Eclipse Facts Sheet
Describes how a solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth and about different types of solar eclipses, eclipse safety, and eclipse activities.
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]]>Faced with teaching a unit on bacteria, two seventh-grade teachers paused to consider how their students would best learn the information. Watching a video? Exploring interactive simulations? Reading engaging content?
They quickly realized the answer was—all of these options. Or maybe just one of them. It simply depended on each student’s particular learning style. Enter Discovery Education’s choice boards, interactive “digital menus” which allow students to choose how they learn a topic or standard. Choice boards cater to different learning styles, foster deep engagement, and allow students ownership of their learning. They’re one of the many curriculum-aligned tools our educator panelists will be discussing in our upcoming Educator Essentials Fall Webinar Series.
Real Classrooms. Real Solutions. Real Impact.
Our Educator Essentials Webinar Series will feature short, practical sessions led by educators in our Discovery Educator Network (DEN) and aim to provide a deeper understanding of how to use DE tools in a meaningful way. They’ll focus on real classrooms, real solutions, and real impact, and you’ll walk away with fresh strategies you can put into practice immediately.
The Presenters
Rita Mortenson
Instructional Coach, Verona Area High School, Wisconsin
The Experience webinars will be hosted by Rita Mortenson, Instructional Coach at Verona Area High School in Wisconsin. Rita is a 20-year veteran user of Discovery Education and incredible advocate for Experience solutions. She brings a wealth of classroom insight and professional development expertise, making her uniquely equipped to guide educators in leveraging Experience solutions for transformative learning. Rita’s co-presenter will be Jessie Erickson.
Sarah Yonts
Library Media Specialist, L.I. Wilder Elementary School, Wisconsin
The DreamBox Math webinars will be hosted by Sarah Yonts, Library Media Specialist at L.I. Wilder Elementary School in Wisconsin. Sarah is in her 23rd year with Green Bay Area Public Schools, and has also worked as a music educator, classroom teacher, and middle school ELA teacher. A longtime DEN member, Sarah started using DreamBox Math in 2020 and acts as her school’s tech lead, helping teachers and students navigate its powerful features. Sarah’s co-presenter will be Kelsy Rusch.
Join us live to ask questions or watch on-demand when it fits your schedule!
The Lineup
Power Up Your Practice with Discovery Education Experience
Tuesday, October 28, 7:00 PM ET
Explore how Discovery Education Experience can elevate your instructional practice and boost student engagement. This session will spotlight the Instructional Strategy Center, Careers Hub, and Curriculum-Aligned Resources—three powerful tools designed to save time, personalize learning, and connect classroom content to real-world relevance.
Engaging Every Learner with Discovery Education Experience
Monday, November 3, 7:00 PM ET
Student engagement is at the heart of effective teaching—and Discovery Education Experience offers flexible, standards-aligned resources to help you reach every learner. This webinar will explore how to use Experience to personalize instruction, support core curriculum, and close learning gaps in literacy and math.
Unlocking the Power of DreamBox Math Features
Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 PM ET
Explore how DreamBox Math’s most powerful features—Curriculum Guide, Assignments, and Progress Monitoring—can streamline instruction and elevate student engagement. This session will walk educators through how to plan, assign, and monitor learning with DreamBox Math, all while keeping students at the center of the experience.
Engaging Every Learner with DreamBox Math
Thursday November 46 7:00 PM ET
Student engagement is the key to meaningful learning—and DreamBox Math is designed to meet every learner where they are. This webinar will explore how DreamBox Math supports differentiation, connects to core curriculum, and helps close gaps in math understanding. Learn how to use DreamBox Math to foster confidence, personalize instruction, and make math meaningful for all students.
Ready to energize your classroom with tools that help every learner? Join us!
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]]>The post Opening Doors to the Future: Celebrating Workforce Development Month in the Classroom appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>September is Workforce Development Month—a time to recognize the importance of preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s careers. For educators, it’s a powerful reminder that career readiness starts early, and that exposure to real-world opportunities can be the spark that ignites a student’s future.
Imagine a classroom where students not only learn about math, science, and history—but also meet astronauts, engineers, designers, and data scientists. For many students, especially those in underserved communities, this kind of exposure can be life-changing.
Why Career Exposure Matters
Educators know that curiosity is the spark that ignites lifelong learning. But curiosity needs fuel—and one of the most powerful sources is real-world relevance. When students meet professionals from diverse industries, they begin to see possibilities they may never have imagined. They start asking questions like:
- What does it take to become an astronaut?
- How do you design technology for space exploration?
- Could I do something like that one day?
For students who may not have role models in high-tech or emerging industries, these moments of connection can be transformative. They don’t just learn about careers—they begin to see themselves in them.
