Students, Teachers and Parents Can Win When Going Back to School from bigchalk

There are great prizes and content available at bigchalk to make the transition back to school much more fun and much easier

NEW YORK, August 7, 2002 -bigchalk, the leading K-12 online education network, has launched an enticing back-to-school contest to help educators, students and parents begin the 2002-03 school year. This annual contest, the Back-to-School Blast, gives bigchalks users the opportunity to win prizes, from such partners as Adobe®, OfficeMax.com, and VeryBestKids.com.

The contest is part of bigchalks ongoing efforts to enrich its free portal site (www.bigchalk.com) offering a bit of fun along with practical advice and educational materials for students, educators and parents.

bigchalk is known for our educational Web site, full of rich digital content and significant teacher tools. The content engages students, helps educators create dynamic learning environments, and offers ideas for parents who want to be involved in their childrens education," says Jennifer Lytle, Executive Producer. Our back-to-school contest and content illustrate our continued commitment to provide high quality, easy-to-use information thats relevant to todays educational needs and that reaffirms our position as the leading digital learning source, while still providing something interactive and enjoyable."

Fabulous Prizes for Teachers and Students
bigchalk launched its annual back-to-school contest on August 1. Visitors to bigchalk.com can enter to win a Siemens Gigaset 4215 cordless phone system from OfficeMax.com, Photoshop® Elements from Adobe Systems, or a Game Boy Advance from VeryBestKids.com, by answering a simple contest question and submitting their entry to bigchalk. Start at http://www.bigchalk.com/bc/2002blast.

Free Online Resources at bigchalk.com
Effective immediately, educators, students and parents will find many new resources at bigchalk.com to help them get back into the school rhythm. Colorful icons and an easy-to-navigate layout help each audience find materials relevant to their needs.

Students can take advantage of subject reviews, tutorials, study guides, reference sources and games to help them brush off the cobwebs and get set for a year of academic achievement. The site includes everything from math basics to study skills to information on preparing for the SATs. Online expeditions and games offer fun learning activities that provide a break from studying. In addition, students can continue to rely upon HomeworkCentral, the free study and research resource that is a primary feature of bigchalk.com, and that now contains more than 150,000 handpicked links on over 10,000 subjects, all organized by topic and grade level. Start at http://www.bigchalk.com/bc/bts2002students.

bigchalks back-to-school site also provides educators with one central resource for planning materials, including fresh ideas for classroom layout and décor, the latest thoughts on developing positive classroom culture, lesson plans and tools to launch a class Web site that keeps parents in the loop. The site even offers tips to help new and student teachers start their jobs with confidence. Start at http://www.bigchalk.com/bc/bts2002teachers.

bigchalks online resources for parents address the educational, emotional and physical demands that families face during the school year. At bigchalk.com, parents can find out more about participating in their childs schooling, learning activities and projects they can do with their kids, home routines that can lead to a healthy school life, safe Internet usage and much more. Start at http://www.bigchalk.com/bc/bts2002parents.

About bigchalk, The Education Network
bigchalk, the digital learning source for education, harnesses the power of online content to create engaging learning environments that promote student achievement. The company offers up-to-date online reference databases, standards-based digital curriculum and easy-to-use tools for preparing lessons. Librarians, students and teachers in more than 43,000 schools across the country receive the resources they need from bigchalk.

bigchalks online reference databases, such as bigchalk Library, facilitate student inquiry and learning. The companys easy-to-use tools for preparing lessons, such as bigchalk Integrated Classroom, help teachers motivate and inspire their students. Its online curriculum resources, delivered through products such as ClassMate, provide educators with standards-based content for classroom instruction. Its award-winning Web site - recipient of both the Software & Information Industry Associations (SIIA) coveted Codie Award in the category of Best Educational Web Site for Kids and Gold Award 2001 by Curriculum Administrator magazine - offers a host of educational resources including study activities for students, informational resources for parents, and online lesson plans for teachers.

For more information on bigchalks library and classroom resources, educators can call 800.860.9228 and speak with a bigchalk representative or visit the companys Web site at www.bigchalk.com.

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bigchalk Integrated Classroom, bigchalk Library, bigchalk Library Elementary, eLibrary, eLibrary Elementary and bigchalk ClassMate are trademarks of bigchalk.com, inc. Adobe and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.