WordWorld

infobox television
show_name = WordWorld
genre = Children's television series
Animated cartoon
Comedy
runtime = 30 minutes
country = USA
network = PBS
first_aired = September 3 2007
last_aired = Present
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 26
opentheme = Sung by the chorus of The Grammar School in Putney, Vermont; written by Billy Straus cite web |url=http://www.reformer.com/headlines/ci_7425051 |title=Brattleboro Reformer, 11/10/2007 |accessdate=2007-11-12 |publisher=Brattleboro Reformer |work=Putney kids sing theme for new PBS series]
creator =Don Moody
Jacqueline Moody
website = http://www.pbskids.org/wordworld/
imdb_id = 1097633|

Infobox TV ratings
show_name = Word World
usa_tv = TV-Y / E/I
can_tv = C

"WordWorld" is a computer-animated cartoon series produced by WTTW Chicago, Illinois for PBS Kids, funded in part by the United States Department of Education. It is targeted at Nursery school age children, with their main goal being to "inspire a love of words and reading."cite web |url=http://pbskids.org/wordworld/parentsandteachers/faqs.html |title=FAQ |accessdate=2007-10-25 |publisher=PBS Kids |work=About the Show]

WordWorld won an Emmy for "the best main title sequence in daytime television programming." [cite web |url=http://www.licensemag.com/licensemag/Entertainment/WordWorld-takes-an-Emmy/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/525414?contextCategoryId=9991 l |title=WordWorld Takes an Emmy |accessdate=2008-07-01 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date=2008-06-24 |work=License! Global Weekly E-news |publisher= Advanstar Communications ]

Premise

WordWorld revolves around WordFriends and WordThings characters and items made of the letters that spell them in the correct order. So, for example, a barn is made out of the letters B-A-R-N, and a pie out of P-I-E, but so that they actually look like a barn or pie -- with this rule extending to the animals who are the sentient characters in the show. The WordThings can be assembled and disassembled during the show by the characters, who use the items on their adventures and to solve their problems.

Educational Content

The main focus of the show is literacy, with the shows curriculum being based on the National Reading Panel's 2000 "Teaching Children to Read" report with input from other groups and experts. The show aims to focus on print awareness, Phonics sensitivity and letter knowledge, Reading comprehension (including vocabulary development) and socio-emotional skills. [cite web |url=http://pbskids.org/wordworld/parentsandteachers/research.html |title=WordWorld's Research and Curriculum |accessdate=2007-10-25 |publisher=PBSKids |work=About the Program / Parents & Teachers ]

Co-creator Don Moody was originally inspired by a study which found that children are likely to pay less attention to words if there is a character on screen at the same time. [cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/arts/television/02jens.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 |title=A New Heroine’s Fighting Words |accessdate=2008-06-23 |last=Jensen |first=Elizabeth |coauthors= |date=2007-09-02 |work= |publisher=The New York Times ] According to Moody, WordWorld's use of characters that physically resemble the letters that make up their names may cause children to pay more attention to words. “If children want to look at the character, then the words have to be the character,” he said. [cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/arts/television/02jens.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 |title=A New Heroine’s Fighting Words |accessdate=2008-06-23 |last=Jensen |first=Elizabeth |coauthors= |date=2007-09-02 |work= |publisher=The New York Times ]

Episodes

Fundings

The following list are companies that this show is funded through:
*A cooperate agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (2007-present)
*The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Ready to Learn grant (2008-present)
*PBS Viewers Like You (2008-present)

References

External links

* [http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=7,13 WTTW National Productions]
* [http://www.wordworld.com WordWorld web site]
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/Columbia-Pictures/video/x48ydr_ru naway-o_3d WordWorld on Dailymotion]