Career Connect: Bringing the Future into the Classroom
When you’re missing individuals in classrooms due to vacancies, your principals have to be very creative on how we ensure our kids are safe and continue to receive a high-quality education.
Discovery Education’s Career Connect feature in Discovery Education Experience is designed to do exactly that. By linking K–12 classrooms with innovative industry leaders, Career Connect helps educators build students’ career readiness while sparking engagement and curiosity.
Thousands of professionals have already shared their stories with classrooms across the country. And this October, students will have the chance to hear from one of the most inspiring voices in space exploration for a special spotlight virtual experience.
Career Connect Spotlight: Bob Behnken
On October 7 at 1:00 PM ET, students in grades 6–12 can tune in live to hear from Bob Behnken, Vice President for Exploration, Products, and Technology Strategy at Lockheed Martin Space Systems—and a retired NASA astronaut.
Bob will share what it’s like to do a spacewalk, fly a shuttle mission to the International Space Station, and train for space exploration right here on Earth. He’ll also talk about the skills needed to work in space—and answer student questions submitted in advance.
Register Now to submit questions and join the event.
Additionally, check out IF/THEN® STEM video profiles and student choice boards to spark curiosity, then explore a wide network of STEM volunteers ready to virtually visit your classroom with Career Connect. With support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, you’ll help students see themselves in STEM and build bold futures.
More Ways to Explore Careers in STEM
Discovery Education and the STEM Careers Coalition offer even more tools to help students explore future-ready careers:
Career Finder Interactive
Wondering where to begin the journey toward a STEM career? The Career Finder interactive helps students discover in-demand careers that align with their interests. By answering a few simple questions, students can explore personalized career paths and learn what skills and education they’ll need to succeed.
Try Career Finder and start exploring today
Forging Innovation: A Mission Possible Virtual Field Trip
On October 9, 2025, unlock access starting at 7:00 AM ET to a brand-new virtual field trip:
Forging Innovation: A Mission Possible Virtual Field Trip
(Grades 6–12 | 22 minutes)
Take your students on a virtual journey into the world of steel—how it’s made, shaped, and used to build the future. This immersive experience introduces students to the science, engineering, and innovation behind one of the world’s most essential materials.
Can’t join on the premiere date? No worries—watch at a time that’s most convenient for your class.
Resources for Educators
Career Connect and the STEM Careers Coalition provide curated classroom resources—videos, ready-to-use activities, lessons, and interactive tools—to support career exploration and workforce readiness. These materials help educators integrate career learning into everyday instruction, making it accessible and engaging for all students.
This Workforce Development Month let’s celebrate the educators who are opening doors for students—connecting them with careers they may never have known existed and helping them build the skills to thrive in a changing world. Programs like Career Connect and tools like Career Finder make it easier than ever to bring the future into the classroom—and to show students that their future is full of possibility.
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]]>The post Why This Fall’s Virtual Field Trips Are a Must for Every Classroom appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>As educators, we’re always looking for ways to bring learning to life—especially in ways that are meaningful, accessible, and aligned to standards. This fall, Discovery Education is offering a one-of-a-kind lineup of Virtual Field Trips that do just that. These experiences don’t just take students to places they might never visit—they also introduce them to real-world careers happening right in their own backyards.
A Seaon of Discovery: Whats New
Starting September 17, five brand-new Virtual Field Trips will premiere, each accompanied by educator guides packed with hands-on activities. These experiences are designed to spark curiosity, deepen engagement, and connect classroom learning to real-world applications. All Virtual Field Trips are available on-demand via Discovery Education Experience, making it easy to integrate them into your fall curriculum.
Why It Matters
- Standards-Aligned: Each trip is built to support curriculum goals across grade bands.
- Career-Relevant: Students meet professionals in STEM, manufacturing, conservation, and more.
- Locally Filmed, Globally Inspiring: These trips highlight industries and ecosystems across the U.S., helping students see the relevance of learning in their own communities.
Fall 2025 Lineup: Where Learning Meets the Real World
Here’s a look at this season’s VFTs and where they were filmed:
Meet a Solar Telescope: A Virtual Field Trip to the U.S. National Science Foundation Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope
Premieres September 17
Grades: K–5
Grades: K–5
Filmed at the USNSF Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawai‘i, this trip explores how scientists study the sun and introduces young learners to astronomy and engineering.
The Superpower of Story: A Virtual Field Trip To Warner Bros. Studios!
Available NOW On-Demand
Grades: 6-12
Grades: 6-12
Transport students on this exclusive Virtual Field Trip to DC headquarters at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA! They’ll step into the world of DC Super Heroes, uncovering the secrets of how stories evolve from bold ideas to iconic comics to jaw-dropping blockbuster films.
