Scholastic Offers Free Online Courses After Schools Close Due to Coronavirus

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Amy Furr

The Scholastic Corporation is offering free online learning for kids whose schools are closed during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Friday, the company tweeted a link to its program, called “Scholastic Learn at Home,” that offers educational content for students from prekindergarten through grades six and higher.

“Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys,” the website told registrants.

“Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin,” the site explained.

In a letter to families and caregivers, Scholastic Classroom Magazines Senior Vice President Lauren Tarshis wrote that the company understood how difficult it is when kids are forced to miss school.

She continued:

But we also know that there are simple ways to turn unexpected time at home into exciting opportunities for your students to learn, think, and grow.

That is why we’ve created Scholastic’s Learn at Home website. This free resource provides your children with 20* days of exciting articles and stories, videos, and fun learning challenges. Children can complete them anytime, in any order. They can work on their own or together with you and your family.

The website’s content can be accessed on any device and provides up to three hours of learning, according to Tarshis.

“They can go on virtual field trips, meet best-selling authors, or dig deep into a topic they love,” she commented.

Saturday evening, Education Week provided an update on the number of school closures across the nation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“As of March 14, 2020, 6:30 p.m. ET, at least 57,000 schools are closed, are scheduled to close, or were closed and later reopened, affecting at least 25.8 million students,” the website read.

“Schools are closing for many reasons related to coronavirus, including exposures, cleaning, or planning for extended closures,” the site concluded.

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