For Immediate Release
Contact: Chad Colby: Chad.Colby@greatminds.org
Wednesday, April 8, 2020—Knowledge on the Go™, the free video lesson series from Great Minds PBC, now includes Geodes®, the first early literacy texts that unite phonics with exciting content and beautiful art to help young learners build true knowledge about the world.
“Geodes build knowledge as they build literacy skills,” said Lorraine Griffith, the Great Minds content architect who was instrumental in creating Geodes. “They’re an exciting addition to Knowledge on the Go.”
The first Geodes books included in Knowledge on the Go correspond with featured modules of Wit & Wisdom®, the English language arts curriculum from Great Minds. The titles posted are Land of Wonder, about the geophysical features of Australia (Level K); a retelling of Cinderella (Level 1); and The Inside Scoop, about the human digestive system (Level 2). Great Minds will post Geodes for Levels K–2 each Monday from April 6 through April 27 for 12 total.
The Geodes library is the result of a collaboration of Great Minds and Wilson Language Training. Geodes align with the scope and sequence of Wilson Fundations® and with the module topics in Wit & Wisdom. Wilson Fundations® is a structured literacy program for Grades K–3 that is supplemental to a core curriculum and provides a systematic approach to teaching foundational skills as well as spelling and handwriting.
Knowledge on the Go offers free video lessons in Eureka Math® (Grades K–12), Wit & Wisdom (Grades K–8), and PhD Science™ (Grades 3–5). Arranged by grade and module, the Knowledge on the Go lessons allow teachers and students to continue their progress through the cohesive, comprehensive Great Minds curricula delivered in schools. The materials also help students who don’t already use the curricula, as the lessons are coherently designed and taught by experienced teacher–writers.
Great Minds is uploading 25 lessons across the three subjects every weekday at greatminds.org/knowledgeonthego. Hundreds of lessons are already available. The lessons are viewable on computers, tablets, or any smartphone. Some districts, including Baltimore City Public Schools, are airing the lessons on public access television channels, and other districts, such as the Syracuse City School District, are airing the lessons through their local public television channels to reach students without home internet access.
Three-quarters of the more than 800 employees at Great Minds PBC are or have been teachers. They write the curricula, train teachers to use it, and support successful implementation. Closing the knowledge gap is important to everyone at Great Minds, with every curriculum building knowledge across subjects and disciplines for a rich learning experience.
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About Great Minds: Great Minds provides the highest quality curricula to schools and districts nationwide, inspiring joy in teaching and learning. Eureka Math and Wit & Wisdom®, an English language arts curriculum, both earned top scores from independent nonprofit reviewer EdReports.org. Great Minds is the only curriculum creator to have earned three Tier 1 ratings, the highest possible, from the Louisiana Department of Education, highly respected for its curricular leadership. Curricula earning the Tier 1 ratings were Wit & Wisdom, Eureka Math, and PhD Science™. A 2016 RAND Corporation report found Eureka Math and its original version, EngageNY Math, to be the most widely used elementary school math curricula in the nation. Geodes®, a library of beautifully illustrated, content-rich books with phonics practice for emerging readers, is the latest Great Minds offering to delight teachers and students. Learn more at greatminds.org.