Empowering Educators
Each VFT comes with enablement resources to help you integrate these experiences into your lesson plans. Whether you’re teaching science, social studies, or career readiness, these trips offer flexible, engaging content that meets students where they are—and takes them where they’ve never been.
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]]>The post Strengthening Student Literacy Skills appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, student, or community member, you’ve probably heard lots of conversation surrounding reading over the last school year. Particularly discussions about literacy instruction and student reading proficiency, both critical to the success of students’ academic careers. One teacher, Judith Philias, shared her insights with the Discovery Education team about why she loves teaching English Language Arts, how DE has helped her literacy instruction, and some advice for teachers who are looking to help their students grow as readers and writers—all while keeping learning fun!
I have been teaching in Miami, Florida for 16 years and I currently teach third grade. I became a teacher because I get to make a lasting impression and challenge my students. The title “teacher” brings many roles, including (but not limited to) counseling, developing differentiated instruction that can meet the needs of various learners, being a role model, and even advocating for what’s best for your students. I love teaching English Language Arts (ELA) because reading is an essential skill to life, and having great foundational reading skills can help set up students for successful futures. In third grade, ELA is an extremely critical subject area for students, as the state reading test is a determining factor for promotion to fourth grade.
This year I have noticed that my students have been struggling to identify key details in a passage and with comprehension questions regarding the text. Discovery Education has supported my literacy instruction by helping me reach my students in a variety of methods. DE offers instructional videos for teachers that model how to implement new strategies, interesting reading passages to help students practice their reading skills, and other engaging resources for student use.
My students love Discovery Education! When I incorporated DE resources within the lesson, it made my students’ day because it was something fun and different. For them, it was beyond a textbook, because the information was presented in a way that kept it from feeling boring or repetitive.
An SOS Strategy (DE’s popular instructional strategies developed by teachers) that I use that always receives great feedback is Three Truths, One Lie. After reading a story, I organize the students in small groups to create their responses: three true details and one false detail. As the students work together, it is actually easier for them to identify details from the story than to write the lie! When they are finished, each group presents their sentences, and the other groups have to determine which sentence is a lie. It makes a fun lesson using a skill my students usually struggle with, and it serves as a quick assessment for me to see how my class is progressing in identifying key details in a text.
"One SOS Strategy that I would recommend to teachers is XO Let’s Go for students. It is the classic tic-tac-toe game but with an academic twist! Playing games helps keep my students excited and engaged in learning."
Judith Philias
My advice to other teachers who are using Discovery Education is to familiarize yourself with the platform, because it will help you explore everything it has to offer. The site has so much information, and for some individuals it can become overwhelming. Familiarizing yourself with the homepage and search feature is a great way to start! After you learn to navigate the website (as best as you can), choose one SOS Strategy, watch the instructional video, read the teacher’s guide, and lastly, apply the strategy in your classroom. Another great feature is that some strategies include their own graphic organizer!
Judith Philias
Judith Philias is an Elementary ELA Teacher located in Miami, Florida. She has been teaching for 16 years, and is a member of the Discovery Educator Network as a DEN STAR. Judith currently serves as her school's Third Grade department chair, one of the Future Educators of America (FEA) club sponsor, and Dance Team club sponsor. She is passionate about differentiated instruction and challenging her students in new ways!
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]]>The post Sparking Student Interest in Space appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Thanks to numerous events occurring this school year, it’s an exciting time for those of us that teach about space and space travel! From solar eclipses to developments in NASA’s Artemis programs, this school year offers unique opportunities to spark students’ interest in our galaxy.
Discovery Education has a wealth of resources to support educators teaching students about these events, as well as ways to add context to student learning by connecting scientific principles to space content.
Starting Your Space Exploration
Start your space lessons with the Explore Space: NASA’s Missions of Exploration Channel, where you can find fantastic resources on popular space topics. There are great introduction videos on the James Webb Telescope, the largest, most powerful, and most technologically challenging space telescope. Understanding how this technology is used can help students consider how galaxies are studied, and then they can view images captured by this amazing telescope! This channel also includes news on the Ingenuity helicopter, which is miraculously still going strong after recently completing its 59th flight in September 2023.
For younger students, you can introduce the excitement of space with fun animated segments such as Planet Cosmo and Earth to Luna! There are many ways to make your space lessons fun, exciting, and best of all, relevant! If you aren’t sure where to infuse space content into your science lessons, finding space-related events that are coming up and using these events to build context for your students can help the introduction feel meaningful.
