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Riverdeep Ships Liberty’s Kids Software
Kids Meet the Real Heroes of the American Revolution and Report on the Beginnings of our Nation.
CAMBRIDGE, MA – October 21, 2002 – Riverdeep, Inc. today announced the release of Liberty’s Kids, a new CD-ROM product marketed under The Learning Company brand that takes kids on a journalistic quest to learn about the key events of the American Revolution. Like the television series, which premiered last month on PBS, Liberty’s Kids is designed to educate today’s youth about America’s rich history and fight for freedom. The new CD-ROM product is available now on Windows and Macintosh for an approximate price of $24.95.
The Liberty’s Kids software immerses kids ages eight to twelve in the colonial adventures of two young reporters, Sarah Phillips and James Hiller, as they get swept up in the excitement of the American Revolution. Beginning at Ben Franklin’s print shop in Philadelphia, players embark on a journalistic exploration of seven historical events. Each event leads them on a replayable, interactive adventure in pursuit of the latest “scoop” for the front page of Ben Franklin’s Philadelphia Gazette daily newspaper.
“These fascinating stories of the American Revolution are a wonderful celebration of the birth of our nation,” said Mark Hittie, Riverdeep’s vice president of marketing for Learning Company products. “We are proud to take part in delivering this important historical content to children in an engaging and interactive format.”
Players will learn important details about the American Revolution and build skills in investigative reporting, such as listening and observation, as they explore compelling locations, collect interesting items, and interview fascinating characters such as George Washington, Abigail Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. An interviewing tool that utilizes the five w’s of reporting—who, what, when, where, and why—will help children gather and collect information from several sources, while teaching them the basic principles of journalism as they apply to writing a news story. After exploring each historical event, players will be challenged to separate fact from opinion and create their own front-page newspaper story, complete with headline and photo.
Mini-movies from the Liberty’s Kids PBS television show will draw children into the excitement and adventures of the American Revolution. An expansive reference guide of important people, places, and events will give children the opportunity to focus on a particular event and do additional research. Furthermore, children can explore some of Ben Franklin’s most important inventions. Printable puzzles, games, and quizzes help to extend the learning process away from the computer.
School Version Coming Soon!
An Enhanced Educator Version (EEV) of Liberty’s Kids will be introduced late this year. Enhancements to the CD-ROM include whole-class progress tracking and printable classroom activities. It will also feature a comprehensive Teacher Resource Binder that includes lesson plans, additional student activities, reproducible worksheets, and detailed scope and sequence charts. The School Version will be available as a 2-user School Edition, 6-user Lab Pack, or Flexible Site License.
Liberty’s Kids on PBS
The Liberty’s Kids television show chronicles the great adventures of the Revolutionary War and the foundations of American Democracy. Renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning U.S. historian and Stanford professor Dr. Jack Rakove and child psychologist and author of Children & Television Dr. Gordon Berry, along with a team of expert researchers and writers, created the programming. The episodes are fictional, dramatic stories set against nonfiction, historical events such as Valley Forge, Paul Revere’s ride, and the Boston Tea Party. Numerous celebrities have lent their voices to this television series, among them Walter Cronkite as Benjamin Franklin, Michael Douglas as Patrick Henry, and Dustin Hoffman as Benedict Arnold.
About Riverdeep
Riverdeep provides highly motivating, dynamic, curriculum-based Internet and CD-ROM learning experiences for children and teenagers. Riverdeep's products feature interactive problem-solving approaches and real-world applications that reinforce conceptual understanding. The Company also offers online tools to help educators integrate technology with curriculum and to assess and improve student performance. Riverdeep’s rich portfolio of educational software solutions includes Destination Math, Destination Reading, Science Explorer, Science Gateways, Tangible MATH, Reader Rabbit, Carmen Sandiego, ClueFinders, Oregon Trail, Thinkin' Things, Mighty Math, EdVantage's language arts courses and Broderbund’s home productivity and digital media software, including The Print Shop, PrintMaster and Family Tree Maker.
About DIC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment is a leading children’s entertainment company with over 3,000 half-hours of programming in its prolific library. The company is ranked as the second largest library of American animation. DIC has also amassed an incomparable family of domestic and international broadcasters who air DIC programming in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Australia. Some of DIC’s popular properties include Inspector GadgetTM, MadelineTM, Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?TM, Sonic The HedgehogTM, Super Mario BrosTM, Captain PlanetTM, Sailor MoonTM, and such new shows as Super Duper SumosTM, Liberty’s KidsTM, Alienators: Evolution Continues, and MaryKate & Ashley, In Action!TM Over 25 million children watch DIC’s popular programs each week. DIC is a full service studio with production, development, distribution, home video, marketing, and licensing departments.
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