Get Your Classroom “Ready Now” for the School Year

The start of this school year has presented a unique set of complications and adjustments for classrooms around the world. And as with everything—creative educators and students have risen to the challenge. To ease the transition into a new era of classroom routines, FableVision joined a group of over 70 federally-funded researchers and developers to produce a series of guides to support in-class and remote teaching and learning.

The Guides to Education Technologies that are Ready Now cover topics in early learning, math, science and engineering, social studies, and special education. FableVision is proud to feature three resources: Cyberchase Fractions Quest (Mathematics Guide), Civics! An American Musical (Social Studies Guide), and FabMaker Studio (Science and Engineering Guide). All of our resources—and the other incredible resources from other organizations—were developed through an iterative process involving multiple rounds of testing and feedback from teachers and students. They are web-based and accessible on a number of devices, with a mix of free and paid content.

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Click the above image to download the guide.

Cyberchase Fractions Quest (free for a limited time)

Guide: Ready Now Math Tools
Age range: grades 3-4

CyberSpace is in trouble, and it’s up to your students to help defeat the villain Hacker! In Cyberchase Fractions Quest, students join the CyberSquad from the popular PBS KIDS series Cyberchase and play through a series of mini-games, picking up fractions knowledge and problem-solving skills along the way. Created in partnership with THIRTEEN and the Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology, this FableVision-developed math learning game combines an engaging storyline with a research-based approach to teaching and learning fractions that aligns with the Common Core Standards for Grade 3 and 4 mathematical structure. 

The game is a result of a 2.5-year-long research project as part of the IES Department of Education SBIR program. The beta version of Cyberchase Fractions Quest is free and available to play for a limited time on FableVision Games.

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Click the above image to download the guide.

Civics! An American Musical (free)

Guide: Social Studies Distance-Learning Resources
Age range: grades 6-7

What better way to teach middle school students U.S. history and the power of the everyday citizen in creating change than through producing their own hit Broadway musical? Created in partnership with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ CIRCLE, Civics! An American Musical was inspired by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton composition notebook and teaches civics as students analyze primary sources from the Library of Congress archives to adapt true events from U.S. history to the stage. Students select the subject matter for their musical from four different history topics—the desegregation of public schools, the National Parks, the FDA, and the Chinese Exclusion Act—and must observe, reflect, and question primary sources to ensure the historical accuracy of every aspect of the show, including scripts, costumes, and song lyrics.

Civics! An American Musical is a part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program and is available for free on FableVision Games.

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Click the above image to download the guide.

FabMaker Studio ($200 classroom subscription)

Guide: Ready Now: Science and Engineering
Age Range: grades K-8

Turn any classroom or learning environment into a maker space—and you won’t even need a 3D printer! Inspire engineering in your classroom with FabMaker Studio, a web-based fabrication tool specifically designed for the classroom. With this affordable, research-based online tool, students can engineer, design, and fabricate any project, including designing their own Operation game board, a paper city that lights up, popup cards, and more.

The tool was developed by FableVision and the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity, with initial funding in 2010 by ED/IES SBIR. To purchase your copy now and to learn more tips on how to use FabMaker with distance learning, visit FableVision Learning’s website.

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For more details and to learn more about the other resources in the guides, check out the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)’s blog.

We’re All in this Together: “Connecting the Dots” This International Dot Day

International Dot Day is almost here, and we’re looking forward to the festivities! Though Dot Day may look different for many this year, we’re keeping the spirit of this important holiday alive with a remote celebration encouraging everyone to #MakeYourMark no matter where you are in the world.

This global celebration of creativity, courage, and compassion began in 2009 when creative educator Terry Shay introduced his students to FableVision founder and award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ The Dot, a book celebrating self-discovery and letting your creativity bloom. Since then, Dot Day has been a way for millions of people around the world to connect, collaborate, and celebrate each year.

The theme for this year is “Connecting the Dots!” to show that even when we’re physically apart, “we’re all in this together.” This year is also particularly special because Dot Day 2020 will be held in honor of longtime Dot Connector and Dot Day champion Bill Norris. This year’s remote celebration, “Dots for Light,” will be dedicated to Bill, celebrating the mark he made around the world with his love and creativity. 

In his honor, everyone is invited to join in on the “Dots for Light” activity, which will not only allow families and friends to be connected during these unprecedented times, but also honor the memory of Bill and the light he brought to the world.