The upcoming Artemis missions will create a ton of excitement as the four-astronaut crew was recently named and we are moving closer to the November 2024 launch date! Discovery Education has some terrific resources to share in the Moon Channel on the historic missions to the moon, such as The Apollo Project, as well as information about the moon phases from the DEmystified series, and an overview of the partnership with NASA and SpaceX in The Future of Space Travel.
The upcoming solar eclipses are other exciting space events you can connect into your lessons! An annular solar eclipse occurred on October 14, 2023, and a total solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024. The Solar Eclipses Channel has great resources, videos, and activities for students in grades K-12 that both describe the natural phenomenon of an eclipse.
Eclipses are unique solar events, and after the April 8 total solar eclipse, the next eclipse won’t occur over the United States until 2044! Discovery Education Experience has new resources to help students explore the wonders of this upcoming eclipse such as a video on How to Safely Watch a Total Solar Eclipse, activity to create a Pinhole Projector, and a video giving students a tour of NASA’s 2024 Solar Eclipse Map. NASA is also sharing a livestream so students can watch as the total solar eclipse moves across Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Additional Solar Eclipse Resources
Solar Eclipse Video Playlist
Videos in both English and Spanish explaining the phenomena of the "disappearing sun" and offering context about the total solar eclipse.
NASA's 2023 and 2024 Eclipse Map
Based on observations from several NASA missions, this map details the path of the Moon’s shadow as it crosses the U.S. during the annular solar eclipse in 2023 and total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Creating Relevant, Fun Learning Opportunities
Adding a short, creative project-based learning element to your lessons around these current events can bring some additional engagement and excitement, even for students who may not think they’re passionate about space topics. For example, you can incorporate TimePod Adventures to allow students to “visit” another planet’s surface or launch and fly a rocket in HOME: Impossible Field Trip, which can bring the space concepts of a lesson to life. The AR Adventure Kit offers fun ideas that pair with the state-of-the-art, life-size augmented reality featured in TimePod Adventures.
Gamification and animation can make any topic fun and offer students a chance to use new technology tools! By using a free tool like Animate with Audio in Adobe Express, students can research a mission, planet, moon, or other phenomena and then create their own cartoon guessing game just using audio. This is always fun because the games can be played outside of the classroom with friends, family, and future students for years to come!
Resources like these are only the start, as there are so many amazing videos, articles, interactives, and more to discover. Even virtual field trips like the Journey to the Extreme: Virtual Field Trip to Mars, which includes an interview with NASA astronauts and program executives about the Curiosity mission and the ultimate goal, a journey to Mars! Start with one space lesson around a current event and create interested students who want to blast off to further exploration!
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]]>The post Encouraging Career Exploration in the Classroom appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>What kind of skills are needed for your career? Does your position require strong communication skills, knowledge of software, efficient teamwork, or an understanding of machinery? While these skills are strengthened over time, the journey starts with exploring career options and considering which path is most interesting!
Here to share how she introduces career skills in her classroom and encourages her students to explore various careers is Delaware business educator, Heidi Corbin!
The Importance of Career and Technical Education
Career & Technical Education is important for K-12 students because these classes help to connect core content classes such as English and math to real life lessons and situations. As students progress through different courses, it may be difficult for them to connect how these courses will prepare them for careers or even which career will be best for them. The moment to make a career choice is far off for middle school students, but that means starting to consider career options early just gives them a head start!
CTE programs give students a chance to explore careers that they might be interested in after graduation. The exploration lessons and curriculum give them insight into careers they may already be familiar with as well as careers they may not have been aware of. As a middle school teacher, I help to prepare students to possibly earn an official credential in a career field of interest through high school coursework.
Career Paths and Skills
I like to focus primarily on the talents and strengths of the individual student and how it can help them have a better understanding and comfort level when navigating various core classes. My students first take a learning styles quiz and a personality quiz. I reiterate that their answers should be true to their own likes and dislikes, not their friends or family or even teachers’ opinions. Their honest answers are then analyzed, and they get specific input on what career paths and/or industries may be a good fit for them. I’ve used a variety of personality and learning styles quizzes with my students, and the Myers–Briggs personality assessment is one of my favorites!
There are many “lightbulb moments” when students get an analysis of possible careers based on their honest input about their own likes and dislikes! More often than not, they are surprised since they are at an age where they have a more challenging time seeing themselves for who they are instead of trying to fit in.
One personality quiz created by Major Clarity gives insight into the student by offering percentages of how much the following categories relate to the student’s personality – Conventional, Social, Realistic, Investigative, Enterprising, Artistic. I remember one student being upset about having a high percentage for being “conventional.” However, after reading the category description, the student actually agreed with it!
