Claris helps prepare students for the real world.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 1995--In the real world, everything is interconnected.

So one school district is questioning why students should still be taught each subject separately. In fact, old boundaries between academic subjects are blurring, as educators embrace the idea of teaching across the curriculum - and find an effective tool in computer software from Claris Corporation.

In California's Saddleback Valley Schools, teachers are using software from Claris to provide students with interdisciplinary content in language arts, social studies and computer science. Students are using their new skills to become multimedia producers, employing today's latest technology to share their knowledge with other students.

Saddleback Valley teachers are using computers to make a positive difference in their schools. Equipped with ClarisWorks software, teachers have more power to manage their classrooms, provide a variety of appropriate instruction, and fully engage students in their learning.

"Computers are quickly becoming a primary teaching tool," said Linda Smith, Saddleback Valley District technology specialist. The district is expanding its technology program throughout its 33 schools. At the elementary school level, Smith heads a team that has already used computers to design fourth-grade social science lessons, and is now working on lessons for fifth- and sixth-graders. These lessons integrate instruction from several different curriculum areas and also help students build their computer skills.

"For instance, when our students write and format a poem about the California Gold Rush, they are learning about language arts, history and social science, as they learn technology skills," Smith said. "Follow up lessons will teach them how to add graphics using the ClarisWorks ReadyArt Library."

This approach allows teachers to make the most of technology's power to captivate today's media-savvy students. And teachers like using the technology too, because of the unprecedented instructional flexibility it gives them. If a classroom teacher feels that the material in a textbook doesn't go deep enough, for instance, he or she is now able to provide compelling computer-based content that is more appropriate for that specific class.

"We are creating all of our lessons in digital form," said Smith. "The advantage over the printed form is that teachers always have the flexibility to change the instruction to meet classroom and curriculum needs."

ClarisWorks is an award-winning product of educational software leader, Claris Corporation, which delivers educational software solutions to classrooms in all fifty states and internationally. ClarisWorks dramatically increases educators' efficiency in the classroom by helping them manage their day, communicate and teach more effectively.

Claris is a subsidiary of Apple Computer, Inc., with headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: (c)1995 Claris Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Claris and ClarisWorks are registered trademarks of Claris Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Claris Corp.

Ines Anderson, 408/987-7154

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or

Scanlon & Associates

Catherine Wambach, 505/281-5324

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