ETA/Cuisenaire Partners with CHARACTER COUNTS! To Strengthen Connection between Character Education and Cross-Curricular Instruction
September 26, 2008 Vernon Hills, IL—ETA/Cuisenaire, a leading publisher of supplemental instructional resources for educators in PreK-Grade 12, is partnering with CHARACTER COUNTS!, the national nonprofit organization that promotes character education in over 4,500 schools nationwide. Specially created book sets consisting of 30 titles from the company's exclusive WorldScapes® series, are the first curriculum-based resources endorsed by CHARACTER COUNTS! The book sets provide teachers with a solid platform for integrating character education into the classroom instruction in the areas of Social Studies, History, and Language Arts.
The WorldScapes books selected by CHARACTER COUNTS! Align to the Six Pillars of Character, the organization's overriding ethical values: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. In addition to emphasizing these universal values, the books familiarize students with global cultures, and provide explicit instruction in fluency, reading, comprehension and vocabulary to build important literacy skills. Accompanying Teacher Notes include classroom activities that require students to utilize critical thinking skills in expressing their viewpoints and relating personal experiences to the WorldScapes stories.
To celebrate this collaboration, ETA/Cuisenaire is supporting National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week, Oct. 19-25, 2008, by offering a free, full-text download of A Day with Belugas, one of the WorldScapes books officially selected by CHARACTER COUNTS! to align with the character pillar responsibility. An activities sheet, exclusively created to align with this book, is also available, along with a free full-color WorldScapes classroom poster. The special offer is available until Oct. 31, 2008.
"In the WorldScapes books, we've found stories that not only align perfectly to The Six Pillars of Character, but also create the critical connection between character education and academic content," says Jessica Ellis, Associate Director of CHARACTER COUNTS! "The stories connect well to social studies, literacy and multiculturalism, providing engaging real-life examples of children around the world who survive and thrive in large part due to the values instilled in them," Ellis adds.
"We are elated to have found in CHARACTER COUNTS! a partner to champion the many wonderful benefits of introducing the WorldScapes series into classrooms," says Jackie Harvey, Director of Reading for ETA/Cuisenaire. "Not only do these books reinforce character-building values, the multicultural stories build literacy skills and help our children become better global citizens."
WorldScapes CHARACTER COUNTS! classroom sets are available for Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-6. Consisting of 90 books (6 copies each of 15 titles) at each banded reading level, the sets also include Teacher's Notes and book bins. For more information, visit www.etacuisenaire.com
About ETA hand2mind
Headquartered in Vernon Hills, IL, ETA hand2mind is recognized as the premier publisher and pioneer of manipulatives-based education, with more than 8,000 supplemental math, reading, and science resources. Aligned to state and national standards, these products offer hands-on educational opportunities that engage students in learning and make teaching more effective for educators.
Londa Della 800-445-5985, ext. 5219
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