The quiz also shared that conventional people (titled “Organizers”) like to work with data, have clerical or numerical ability, carry out tasks in detail, or follow through on others’ instructions. They often prefer precise, rule-regulated, orderly, and unambiguous activities and their traits often include conforming, efficient, practical, unimaginative, and inflexible. The quiz recommended a possible career path in legal services, education, and healthcare. This student was set on a career in nursing, but the quiz helped them come to an understanding of how legal services and education might be a match too. Learning a career in education could be a good fit was the biggest surprise for this student because as the student said to me, “I would never want your job!” This helped open a conversation about the other ways to be a part of the world of education, which led to another epiphany—that working in education doesn’t just mean teaching!
I educate students about career paths that will require various levels of education which can range from apprenticeship, certifications, two-year degrees, four-year degrees and so on. A four-year college degree is not the only way to reach success, and shining a light on careers that have different requirements can help students plan for a next step that is right for them. However, students don’t always know what type of formal training or schooling is required for careers they find interesting, so I offer information on careers spanning all types of training programs.
Career skills are infused into my lessons and curriculum via real-life simulations and questions of the day. Both give me insight into their level of understanding and how to further direct the learning and exploration. Offering students the chance to look “behind the scenes” on real-life careers can help them explore the limitless career possibilities that exist for them! From the new heights in aerospace innovation to the work being done to protect our waterways, there are many Discovery Education resources that help highlight career paths and skills!
Advice to Other Educators
For teachers just getting started, I would recommend the Career Profile videos, Interactives, Virtual Field Trips, and the investigative videos such as Calculating Different Types of Pay. There are also many Channels that focus on a wide variety of topics that may interest students and spark interest in a possible future career, like animals, music, and video games!
My advice to teachers planning career exploration lessons is to make it as authentic as possible. Utilizing virtual career field trips, videos from experts or even providing real-life simulations to connect school to the real world. Students can feel that the “real world” is so far away that it isn’t worth thinking about, but bringing the real world into the classroom can help make learning relevant and inspire student engagement!
I’ve found that financial literacy lessons that include real-life simulations give students insight into what comes with working, and don’t just focus on making an income or fun ways to spend the money they earn. Earning and budgeting money is a big part of being a successful adult with a career! One of my favorite lessons is a gift budgeting activity where students are given $300 to spend on five people. Students are required to find a total of five gifts (one gift per person) that fit into their budget—and no cash or gift cards are allowed to be gifted! These real-world scenarios also help students better understand why adults say “no” to buying items children may want in the moment and help them set their sights on the future!
Middle school students have many milestones to meet before they enter the workforce, but it all starts with exploring different careers! Finding ways to nurture your students’ interests and help them learn about skills needed to excel in their career of choice can set them up for success—and start their journey early!
Heidi Corbin
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]]>The post Introducing an Immersive Learning Experience from CHS and Discovery Education appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>The CHS Foundation and Discovery Education have expanded their educational partnership by launching HARVEST: From Seed to Success, a gamified learning experience designed to engage students in agriculture and cooperative business. As part of the ongoing Cooperative Minds program, this new digital resource provides students with a hands-on, interactive experience that deepens their understanding of essential industry roles and the cooperative business model.
Building on the success of “The Power of Cooperatives” Virtual Field Trip and its in-depth Career Profiles, the program now brings the learning experience into a virtual, browser-based environment. Students step into the role of a co-op farmer-owner, navigating the complexities of growing crops, working with ag professionals, and managing key decisions—all while gaining insight into how cooperative businesses function.
Preparing Students for Industry Challenges
In today’s rapidly evolving economy, the need for students to develop practical, industry-relevant skills is more pressing than ever. As students test soil, choose crops, and time their harvests, they are not only learning the fundamentals of agriculture but also practicing decision-making, problem-solving, and teamwork in a real-world context.
Programs like Cooperative Minds are instrumental in providing students with a sense of what it takes to succeed in industries like agriculture and beyond. By simulating the roles of professionals such as agronomists and co-op leaders, HARVEST opens students’ eyes to career paths that they may not have previously considered. The gamified approach to learning enables students to experiment with their choices and see the outcomes of their decisions in real time—lessons that can be transferred to various other ‘fields’.
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]]>The post Creating a “Cool” Career Studying Polar Bears appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>The path to a “cool” career may be covered in snow or dusted with sand, but it certainly takes hard work! Finding ways for students to explore different career paths can help them determine their next step after K-12 education—and can help them figure out if they’ll need a scarf or a swimsuit to pack for their workday.
Here to share about her journey to a cool job (so cool it’s cold) is Alysa McCall, who works with Polar Bears International. She gave the DE team a behind-the-scenes look into her career path and offers advice to students considering ways they can turn their interest in animals into a career.
