ICN News

According to the 2007-2008 Kindergarten Literacy Assessment Data report, 40% of Iowa’s children do not have the literacy skills required for school readiness when entering kindergarten. IPTV’s new Raising Readers campaign combines television programs, on-line resources, on-site resources, and ICN sessions in a 360° approach to improving young children’s literacy skills. Although the objective of the campaign is “to improve the literacy skills of children ages 2-8 living in poverty,” all students in this age group will benefit from the innovative and effective new programs, resources and events. Raising Readers, designed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Ready to Learn initiative, focuses on extensive reading research and what methods work best for kids. PBS KIDS programs that form the core of the campaign include both well-known programs such as Sesame Street and Between the Lions as well as new programs such as Super Why, Word World, Martha Speaks, and The Electric Company. For these programs, research was conducted prior and during show development as well as during subsequent story line writing. Research is also ongoing in Iowa classrooms and across the nation to ensure that the content is increasing the literacy skills of children.

As part of Raising Readers and the Ready to Learn initiative, IPTV and the ICN offered Martha Speaks ICN sessions in December and January. Martha Speaks is an animated series that is designed to enrich the vocabulary of 4 to 7-year-olds based on the popular books by Susan Meddaugh. Each episode uses Martha's unique linguistic abilities and the hilarious consequences to engage kids and help build their vocabulary skills. In these ICN sessions, the presenter and participants read the book Martha Speaks, watched an episode of the new TV program, learned about the author Susan Meddaugh, and checked out Martha's web site which is full of fun activities for children 4-7 years of age. More sessions for both teachers and students, including one based on the new and very popular Electric Company, will be offered in the coming months. Check the K-12 Connections Calendar at http://www3.iptv.org/iowa_database/cal-default.cfm to find out more about these exciting new sessions.

In addition to attending the ICN sessions and watching the television programs, teachers, parents and students can utilize the new and improved resources available on-line. The new PBS Kids Island, for example, has interactive literacy games for kids based on the Raising Readers programs. Progress reporting for parents is also included as part of this website. Raising Readers has also sponsored events throughout the state to further meet their objectives including Super Why camps, Raising Readers Learning Centers, promotional giveaways, and the Launch Event at last year’s Iowa State Fair. Parents and teachers should continue to look out for events and resources in their communities as the campaign continues to grow. More information about the Raising Readers campaign and the Ready to Learn initiative can be found at http://pbskids.org/read/about/. Questions may also be directed to Trista Peitzman at trista@iptv.org.