McGraw Hill Launches Reading Wonders, the First K-6 Core Reading Program Built on the Common Core State Standards

NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill today announced the launch of Reading Wonders, the first K-6 core reading program designed specifically for the Common Core State Standards. As the first and only elementary reading program built from the ground up to address the all new Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading Wonders will promote advanced skills and help prepare students for a new set of common assessments that will be implemented in the 2014-2015 school year. Currently being piloted in more than 200 classrooms, the program will be available for purchase in an all-digital or hybrid print/digital format starting in January 2013.

As schools transition to the Common Core State Standards, there is a growing need for curriculum and instruction that address them, and for teachers to be supported with the appropriate tools for implementation. The Common Core State Standards – which specify K-12 learning expectations to assure all high school students graduate prepared for college and career – raise the bar on literacy instruction and mandate that students become proficient readers who can access, understand, engage with and write about text on a much deeper level. Because Reading Wonders was created based on the Standards as well as the new Publisher's Criteria, the program goes beyond basic Common Core alignment to address these rigorous requirements head-on. It does so most notably through an emphasis on "close reading," which challenges students to uncover the deep meaning of text, find evidence to support their analysis, and respond to reading through writing. Furthermore, Reading Wonders offers a differentiated and personalized approach to reading that motivates students to exceed their current reading level and provides teachers with explicit lessons and differentiated resources to help accelerate learning.

"With the advent of the Common Core State Standards, one thing has become crystal clear: preparing students for the demands of college and beyond starts with new approaches to developing skills like reading comprehension and writing," said Dan Caton, president of McGraw-Hill School Education. "We're confident that Reading Wonders – a rigorous program that was built from the ground up to address all of the new reading standards – will fully support teachers as they transition to these standards, and most importantly, enable our students to become strong readers and critical thinkers throughout their lives."

Reading Wonders is built on the latest in educational technology, offering interconnected platforms for students and teachers across any device. The teacher platform provides teachers with the exact resources they need for each day, a built in plan, and facilitates digital whole group lessons through a revolutionary new presentation tool. Videos, photos, graphic organizers, e-books and other interactive content is presented in such a way that teachers have access to every resource needed for each lesson, already sequenced in the order of instruction.

Students are equipped with a digital platform of their own, where they can complete and save their work, access and submit assignments and collaborate digitally with their peers and teachers. As part of the platform, students have access to their reading materials, interactive content and engaging games that challenge and inspire them to stretch their knowledge beyond the point of content mastery. The program's digital assessments, which can be customized to gauge individual student and class progress on a particular standard, give teachers the data they need to personalize instruction and meet the learning needs of their students.

For more information about Reading Wonders, visit: www.mhreadingwonders.com