartoon, a debate page, and an activities page for vocabulary, current events, and critical thinking, as well as related Web site listings.

Impacts

Maccarone has received more than 200 complimentary E-mails from teachers and students about her new magazine.

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Contact Maccarone at smaccarone@weeklyreader.com.