Meet Alysa McCall
Director of Conservation Outreach and Staff Scientist
Alysa lives in Whitehorse, Yukon. She has a Bachelor's of Science (Hon.) in Animal Biology from Thompson Rivers University and a Masters of Science in Ecology from the University of Alberta where her thesis focused on the polar bears of western Hudson Bay. She gained hands-on experience with polar bears from multiple fall and spring field seasons in Tuktoyaktuk and Churchill and has been heavily involved in tracking Hudson Bay polar bears, as well as coexistence efforts. She also spearheads Polar Bears International's Tundra Connections webcast program. Prior to joining Polar Bears International's staff, Alysa volunteered for several years in multiple capacities, including being a panelist on the Tundra Connections program and assisting with the Polar Bear Tracker. She is passionate about science education and polar bear conservation and is dedicated to ensuring that future generations inherit a healthy planet.
The Journey to Polar Bears International
I am the Director of Conservation Outreach and Staff Scientist for Polar Bears International. Most of my current work is around polar bear conservation, with a focus on how to coexist safely with them as they spend more time on land. Working with the Arctic and polar bears is very interesting—did you know that the Arctic Sea’s ice acts as the world’s air conditioner? It helps regulate and cool climates around the world. I always feel lucky to work with such an important part of our planet!
From a very young age, I have loved animals and was fascinated by them. Growing up we had all sorts of wildlife around, and black bears were often in my yard during the summer. I knew I wanted to work with animals, but I had many different ideas for careers when I was young. I wanted to be a pony trainer and Dairy Queen cake decorator, which evolved over time to wanting to be a biologist (though I did also briefly decorate cakes for a while). I found out that being a biologist was a great way to turn my fascination with animals into a job!
I am still amazed every time I go into the field to see polar bears. I also love watching people's reaction when they see their first polar bear—it's so fun, every time!
Alysa McCall
Director of Conservation Outreach and Staff Scientist for Polar Bears International
I studied biology and ecology at my university, held a bunch of different jobs, and then decided to attend graduate school. When I was looking for a graduate school, my mentor/supervisor Karl encouraged me to apply to the polar bear lab in Edmonton. It was not on my radar before that suggestion, because I was more focused on small mammals. But I’m so glad it worked out!
During graduate school, I eventually volunteered with Polar Bears International. After I completed my thesis, PBI hired me as the first Canadian on staff!
Advice for Aspiring Scientists
If you have set your sights on a future career in science, my best advice is to get as much hands-on experience as possible.It doesn’t need to be directly related! I worked in animal care, tracked toads and mice, did insect surveys, and learned about plants along my journey to Polar Bears International. The more knowledge and experience you have, the more skills you can bring to a team, and the more confident you’ll be when you’re ready for that next big step in your career.
Additionally, a lot of work opportunities and projects are shared from people you’ve worked with in the past, so being easy and helpful to work with can go a long way. It’s important to make good impressions (like chipping in by doing dishes when you’re living with colleagues in the field) to ensure you get invited back!
The work of a scientist may not be as glamorous as a movie star, but for me it’s the most fulfilling because I get to do what I love and for the greater good!
Each day, students explore scientific concepts, historical facts, and mathematic equations—but how often do they look ahead to consider how these skills fit into their futures? Highlighting different careers in the classroom can help students connect the dots between what they think is “cool” and what could become a “cool career.” Discovery Education’s Virtual Field Trips, videos, and learning resources help make career exploration easy to implement into your existing lessons!
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]]>From permission slips to headcounts, going on a field trip requires lots of planning, preparation, and time. Discovery Education’s Virtual Field Trips offer a way to bring an out-of-classroom learning experience to your students—all while saving prep and travel time! But how can a Virtual Field Trip fit into your routine? Here to share her ideas for using these Virtual Field Trips and Live Broadcasts in your lessons is DEN STAR and Media Coordinator Renee Cunningham!
Renee Cunningham
Renee Cunningham is in her 18th year in education, with 11 of those as a School Library Media Coordinator. With experience at both the elementary and middle school levels, she believes in having a lively media program that incorporates technology, STEM activities, and helps promote a lifelong love of reading. Renee is a DEN STAR, has presented at ISTE, NCTIES, and NCSLMA, and has facilitated professional development sessions for media coordinators and teachers throughout her district. ATeacher of the Year, Renee also works to be a resource and collaborator for the teachers in her building. The only thing you won’t find in our Media Center is a “quiet” sign because learning makes noise!
