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bigchalk.com and FableVision Team to Help K-5 Students Explore Their Potential and Follow Their Dreams
NEW YORK, February 5, 2001 --
bigchalk.com (www.bigchalk.com), the trusted K-5 online education network, and FableVision Studios, the innovative children's media and technology company, today announced that the companies have partnered on a major initiative to deliver curriculum materials for the book The North Star. Praised by educators and selected as one of the National Education Association's "Top 100 Books for Children," The North Star is designed to serve children in grades K-5. Written and illustrated by Emmy award-winning author and educator Peter Reynolds, this engaging story about a child's road to self-discovery encourages readers to realize their potential and pursue their passions and dreams.
This new content, being developed by FableVision Studios, includes both online and offline curriculum components and will provide K-5 teachers with supplementary materials to help spur imagination, creativity and expression among their students.
 "The North Star is an inspiring tale for children," says Sue Collins, Senior Vice President and General Manager, bigchalk.com. "By working with FableVision, we are able to offer educators a hybrid online and print program that can transform their classrooms and libraries into active, magical places of personal discovery."
"bigchalk is the perfect home for The North Star, " notes Peter Reynolds, Founder and President of Boston-based FableVision. "My goal has always been to have my book spark conversations about how we can teach and learn more creatively - and to address the needs of every learner so we can help them achieve their personal best. bigchalk is providing the tools to facilitate these conversations."
The North Star Voyage Classroom Kit: An Educational Journey
Under this exclusive distribution agreement, bigchalk and FableVision Studios will provide K-5 educators with The North Star Voyage Classroom Kit. The new product provides a complete "pulp-pencil-and-keyboard" guide that introduces students to an educational journey that furthers the themes presented in The North Star book. The kit blends superlative traditional writing and thinking activities with new technologies and engaging storytelling.
Teachers who order The North Star Voyage Classroom Kit will receive a password to access this subscriber-only project, as well as a hardcover edition of The North Star book, a classroom set of North Star Student Voyage Handbooks, a North Star poster, and a Teacher Quick Reference card. Additional components of The North Star Voyage Classroom Kit include:
- A Web version of The North Star story, including audio narration, a TextMax feature that provides easy-to-read text for younger readers, and a PonderPlus feature that offers interactive pop-up questions to initiate conversations throughout the entire story.
- Flexibly paced modules including in-class, web-based teacher lesson plans with student activities that correspond to various sections of the story.
- A browser-based North Star Teacher Resource Section that includes a wealth of reproducibles and activities.
The North Star Voyage Classroom Kit will be available through bigchalk in March 2001.
About bigchalk.com
bigchalk.com is an education destination for the K-12 learning community, with both subscription-based and free learning tools for educators, parents and students.  bigchalk.com's vast family of content, curriculum and community-based resources provide access to unparalleled instructional materials. Among the bigchalk suite of tools are the acclaimed ProQuest® products, each of which provides uncompromising coverage for every research need; eLibraryT, the easiest-to-use Web reference tool for students of all ages; and bigchalk Retriever™, which delivers integrated searching across all resources.
ExplorAsource™, a free online service, helps educators and parents quickly find resources that address learning needs and educational standards. HomeworkCentral™ is a free learning destination linking the world of the Web together for students in a safe and grade-appropriate environment. At the core of this education network is bigchalk Community, linking parents, students and educators together, facilitating learning, promoting knowledge and fostering home/school connections. More information on bigchalk.com can be found at: www.bigchalk.com.
About FableVision Studios
Led by Peter Reynolds, FableVision Studios (http://www.fablevision.com) leverages multiple media platforms including animation, books, CD-ROM, and the Web to create "stories that matter, stories that move" for children, adults and families, museums, publishers and broadcasters. The company continues to build an award-winning reputation among the educational, publishing and cross-media landscape. FableVision's recent animated film "Antarctic Antics" created in collaboration with Weston Woods/Scholastic, Inc. was recently awarded the American Library Association's (ALA) prestigious Andrew Carnegie Medal, and Judy Moody (Candlewick Press), which Peter illustrated, has already garnered the following accolades: American Library Association "Notable Children's Books 2001," Bookbuilders of Boston Award "Winner - Juvenile Division", Publisher's Weekly "Best Children's Books 2000," and The New York Public Library's "Children's Books 2000 - 100 Titles for Reading & Sharing" List. Peter Reynolds is currently writing and illustrating several children's books for Simon & Schuster and Candlewick Press as well as launching two original animated series with Sesame Workshop/Nickelodeon's new television/on-line network, Noggin.
bigchalk.com, Electric Library, ExplorAsource, Homework Central and bigchalk Retriever are trademarks of bigchalk.com. ProQuest is a registered trademark of Bell & Howell Information and Learning. Other company names and product names may be trademarks of their respective companies.
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