Click the image above to download the Instagram template.

Click the image above to download the full page template PDF.

Here’s how you join in:

• 1. Download a template above and create your dot (digital or on the printed sheet).

• 2. Upload a photo or the digital dot to a social media platform. Be sure to tag @dotclubconnect on Twitter, @internationdotday on Instagram, or their Facebook.

• 3. To add your mark to the Dot Day grid, please use the hashtag #InternationalDotDay and #DotsforLight.

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 Are you ready to celebrate International Dot Day 2020? 

To learn more about this year’s Dot Day celebrations and the history of Dot Day, visit the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity’s blog and register at The Dot Club.

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And don’t miss Skype in the Classroom and Candlewick Press’ virtual Dot Day celebration! Join for a live event and Q&A with Peter.

Event details:
September 16 at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT)

Click here to join.

National Immunization Awareness Month Highlight: Clinical Research Educational Video Series

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and this year, staying informed about and raising awareness of vaccinations and the process behind developing new treatments is more important than ever. Immunization is an essential part of ensuring your family’s health as well as the public’s. To provide guidance and start constructive conversations surrounding new treatments and the clinical trial process, the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) enlisted FableVision to collaborate on a new informational animated series. This series educates the public about the guidelines provided by government agencies to ensure a clinical trial is completed at a safe pace and how ongoing clinical trials adapt in the current environment. 

Here at FableVision, we know the power that education and awareness can have on helping people make informed decisions. Clinical trials are the first steps in an ongoing process for health professionals to find new therapies and treatments that are safe and effective. CISCRP’s new video series features vibrant, research-based messages and animation about the clinical trial process, combined with live-action question and answer sessions with medical and clinical research experts to educate the public as to why therapies take as long as they do to develop. Together with CISCRP, we at FableVision hope that this Clinical Research Educational Video series will bridge the gap and improve communication between clinical researchers and the general public.

A Look Inside

Video 1: General Clinical Research Overview
Bridging the gap between research and lab work, the General Clinical Research Overview video highlights the importance of the role public health officials play in the clinical trial process to ensure safe and effective therapies reach the public. Following a patient's perspective through the four phases of a clinical trial, this video provides a better understanding of what is happening in the height of developing a vaccine for the 2020 global pandemic and features a Q&A segment led by Dr. Jonathan Jackson, Executive Director of the Community Access Recruitment & Engagement (CARE) Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Video 2: Basics of Clinical Trial Participation

So what are the Basics of Clinical Trial Participation? The second video in the series shares patient insights over the course of a clinical trial and details how patient safety is monitored. Designed to provide clarity and transparency to the process behind ongoing trials, this video provides a deeper look into the patient journey as health professionals work to adapt clinical trials to the current environment and maintain participant safety.

Video 3: The Clinical Research Team is similar to a Sports Team

The third video in CISCRP’s series works to educate the public on the most up-to-date medical information regarding clinical trials. Answering questions about study volunteer participation and who is involved in a clinical trial, this video brings to light how patient data is being collected and shared, the different roles and responsibilities of the clinical research team, and how those roles ensure that clinical trials are conducted safely and ethically.

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CISCRP is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit organization that continuously works to provide up-to-date information in order to keep the public healthy and safe. FableVision is proud to partner with them and support their journey to build clinical trial awareness and ensure well-educated communities. 

To stay informed and discover how you can get involved with clinical research, please visit CISCRP’s website for the latest resources and information.

FableVision Presents "Civics! An American Musical"

Will the next hit Broadway musical come out of your classroom? Taking a page from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s composition notebook, players take on the role of a theatre producer to observe, reflect, and question primary sources taken from the Library of Congress’ archives and accurately adapt true events from American history to the Broadway stage. 

FableVision teamed up with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) to create Civics! An American Musical. A part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources Program, this free online game is designed to teach middle school students how to analyze primary sources and have fun while doing it! 

In Civics! An American Musical, players work with the different theatrical departments to learn about a number of important aspects of creating a musical, such as costuming, set design, writing, and music. As the producer, players select the subject matter for their musical from four historical topics: the desegregation of public schools, the National Parks, the FDA, and the Chinese Exclusion Act. It’s then up to them to create a new smash Broadway musical hit that is historically accurate and celebrates the power of everyday citizens in creating change.

