Attendees at ISTE 2019 and SDE19 can take a tour through the magical, zoo-themed learning experience for early education

(ATLANTA, Georgia) June 20, 2019 — Alive Studios, a provider of augmented reality-based literacy tools for early learners, has unveiled Classrooms alive! for pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. This research-based supplemental curriculum provides a multi-sensory learning experience where 26 animals come alive in 3D and interact with students to help them learn the foundational skills for reading and math.

Cynthia B. Kaye, founder, CEO, and chief zoo keeper at Alive Studios, said, “We’ve been bringing animals to life in the classroom to help jumpstart early literacy, math, and STEM education for years. With Classrooms alive!, we’ve put together a full suite of our educational products to create a seamless, magical learning experience for kids.”

Teachers can boost their math and literacy blocks with magical zoo-themed lessons and activities aligned to kindergarten state standards. Classrooms alive! gets kids motivated, engaged, and excited about learning, which promotes knowledge retention and improves student outcomes. The complete Classrooms alive! package includes:

• Learning alive Plus interactive reading and math software kit;
• 12’ x 7’6” oval Alphabet Classroom Rug with Rugs alive™ mobile app;
• My Letters alive Journals 20 pack with Journals alive™ mobile app;
• My Math alive Journals  20 pack with Journals alive mobile app;
• Supplemental curriculum lesson plans; and 
• A 60-day trial of assessments for guided instruction. 

Learning alive Plus is a learning kit for reading and math that works on Windows-based and Apple computers. Children interact hands-on with 26 zoo animals while learning letters, letter sounds, phonetic word-building, and sentence-building—as well as 86 essential math skills. Lessons can be whole-group with a projector or smart panel, or small-group and intervention on a computer screen.

The Alphabet Classroom Rug and free Rugs alive mobile app turn smartphones and mobile tablets into a magic window through which students can see 26 animals—one for each letter of the alphabet—come to life right on the rug. Children learn early STEM concepts by blending language arts, math, and science. Students are challenged to match a habitat with an animal that lives there to bring it to life on the rug. Once the animal comes to life, students can walk around and explore it from every side. Teachers can encourage students to collaborate and investigate further by identifying parts of the animal, compare it with the other animals, and make categories and graphs of similarities and differences. They can even take pictures with each virtual animal and share their photos with family and friends!

“Not only are the rugs beautiful and fun, they also allow us to bring our favorite zoo crew animals to life in my classroom to engage and excite the students," said Greg Smedley-Warren, a kindergarten teacher at JE Moss Elementary in Nashville.

My Letters/Math alive Student Journals and the free Journals alive mobile app provide children with their very own book for mastering letters, shapes, numbers, and counting. With the Journals alive app, early learners can scan a letter, shape, or number to interact with an animal on a mobile device while completing a fun activity for an essential skill. When used in literacy centers, the journals allow teachers to individualize learning by focusing on skills that require extra attention. Valerie Donaldson, a pre-K teacher at Clarke County Schools in Athens, GA, said, “One of my little humans was so excited today to use the app and journal. So excited!! He made me smile ear to ear!”

Classrooms alive! also includes supplemental lesson plans aligned to kindergarten state standards. Teachers will have access to several daily options to fit into whole-group or literacy center activities. As they follow the engaging Zoo Tour of the 26 animal exhibits, students master the kindergarten literacy skills for ELA. The focus on animals threads science throughout the reading and math lessons, creating a cross-curricular STEM learning experience.

This full-year guide was developed by a team of early educators inspired by neurologist and classroom teacher Judy Willis, MD, who explained how Classrooms alive! taps into the education power of surprise. “Our brains are structured to remember novel events,” she said. “The technique of surprise brings students’ brains to attention and illuminates the pathways to memory storage.”

Interested educators can experience a Zoo Tour in person at ISTE 2019 in Philadelphia at booth #3037 or at SDE19 in Vegas at booth #319.

About Alive Studios
Alive Studios is a software developer that creates mind-boggling learning experiences to increase student engagement. Students are motivated and inspired as they interact with 26 virtual zoo animals while learning the essential fundamentals of reading and math. Alive Studios’ programs use augmented reality (3D without glasses) to bring lessons to life. For more information about Alive Studios and their mission to win literacy, visit AliveStudiosZoo.com.