Pokemon USA is launching a Web-based Pokemon Learning League, which provides animated interactive lessons in language arts, math, science, and life skills for kids in grades 3 through 6.  The PLL debuts in September and will be available (for anyone with a PC or a Mac, Flash 6 and an Internet browser) free until October 31st. Thereafter it will be available through a paid yearly subscription of $1,000 per school or $100 per household.

This is not some thrown-together collection of film clips.  The PLL is a sophisticated, well thought-out attempt to create a compelling format to reinforce core curriculum.  The components of the PLL were developed by experienced education writers and are evaluated by an advisory board of prominent educators including Joseph Blatt of the Harvard Graduate School of education.  The PLL lessons take advantage of the fact that kids tend to pay attention to educational concepts presented within a narrative context. The lessons are presented in a three-step format in which students first watch a narrative-based animated segment introducing the educational concept, then the students collaborate with the characters to try to deepen their understanding of the concept, and finally the kids get to apply what they have learned through interactive challenges.

The PLL was tested in an extensive session in March 2006 involving five fifth grade classrooms in four states: Massachusetts, West Virginia, New Hampshire and New York.  The pilot program presented five units on core curriculum topics such as 'Steps of Writing a Research Report,' 'The Rock Cycle,' 'Punctuation,' 'Probability,' and 'Story Elements.'  The pilot program was deemed a success and garnered lots of favorable comments from students and educators such as Bill Burrall, coordinator of Instructional Technology for the Marshall County Schools in West Virginia, who noted: ' The Pokemon Learning League program certainly fills the need for quick hits that grab students' attention with well designed content that is colorful, interactive and engaging to the students.'