New York, NY (October 22, 2004) -- To further help students become strategic and independent readers, Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, recently launched three new Guided Reading programs for students in grades K through 3: Guided Reading Content Areas, Guided Reading en español and Wiggle Works®: Guided Reading Edition. Building on the successful reading strategies of Scholastic's popular Guided Reading series, the new products offer educators the best collection of leveled trade books and children's favorites, as well as assessment tools, instructional materials and lesson plans to support teachers in their classrooms.
 
The three new Guided Reading Programs provide additional ways to teach and reinforce essential reading strategies including comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonics and phonemic awareness, through small group guided instruction, assessment and independent practice.

• Guided Reading Content Areas, authored by leading reading expert, Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, allows educators to teach reading strategies while building students' content area knowledge in science, social students and mathematics. Aligned to national content area standards, leveled books and teaching materials give students access to critical content area knowledge, while instructional support develops essential vocabulary, builds background knowledge and helps with strategic reading skills.
• Research shows that children who are literate in a first language are more readily able to acquire literacy in a second one. Guided Reading en español engages students to read with leveled authentic Spanish-language literature and favorite books translated into Spanish. Easy-to-follow teaching materials enable educators to help students build children's language proficiency in Spanish, which in turn makes English language acquisition easier.
• WiggleWorks: Guided Reading Edition is based on WiggleWorks, the proven effective program that raises reading and writing scores. With WiggleWorks: Guided Reading Edition students have media-rich interactions with carefully leveled books, which are read both with support from a teacher and the computer. The WiggleWorks software guides students through each book providing reading and writing instruction at each student's level, while offering independent practice and reinforcement through motivating activities.

 
“Scholastic Guided Reading Programs deliver engaging literature and instructional materials that support students who are reading at a wide range of levels. With the new programs, students will have access to a greater number of titles to enhance their reading strategies and help them become successful, lifelong readers,” Margery Mayer, President, Scholastic Education.
 
"The Scholastic Guided Reading Programs are based on years of research and my work with school districts and classroom teachers. Each program has the instructional system teachers need to make certain their students become independent, strategic readers and develop a love of thinking and talking about books," Dr. Gay Su Pinnell.
 
In addition to the instructional materials included with each Guided Reading Program, Scholastic broadens the literacy learning experience with additional guided reading resources. Guided Reading Benchmark Assessment Packs provide teachers with benchmark books and an assessment guide that contain the necessary progress monitoring tools to help teachers match students to the “just right” level of text. Guided Reading Practice Packs provide students with independent practice and have extension activities that reinforce guided reading instruction. In addition, with Guided Reading: Making It Work In Your Classroom, a Scholastic Red professional development program, teachers have an interactive opportunity to learn and practice research-based guided reading strategies through an online and in-person course.
 
Scholastic Guided Reading Content Areas, Nonfiction Focus, and Fiction Focus programs were created in conjunction with America's leading authority on guided reading, Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. Guided Reading en español was created with leading bilingual educators such as Enrique Puig from the Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center and is based the guided reading research of Dr. Gay Su Pinnell. More information about each of Scholastic's Guiding Reading Programs can be found at www.scholastic.com/guidedreading .
 
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, 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, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com .

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