Over the years I have been fortunate to participate in numerous Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips. I never cease to be amazed by students’ “ah-ha” moments of connecting what they have seen in a book, on a worksheet, or in an online photo to a live video feed. From the Madden Football video game they’ve played to the stuffed polar bear they’ve read picture books about, Discovery Education’s Virtual Field Trips afford students a way to travel beyond their classroom without ever leaving their desks!
The Impact of Virtual Field Trips
I am always eager for a Virtual Field Trip reveal—and my mind immediately begins spinning on what connections I can make to the classroom content to share the experience with as many students as possible! Virtual Field Trips connect the content students are learning in a book or classroom lesson to the real world.
For instance, our first graders study animal habitats. While they have all seen a picture of a polar bear or have a stuffed bear at home, when they watch the Tundra Connections Virtual Field Trip, it helps them connect their ideas of a polar bear to actual life in the arctic!
I’m very excited for the latest Arctic Adventures Virtual Field Trip because it’s very unlikely students will ever travel to see a polar bear in their real habitat! Seeing a polar bear at the zoo in summer weather while you eat a sno-cone is one thing, but seeing the vastness of the snow-covered tundra, the real paw prints, and the way the camera bounces as the buggy rolls along offers a unique perspective. It can only be captured from that on-the-ground experience shared in the Virtual Field Trips!
Another aspect of Virtual Field Trips that I love is how they highlight unique career opportunities. The scientists and speakers in these events show that there are many career paths available to follow your passions. You love all-wheel drive and four wheelers? Maybe you could become the driver of Buggy 1 across the tundra!
Advice for Participating in a Live Broadcast
The opportunity to join a live broadcast really is unique. While there can certainly be logistical challenges like scheduling and tight instructional calendars, telling students that kids across the country are watching the same video at the same time can show that we’re all learning together! The hosts do a wonderful job of creating a personal experience by calling out schools and mentioning the question-askers by name. And as a bonus, it is an incentive for students to listen closely to not miss our school being called out!
The magic in the live broadcast is the ability to become actively involved—it makes the experience more than just watching a video. My strategy for getting my students noticed is posting lots of tweets with questions, comments, and reactions. The eruption of students hearing our school’s name called out as they watch is thrilling!
Before the last Virtual Field Trip, I tweeted a message about our school tuning in. Imagine the students’ surprise when the broadcast started and they heard, “Mrs. Cunningham at New Town Elementary is tuning in with 1st grade!”
-Renee Cunningham
-Renee Cunningham
Over the years I have used the live broadcast in various ways to match our scheduling needs. Depending on the topic, we may have a grade level “viewing party” where all the classes come into the Media Center to watch together. This certainly takes some planning and agreement among the team of teachers, but when the topic is relevant to units in their curriculum, it makes the planning worth it!
I have also hosted a “working lunch” for interested students when the schedules are too tight or the topic is interesting across grades. I invite students to sign up and come to the Media Center during their lunch time to watch and eat at the same time—multitasking at its best!
This year, skip the permission slips and bring an out-of-classroom learning opportunity to your students with a Virtual Field Trip! Participate in a live broadcast, inspire collaboration, and show your students extraordinary things that they may never experience otherwise!
The post Sightseeing from the Comfort of Your Classroom appeared first on Discovery Education.
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]]>Trying something new in your classroom can feel invigorating, but also opens many questions: How does this compare to what I’ve been doing before? Will it make things easier or more complicated? How will it impact my students?
For Stacie Trebes, middle school teacher at Sahuarita School District, trying something new meant stepping out of her comfort zone and going digital. What she discovered was a new level of engagement with students and a refreshing take on teaching science. Read on to hear Stacie’s story of introducing Discovery Education Science Techbook to her middle school science classroom.
Meet Stacie Trebes
Stacie Trebes, an esteemed educator in the Sahuarita Unified School District, brings over a decade of teaching experience to her current role. Her journey in education began as a substitute teacher, which laid the foundation for her teaching career. Stacie spent her first four years teaching second grade and later made the transition to middle school, where she began teaching science. It has been six years now in middle school, and she is thoroughly enjoying her time teaching science. Stacie finds fulfillment in working with middle school students, emphasizing the value of hands-on lab experiences that bring life to their learning.
Besides having a blast in the classroom, Stacie Trebes enjoys spending time quality time with her family, which includes her husband and three children. She also enjoys reading, crafting, gardening, and writing children’s picture books
Stacie's Inspiration
I was inspired to become a teacher after my sister became a teacher! Seeing my sister’s work and how she connected with her students led me to join education. I’ve worked as a substitute and as a full-time classroom teacher. What inspired me to teach science was getting to explore all different aspects of science throughout the year. It’s so fun—you can teach a little bit of what you like, but then easily add things that you may not know as well. It ends up being super engaging because not only do the kids learn about a wide variety of topics and learn to love science, but the teacher also ends up loving the subject!
