News: CrossGens BRIDGES-Programm

[Ralph Kruhm]

Hier ist ein ausführliches Interview zum Educational Program von CG: http://www.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000114

[Balu]

weia... solangsam könnte man meinen dass hinter Crossgen "Pinky & Brain" stecken und versuchen über den Comicmarkt die Welt zu erobern. Jetzt gewinnen sie schon die Kinder in der Schule für sich ;) ;)

Echt interessant welche Vorstöße Crossgen doch wagt. Wo alle andern einen Schritt zurück gehn, geht Crossgen zwei Schritte vor. Thumbs up!

gruß,
Steven

[Fanman]

Spitzen Idee von Mark Alesi&Co!:top:
Und mit Ruse und Meridian hat man auch imho die besten Titel ausgewählt!

[Ralph Kruhm]

Press Release

CrossGen's innovative educational program BRIDGES has generated coverage in the May 2003 edition of School Library Journal and the June 2003 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Combined, these two publications introduce the BRIDGES program to thousands of teachers and librarians across North America.

The BRIDGES program offers teachers and parents the opportunity to re-ignite students' interest in reading through exciting visuals and stories provided by CrossGen's comics and one-of-a-kind Teachers Guides. Using MERIDIAN as the basis for intermediate elementary students (grades 4-8), and RUSE for high school students (9-12), CrossGen has engaged the help of seven teachers with more than 100 combined years of classroom teaching experience to create a truly universal supplemental reading program.

In an article entitled "Comics For The Classroom," School Library Journal writes: "The new reading program takes advantage of two of the publisher's graphic novel series: MERIDIAN, a fantasy series that reminds some readers of The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis's popular kids' series, and RUSE, a Sherlock Holmesian mystery series. The MERIDIAN series is aimed at middle school students, and RUSE is appropriate for high schoolers. The BRIDGES program comes with graphic novels, teacher's guides, and CD-ROMs with skill activities. Some educators may be pleased to know that the school versions of MERIDIAN and RUSE have been edited for language and occasional sexual innuendo. Currently, the BRIDGES package is part of a pilot program in seven states nationwide. 'This program was developed to embody the whole language approach,' says Beth Widera, CrossGen's education consultant. For more information, contact Widera at bwidera@crossgen.com
."

In an article entitled "Comics With Class," Better Homes & Gardens writer Stephen C. George discusses the educational value of comic books. George focuses extensively on BRIDGES, writing:

"When Michelle Tregoning was in grammar school, comic books were something you hid behind your math text. If you got caught with a comic, the teacher threw it out.

"Now, teachers are handing them out. Tregoning should know. She's one of the teachers doing it, as part of an extracurricular reading program she coordinates at LeConte Middle School in Los Angeles. That program, dubbed BRIDGES, is a nationwide initiative designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. BRIDGES was designed by CrossGen, a Florida-based publisher of comic books.

"'Child literacy is in a real crisis situation today. Kids just aren't reading. As a literacy coach, I wanted to find materials that would really engage the students,' says Tregoning. Comics turned out to be an ideal solution, but not for the reasons you might think.

"'There's a persistent belief out there that comics are the lowest form of literature, so of course kids will read them--they're forbidden fruit. But the truth is, comics are a natural tool for reaching the current generation of kids,' says Tony Panaccio, senior vice president of product development for CrossGen.

"CrossGen's BRIDGES program was based on two of its most literate titles: MERIDIAN, the fantasy adventure saga of a young girl who fights to save her peaceful kingdom, and RUSE, a mystery series about a brilliant investigator and his amazing team of associates. CrossGen hired a team of their own: education experts who crafted teacher's guides for use in either a classroom or home schooling environment (for more information, go to www.crossgen.com/education)."

Better Homes & Gardens also praised MERIDIAN as "grand adventure with a strong female lead," while also hailing RUSE as "a must read."

Available in June, the MERIDIAN CLASSROOM PACK (1-59314-018-5, $299.95) comes with a Teacher's Guide, 35 copies of MERIDIAN TRAVELER Vol. 1, and a CD-ROM containing all the exercises and comics pages. School and libraries can also order additional copies of the MERIDIAN TEACHER'S GUIDE (1-59314-020-7, $19.95) and the MERIDIAN 5-PACK (1-59314-019-3, $45.00).

Also available in June, the RUSE CLASSROOM PACK (1-59314-021-5, $299.95) comes with a Teacher's Guide, 35 copies of RUSE TRAVELER Vol. 1, and a CD-ROM containing all the exercises and comics pages. School and libraries can also order additional copies of the RUSE TEACHER'S GUIDE (1-59314-023-1, $19.95) and the RUSE 5-PACK (1-59314-022-3, $45.00).