scholastic Archives

Scholastic esports participation leads to substantial learning outcomes

According to Newzoo, the live-streaming audience for games will hit 728.8 million viewers in 2021 globally. For reference, the NFL is projected to hit 141 million viewers. Clearly, esports’ popularity is growing exponentially. However, many people are still unfamiliar with esports, especially the emergence of scholastic esports in education.

The utility of game-based learning in education has been known for a long time, but what is beginning to emerge is an understanding of how esports are having an impact in education. Due to the affordances of video games, esports promotes important qualities, forcing students to develop new skills and problem solve in novel situations bounded only by their imaginations.

Teachers who are pioneering esports programs can attest to this. Tyler Hahn, Director of the Cherokee Public Library in northwestern Iowa, has seen that “esports empowers learners to use the convergence [of] games and their own interests as a platform to acquire communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in all aspects of life”. His program is focused on developing college and career awareness services for middle school youth through esports and community engagement.…Read More

How a teacher uses comics to teach social justice

As a social studies teacher who spends a lot of class time poring over comic books with students, it’s been gratifying to see the attitude about comics in education shifting over the last decade or so. Years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to get a bit of side-eye when I talked about teaching with comics.

I’ve spent about a decade as the chair of the social studies department at Wissahickon High School, where I teach grades 9-12. I write teacher guides and curriculum for graphic novels for publishers like Macmillan and Scholastic, and I have a book about teaching with comics coming out this summer. I also deliver in-service learning for teachers, and these days I’m more likely to hear gratitude than skepticism from educators whose own teachers took their comic books away from them as students.

From a-ha to validation…Read More

Teacher & Principal School Report Findings

Scholastic, with YouGov, surveyed public school Pre-K–12 educators in winter 2020 to gather their thoughts on equity in education, literacy instruction, family engagement, professional development, and funding priorities. This summer (July 23–August 4), amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Scholastic re-contacted 790 of these educators to see how their views shifted and ask new questions about their priorities and feelings heading into a new academic year.

The full summary of the research findings, here on the Scholastic EDU blog:

https://edublog.scholastic.com/post/teachers-and-principals-reflect-covid-19-and-academic-year-ahead…Read More

Scholastic brings civics education to the forefront with new 2020 U.S. election website

Drawing upon 100 years of experience covering news for kids, Scholastic is launching a new free website to help students in grades 3–12 learn about the 2020 United States Presidential Election. The website features age-appropriate resources developed by the editors of Scholastic Classroom Magazines, including videos about the democratic process, quizzes, and activities, in addition to rigorously fact-checked candidate profiles and articles focused on issues that are at the center of this year’s election: pandemic response, racial justice, the economy, health care, climate change, education, immigration, and national security.

To access the Scholastic Election 2020 website, visit: www.scholastic.com/election.

Through the site, students also have the opportunity to participate in the Scholastic Student Vote, a virtual mock-election that has been running since 1940 and has allowed kids across the country to cast their votes for President of the United States online. Results will be announced in October 2020 before the national election on November 3, 2020. Since 1940, the outcome of the Scholastic Student Vote has mirrored the results of every presidential election, except three: Thomas E. Dewey vs. Harry S. Truman in 1948; John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon in 1960; and Donald Trump vs. Hilary Clinton in 2016.…Read More

Keep kids reading all summer long

As parents, educators, public librarians and community leaders, we applaud all you have done for your children and students to keep them learning through unprecedented closing of schools. As we enter the summer months there is no doubt we are all continuing to adjust to this new reality together. Now more than ever it is critically important to keep kids engaged in summer reading to ensure their academic success in the fall. Scholastic is committed to providing at-home learning over the summer months with Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza. Learn more now

Free online courses from Scholastic

Even when schools must close, you can continue your student’s education with many cross-curricular journeys. The Scholastic Learn at Home website is a free resource providing all students with 20 days’ worth of learning, updated daily. Content is divided into PreK/K, Grades 1–2, Grades 3–5, and Grades 6–9+, spaning many content areas so you can keep your students actively engaged in learning while your buildings are closed.

The Scholastic Learn at Home website does not require a username or password and is open freely to all. The learning journeys are accessible on any device. They are designed to limit the
need for printing and allow students to learn independently or with their families. Teachers can even plan virtual learning meetups to discuss and expand on any of the resources found on the site.

Scholastic Learn at Home website…Read More

James Patterson School Library Campaign

The third installment of the James Patterson School Library Campaign, in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club, focuses specifically on teachers: 3,500 individual recipients will receive grants of $500 to enhance and supplement their classroom libraries.

Scholastic News Kid Reporters

The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps is a group of talented young reporters, ages 10–14, from across the country. For more than 17 years, Scholastic News Kid Reporters have covered “news for kids, by kids.” Their stories appear online at the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website and in select issues of Scholastic classroom magazines, which reach more than 25 million students in classrooms nationwide. The Kid Reporters have made news by interviewing journalists, politicians, entertainers, authors, and sports stars. The annual selection of Kid Reporters is based on writing ability, interviewing skills, and attention to detail.

J.K. Rowling webcast will promote new Harry Potter Reading Club

J.K. Rowling’s next book is for adults, but she will be on hand this fall to help promote a new reading club for kids, the Harry Potter Reading Club.

Scholastic Inc. announced July 31 that Rowling will participate in a live webcast at noon on Thursday, Oct. 11 from her hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland, taking pre-submitted questions from her young fans. The discussion will take place on the website of the new Harry Potter Reading Club, which Scholastic also launched July 31.

The club is designed for schools, libraries, and parents. It includes discussion guides about the books, a glossary, interactive features, and information about community events. Rowling will contribute original commentary as well. She has a novel for grown-ups out in September called “The Casual Vacancy.”…Read More

Children’s publisher developing app for eReading

eBooks make up only 5 percent of Scholastic's sales of children's books now, but the company hopes Storia will change that.

A leading publisher of children’s books is taking a big step into the electronic market: Scholastic Inc. is developing an app called Storia, which includes around 1,300 eBooks and multimedia eBooks that can be bought directly from the publisher or from retailers.

Such favorite picture book series as “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Ready, Freddy!” will be in digital format for the first time. The app also will feature games, quizzes, interactive stories, an electronic dictionary, and a virtual bookshelf that kids can organize.…Read More