The more students successfully analyze primary sources, the more the game awards the players. The more points they collect and earn in each activity, the more costumes, set design, writing and music options become available. As the players travel through the levels and complete each mini-game, they unlock a scene from their musical on opening night that shows the collective result of the creative choices they made through their game experience. 

Our educator supports also include guidance for implementing the game into a variety of learning settings and a preview of the game topics, mini-games, learning outcomes, and standards alignment. A range of learning extensions will launch later this fall.

Civics! An American Musical is free and available now on FableVision Games. Click the button below to begin creating your own hit musical today!

Summer Learning, Summer Fun with Cyberchase Fractions Quest

This post was originally written by Bob Krech and posted on our partner THIRTEEN/WNET's blog. Click here to view.

Bob Krech is a writer and consultant on elementary math. A former elementary teacher, supervisor, and curriculum developer, he has written more than thirty books for teachers and parents and is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. He is the math advisor for the award-winning PBS children’s television series, Cyberchase.

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Summer is here! Time to get outside, get active, and have some fun! Time to keep learning too. Of course, this summer is going to be different for kids and families in quite a few ways. With new social distancing requirements in place due to COVID, there will be fewer in-person summer camps, classes, or educational events to attend. These are activities some students traditionally look forward to when school is out. They’re exciting, stimulating experiences that keep kids thinking, learning, and engaged during the summer months. 

In fact, for students who are not engaged in summer learning, studies have shown that there is a very real phenomenon known as the “summer slide” where kids, because they are not reviewing or using material they have learned, will regress. If you don’t use it, you lose it, so to speak. This can be particularly true with concepts that are difficult for young learners, like fractions. A solid understanding of fractions underpins most all of the math students will encounter as they enter upper elementary grades and middle school, so it’s important to have a strong understanding. Students need to keep reviewing these concepts and skills to establish and maintain a solid foundation, but who wants to sit down and do another workbook? Not to worry. Cyberchase to the rescue!

THIRTEEN and FableVision have just released a free beta preview of a new online game to help families stave off the “summer slide.” Cyberchase Fractions Quest combines screen time, fun time, and learning time in an exciting online adventure. Set in the world of the popular PBS KIDS animated series in which three diverse kids use brain power, science, and math to save the day, the game introduces, explores, and reviews important fraction concepts for grades 3 and 4. Playing keeps kids learning while having fun. Each section of the game features a different fraction concept; fair shares, unit fractions, non-unit fractions, equivalent fractions, and estimation with fractions. It brings players into cyberworlds like underwater Aquariyum and skate-boarding Radopolis as they practice fractions in unique problem-solving scenarios in three contexts; area (shapes), sets (groups) and on a number line. Students learn how to create, interpret, manipulate, and write about fractions. They get involved with fractions from every angle and thus develop a thorough understanding.

Fractions Quest is easy to access and begin playing right away. It’s intuitive, motivating, and makes you think rather than just complete tasks in a rote manner. Each section of the game begins with a helpful tutorial that teaches players about the fraction concept as well as the mechanics of the game. Players travel in their cybercoupes across cyberspace as they thwart the villainous Hacker’s plans and rescue their Cyberchase pals. Review and support scaffolding are built into each part of the game, so the action and learning are very individualized for each player. It’s fun, exciting, and an in-depth learning experience in an area where most all kids need at least some practice, helping kids stay in tune with fractions and be ready for school when it rolls around again.

One of the big ideas students learn through Fractions Quest is that the actual size or quantity of a fraction depends on the whole it is a fraction of. For example, ¼ of the water in a lake is a lot more than ¼ of the water in a bathtub. To emphasize this idea at home, gather some different sized round fruits, such as an orange, a cherry, a grape, and a melon. Talk about fourths as you cut an orange into four equal pieces. Now cut a cherry into four equal pieces. Put ¼ of the cherry next to ¼ of the orange and ask your child which is more and why. Help your students create other fractions using the fruits. Creating, discussing, manipulating, and comparing these physical examples is really helpful to developing this understanding. This helps greatly later as students think about fractions of numbers and how ¼ of 100 (25) is going to be larger than ¼ of 20 (5) just like ¼ of the orange was more than ¼ of the cherry.

So, here it is. The special free beta release of Cyberchase Fractions Quest to help families keep that learning going when it’s needed most. Enjoy! https://www.fablevisiongames.com/fractions-quest