Scholastic Launches New Digital Reading Programs for Schools

NEW YORK, April 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ Scholastic today announced the launch of Storia School Edition, a subscription-based ebook solution for Pre-K through Grade 6, for group and individual classroom reading, and Core Clicks, a web-based instructional program for Kindergarten through Grade 5 that supports content area reading in social studies and science.

Storia School Edition eBooks for Group and Independent Reading
A one-year subscription to Storia School Edition grants a school access to a carefully curated library of 2,000 well-known fiction and nonfiction ebooks for Pre-K-Grade 6. Titles cover an optimal range of Guided Reading and Lexile Levels for each grade and include recognizable fiction, award-winning literary classics, and engaging nonfiction to meet every student's reading level and interests. Storia School Edition supports concurrent usage within a school, allowing multiple students to access the same titles simultaneously.

Storia School Edition features that support classroom reading include:

• A balanced library of fiction and nonfiction titles to introduce students to a variety of text types;
• Storia Close Reads, short informational articles and literary passages, provide opportunities for text marking and finding textual evidence related to story, structure, and point of view;
• Grade-appropriate dictionaries to build vocabulary;
• Reading Challenge comprehension quizzes;
• Highlighting and note-taking tools to help students focus their ideas; and
• Pronunciation tools and natural-voiced Read-to-Me audio in younger titles.

Core Clicks Graded Nonfiction to Support K-5 Content Area Reading
Drawing on the vast nonfiction resources of Scholastic News and Weekly Reader, Core Clicks presents leveled informational texts on 18 topics per grade, all designed to provide content area reading in science and social studies while explicitly teaching Common Core Language Arts standards at each grade level. Detailed teaching of 13 key Spotlight Skills through lively starter videos and computer-based informational text analysis provides a complete nonfiction curriculum with a carefully curated collection of informational text for each grade level, K to 5. Core Clicks was developed in consultation with Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., a professor of literacy, language, and culture at the University of Michigan, who worked closely with the editorial team on the program's adherence to best practices in literacy development and in addressing the Common Core State Standards.

Key features of Core Clicks include:

• A "three read" approach in which students read, analyze, and discuss the text while building key skills and vocabulary with each read-through;
• Interactive exercises, quizzes, and video content to reinforce skills and learning; and
• Varying levels of text complexity on topics ranging from Monsters of the Deep to Hurricane Hunters and Living History that are sure to keep kids wanting more.

"Storia School Edition and Core Clicks were created with teachers in mind. Both are easy to implement and fit right into a school's existing reading curriculum to help students meet the requirements of the Common Core," said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic. "We took all of the valuable feedback on ereading in the classroom that teachers have shared with us, and reconfigured Storia with a concurrent use feature so groups of children can read the same title at the same time. For Core Clicks, we created a digital reading program that delivers instruction through content area subjects like science and social studies, and provides teachers with instructional support to build critical vocabulary and comprehension skills. Core Clicks is created by expert editors who develop high-interest nonfiction content in our award-winning classroom magazines, which are delivered to 13 million teacher subscribers each month."

Core Clicks and Storia School Edition are designed for school-wide subscriptions and are easily accessed from desktop and laptop computers, tablets and interactive whiteboards. Online teacher resources and support are available.

For more information about Scholastic, visit the media room.

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.

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