Discovery Education today launched Keeping You Connected to Curiosity, a new initiative keeping the continuity of curiosity alive for teachers and students everywhere. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
Keeping You Connected to Curiosity is anchored by a team of celebrity scientists sharing how curiosity has played an important role in their lives and what they’re most curious about today. Discovery Education is supporting this initiative through its award-winning services, a host of new content designed to spark curiosity in teachers and students about the world around us, and events, community activities and more focused on promoting science education scheduled throughout Fall 2020.
Among the services delivering Keeping You Connected to Curiosity to teachers and students everywhere are Discovery Education Science Techbooks. Discovery Education Science Techbooks—which are currently used in classrooms across the United States and Canada—are a comprehensive, research-backed science solution for grades K-12 that combine digital-first teaching and learning resources to deliver impactful, blended instruction in person or at a distance.
The all-new Discovery Education Science Techbook for middle school offers a phenomena-driven curriculum that puts middle school students at the center of three-dimensional storylines to investigate the mysteries of the universe. Units are designed to continually spark curiosity, prompt questions, and offer students opportunities to engage in engineering practices to make sense of the science around them. The program consists of 16 modular units, allowing schools and teachers to choose the order in which to complete the units based on their preferred pathway. Discovery Education’s all-new Science Techbook for middle school also includes:
- Phenomena-driven, research-backed science curriculum that cultivates three-dimensional learning experiences.
- Relevant unit storylines that offer intentional sequencing of activities and help students take ownership of their learning.
- Active investigation of phenomena which prompts students to ask questions, build models, and develop explanations to generate evidence of sensemaking.
- Lesson planning, differentiation, progress monitoring, and professional growth opportunities which provide teachers with time-saving support.
- Exclusive, original, and highly engaging multimedia content that makes science exciting and relevant for all students.
Science Techbook for middle school can be used in either Spanish or English. Optional print Student and Teacher’s Editions and interactive Hands-On Activity kits for use in grades K-8 are also available.
Discovery Education is also launching an updated version of STEM Connect. An interdisciplinary K-8 resource, STEM Connect blends dynamic digital content with ready-to-use lessons and hands-on activities to enhance core curriculum and cultivate valuable design thinking skills that prepare students for the future. Built on the 4Cs framework and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, STEM Connect purposefully integrates across disciplines and provides all the necessary resources to introduce real-world challenges and design thinking skills to students. With modular lesson plans, improved navigation, and enhancements to core features, STEM Connect gives teachers more flexibility for online or in-person instruction while students grow from local problem solvers to imaginative, global solution seekers.
The Keeping You Connected to Curiosity initiative also brings engaging new digital content to teachers and students through Discovery Education Experience the company’s flexible K-12 learning platform. With Discovery Education’s original Real-World Phenomena series—now live in Experience, STEM Connect, and Science Techbook—all learners can experience compelling natural science phenomena such as eclipses and extreme weather. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), each short clip in this series encourages students to observe a phenomenon and use their science knowledge to explain what they see and predict what happens next.
Discovery Education has also added a new STEM Careers Channel to Experience. Featuring content highlighting a wide range of fascinating STEM careers from video game creator to pilot to surgeon, this new channel, created in partnership with Discovery Education’s community and corporate partners, includes a variety of resources including career profiles, student activations, challenges, classroom activities, virtual field trips, and more. Discovery Education Experience users can see the Real-World Phenomena series here and the STEM Careers Channel here.
This new initiative also offers educators at all levels opportunities to connect to their curiosity through a series of exciting online events scheduled this Fall. On November 5 at 3:00 PM Eastern, Discovery Education will take science and curriculum leaders behind the scenes of the all-new middle school Science Techbook. During this one-of-a-kind event, participants will learn from Discovery Education’s expert Curriculum Team about the philosophy behind the new Science Techbook for middle school and experience firsthand how its dynamic resources improve academic achievement as it connects all students to curiosity.
In addition, Discovery Education has scheduled a series of additional events designed especially for classroom teachers. These activities, ranging from thought leadership gatherings to Virtual Field Trips, will be archived online and can be incorporated into instruction at their debut or any time after. For the full calendar of events, visit the Keeping You Connected to Curiosity homepage here.
“Keeping You Connected to Curiosity is the right initiative at the right time,” said Janel Bedor Griffiths, a Library Media Specialist in Wisconsin’s Green Bay Area Public Schools. “Both teachers and students have a lot on their minds right now, so it’s understandable that they might sometimes forget the joy of exploring the world around them. Through this exciting new initiative, Discovery Education has put into my hands the resources I need to wake the natural curiosity in all my students. I’m looking forward to integrating these resources into my instruction.”
Educators using Discovery Education’s services enjoy access to the Discovery Education Community. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration. Throughout Keeping You Connected to Curiosity, the Discovery Education Community will share how teachers around the world connect themselves and their students to the curiosity in us all.
“The team at Discovery Education is excited to bring Keeping You Connected to Curiosity to educators everywhere,” said Discovery Education President of K-12 Education Scott Kinney. “More than ever, it is important we all stay curious about our world. We hope through this initiative, teachers and students everywhere find joy in rediscovering the innate curiosity in us all.”
To learn more about Keeping You Connected to Curiosity and to see a full schedule of activities and resources, visit the initiative’s homepage here. For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.DiscoveryEducation.com.
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