NEW YORK, NY, Aug 19 (MARKET WIRE) --
Scholastic News(R), America's leading news source for kids, announces a
host of new features on its popular Election 2008 Web site,
www.scholastic.com/election2008. The site allows kids, parents and
teachers to explore the electoral process, and complements the robust
election coverage of Scholastic News (for students in grades 1-6) and
Junior Scholastic(R) (grades 6-8). Classroom Magazines have a combined
reach of more than 25 million students and teachers annually.
"With all eyes on this historic presidential election, and a vast array of
news and commentary available, students, parents and teachers need a
reliable place to go for information they trust," said Rebecca Bondor,
Editor-in-Chief, Scholastic Classroom Magazines. "Scholastic is the
trusted source for 2008 election news for kids."
The newly revamped Web site presents information about the presidential
elections in a fun and compelling way. Through new interactive election
games, students can campaign for the nation's highest office, balance the
budget, design their own election posters, and decide how they would run
the country if they were President.
While students explore everything from campaigning to the inauguration,
teachers can use free lesson plans to expand their students' "election
skills." Free lesson plans include such topics as media literacy, how to
watch a debate, how to track the election results, and how to use blogs in
the classroom. Election games, like "Who am I?" based on the platforms of
each candidate, also come with lesson plans for teachers to use in the
classroom.
Kids Vote!
One special feature of the Web site is the famous Scholastic Presidential
Election Poll, an opportunity for students to cast their vote for
President of the United States. Since 1940, the outcome of the Scholastic
Election Poll mirrored the outcome of the general election, in every
election but two (in 1948 when students chose Thomas E. Dewey over Harry
S. Truman and in 1960 when more students voted for Richard M. Nixon than
John F. Kennedy). In 2004, more than half a million students in first
through eighth grades participated in the election poll both online and
with paper ballots that were issued in the fall editions of their
Scholastic classroom magazines.
Scholastic Kid Reporters Get the Scoop
Scholastic.com/election2008 will continue to feature election coverage
from the Scholastic Kids Press Corps, student reporters ages 10-14, who
have been covering campaign events from their hometowns across the
country since last spring. In the past 15 months, Scholastic Kid
Reporters have interviewed and written stories about John McCain, Barack
Obama, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, Bill
Richardson, Rudy Giuliani, Joseph Biden, Fred Thompson, Dennis Kucinich,
Ralph Nader, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Edwards, Bridget
McCain, Cate Edwards, and Jason Rae the country's youngest superdelegate,
just to name a few!
The Scholastic Kids Press Corps will be reporting from the Democratic and
Republican National Conventions and all along the campaign trail. Read
their stories and election blog at www.scholastic.com/election2008, or
follow them on Twitter (ScholasticNews)!
Scholastic's award-winning editors teach the Kid Reporters how to
research, prepare questions, conduct interviews and write articles. In
addition to the election Web site, Kid Reporters' articles appear at
Scholastic News Online (www.scholastic.com/news) and in Scholastic News
and Junior Scholastic magazines.
For more information about Scholastic News, Scholastic Kids Press Corps
and the Scholastic Presidential Election Poll, visit
www.scholastic.com/election2008.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=818721
Contact:
Jennifer Boggs
Scholastic
212.343.6619
jboggs@scholastic.com
Sarah Trabucchi
Scholastic
212.343.6424
strabucchi@scholastic.com
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