"We're honored to have our characters take what sometimes may seem like dry topics and help make them come alive for students. The collaboration provides an opportunity for children to learn 21st century science using 21st century tools with characters they're familiar with."Says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.
Learning with Pokemon
A new in-school program uses basic characters and themes from Nintendo's popular Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl video games for Nintendo DS to teach elementary and middle school students about science. Nintendo of America, Inc., The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) and Nortel LearniT, have teamed up to make it fun for students to learn the sciences using imagery they already know and love.
Now through December, a variety of printable lesson plans and classroom activities developed by NIA are available to students and teachers at www.masterthescience.org. Unlike the existing Pokemon Learning League program this new system is designed for direct in class use between a teacher and students. Lessons range from using a sun dial to tell time (grades 3-5) to exploring the concepts behind how the universe is expanding (grades 6-8). There is also an online component where students and teachers can send their questions in to be answered by experts.