New York,
NY (March
10,
2003) --
Scholastic.com, the most trusted online destination for teachers and students in grades PreK-12, and the Earthwatch Institute, a non-profit organization, are sponsoring a student expedition to the Amazon in Brazil. The expedition team, six eleventh- and twelfth-graders and two teachers from Hudson High School in Hudson, Mass., is working with the Brazilian River Otter Project to study river otters in an endangered ecosystem. As part of their assignment, the student explorers share daily first-hand accounts and observations online at
www.scholastic.com/explorers, so that other classrooms worldwide can follow the exploration on an ongoing basis. From March 3 – April 4, 2003, students can pose questions directly to the Scholastic Explorers and scientists in the Amazon, through a live, interactive bulletin board at Scholastic.com.
Kids rarely get to live out their adventures in far off lands and explore unchartered territories,” said Victor Aluise
, Vice President, Scholastic Internet Group. " Scholastic Explorers give students a chance to explore the Amazon like true scientists and find out how to preserve endangered ecosystems, all while learning the steps of the scientific method. With nearly 100% of schools connected to the Internet, Scholastic Explorers brings the exploration of new worlds online and into the classroom.”
SCHOLASTIC EXPLORERS Online
· Choose Your Own Expedition! - With multiple expeditions at their fingertips, students can also become Scholastic Explorers by choosing their own adventure at Scholastic.com. From unearthing Native American cultures to examining the deep-ocean life, students pick the topic and journey through unchartered territories of learning rich in geographic photos, reports from other student explorers, research topics, and audio guides from expert scientists.
· Be an Explorer - For those students interested in homeland exploration, Scholastic.com shows kids how they can be Scholastic Explorers from the comforts of their own backyard.
The site guides students in using their five senses to study their environment like scientists, providing interactive maps and observation techniques to help students discover indigenous tribes native to their area, observe the ecosystems inhabiting their neighborhood, and examine the aquatic ecosystems of nearby bodies of water.
· Build a Food Web – Students can explore the wildlife of Mexico’s dry, topical forest, with this interactive food web at Scholastic.com Students learn how plants, insects, and animals are all connected in an ecosystem, determining which animals are predators and which are their prey.
To Follow the Student Exploration in Brazil Log-on to www.scholastic.com/explorers
Scholastic Corporation (NMS: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, textbooks, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site,
www.scholastic.com.