The New York Times Upfront

Bibliographic Information: Rebhun, E. (Editor). (2013). The New York Times Upfront. USA: Scholastic.

Plot Summary: The New York Times Upfront is a magazine published through Scholastic geared towards the classroom.  Inside, readers find national and world news, debates on major news topics, political cartoons, timelines, maps, and graphs, and photography from famous Time photographers.  The content of the magazine helps students connect to the world around them, so they can build their critical thinking skills. Topics Upfront is planning to cover later in 2013 include the debate over the death penalty, globalization, alternative energy, the origins of the Middle East Conflict, and World War I.

Critical Evaluation: The New York Times Upfront does a great job providing relevant articles to get teens thinking critically about the work around them.  Teachers benefit from the support the magazine lends to the newly implemented Common Core standards through numerous informational texts, writing prompts, and discussion questions (Scholastic, n.d.).

Reader’s Annotation: Learn to think critically about the world around you by reading The New York Times Upfront magazine.  

Information about the publisher: Scholastic claims their mission is to “encourage the intellectual and personal growth of all children, neginning with literacy, the cornerstone of all learning” (Scholastic, n.d.).  Scholastic is able to deliver content in both print and digital forms, and for over 90 years they have connected readers to materials through Scholastic Book Fair, monthe Book Clubs, and classroom magazines (Scholastic, n.d.).  

    Some of the Scholastic favorites are Clifford the Big red Dog, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games trilogy because of their effect on readers and their love of reading.  Scholastic is headed by Richard Robinson, son of Scholastic founder M.R. Robinson.  

Genre: News, Current Events

Curriculum Ties: English (informational text); History/Social Studies/Government

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Hold a mini debate about a topic in the most recent issue.

2. Preview the article titles.

Reading level/Interest age: 14-18

Challenge Issues: The magazine contains educational content, but in the event a challenge arises I will:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this magazine:  I chose this magazine because it balances out my other magazine subscriptions in my collection.   The New York Times Upfront provides educational articles that can be used by students or teachers of young adults.  The magazine contains current events that help young adults make sense of the world around them.  

References:

Scholastic. (n.d.). About Scholastic.. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/