Teaching Science Before Science Techbook
Before Discovery Education, we had outdated textbooks that we used occasionally, but I would have to dig through websites to find supplemental materials to use in my lessons. I would hunt through a ton of sources and find things to go along with the old textbooks or create lessons entirely from scratch. With Discovery Education, everything is all in one place—right at your fingertips! I don’t have to search for lessons, texts, videos, and resources, so it’s a huge timesaver. It’s also great that the content is at the kids’ fingertips!
Introducing Digital Resources
When I heard about the research study occurring in my district, I wanted to test how effective I was at delivering digital resources. I also wanted to see how well the kids received the information from online sources and determine the actual impact of Science Techbook on my lesson planning and teaching.
Before seeing the resources, I thought that Science Techbook was going to look like a traditional textbook or workbook on a screen. I thought the students would read passages and then answer multiple-choice questions—I didn’t realize that the lessons would include videos and hands-on learning or expect such a high level of student engagement! The best surprise was that these resources can also be accessed at home. If the students’ families are curious about what they are learning, the students can show them the exact lesson we worked on, which has helped parents and families connect to our school and feel more involved in the learning process.
Discovery Education's Impact
When we were first introduced to Discovery Education, the DE team held Professional Learning sessions that explored the product from both the teacher and student perspectives. The support didn’t stop there! After those initial live sessions, they gave us ways to keep in touch, like through the help button in the platform, and they continued to check in to help us be successful in the classroom. As time passed, they added even more lessons and resources, so the DE team had another refresher course to help break down the new improvements.
We used Science Techbook in our lessons on a weekly basis and found that the ease of using the platform was a great perk because the students quickly grasped how to find their lessons. I also realized that Discovery Education helps steer lesson planning in the right direction. It has state standards and clear learning objectives, and there are pieces to help teachers check for understanding, like assessments or exit tickets. It truly has all of the components of a good lesson!
“I knew Discovery Education’s digital resources would help strengthen students’ technology skills, but the lessons also require them to use critical thinking, data analysis, and other cross-curricular skills. I’ve seen a lot of science and social studies lessons where the students use their Language Arts skills, because students are reading and writing about history and science topics!”
- Stacie Trebes, Sahuarita Unified School District Teacher
- Stacie Trebes, Sahuarita Unified School District Teacher
All the resources have rigorous activities to strengthen academic skills, and they also require active participation. I’ve found that the students are really engaged from start to finish—they’re reading, they’re watching videos, and they’re interested in the curriculum. The lessons are fast paced and the students enjoy them, so the hour goes by quickly!
One surprising result of using Discovery Education was that the increased student engagement led to fewer behavior issues. Even though they have their own devices, they’re not roaming around on different websites. They’re engaged in the activities and involved in the lessons.
Lightbulb Moments
Discovery Education helped me create a heartwarming, memorable moment for my class—we had just learned about how cancer cells develop and how researchers work to fight cancer. After the video, one student raised her hand and said, “My grandma and mom both had cancer, and they both survived. This is the type of technology that worked for them!” She went on to share that this video and her personal experience had inspired her. I’m hoping that she’ll carry that inspiration into a potential career path in medicine!
These videos and lessons can connect to students’ lives and experiences. As a science teacher, the content of your lesson very rarely connects back to the family. Many families are glad their students are enjoying science class, but Discovery Education brings a new level of personal connection to their content.
Advice to Other Educators
When you’re trying any new digital resource, take time to explore it! Exploring Discovery Education to see all of its components helped me find a wide variety of resources to use in my lessons! You’ll click on one page and there’ll be another interesting page or video—it’s almost never ending. There’s so much material that taking your time to explore the videos, assessments, and support options is the best way to become comfortable before implementing the new resources. Also, take advantage of the DE team—make sure you reach out! If you have questions, they’ll get back to you, and if they don’t know the answers, they’ll find them for you.
It’s easy to feel the weight of all the different tasks we balance as teachers, but reaching out to other teachers for advice and tips can help. When we first started using Science Techbook, there was another teacher who I noticed did more with the resources, so I asked her for help! She showed me the assessments she was using, explained how to use the different videos in my lessons, and helped me find ways to create video questions for my kids. After that conversation, I was able to go back and try something new, knowing I had someone in my corner to help when I needed it!
Whether it’s a new strategy, a new resource, or an entirely new digital curriculum, trying something new could help streamline your lesson planning and re-energize your students! With support from other teachers or a curriculum partner like Discovery Education, implementing something new in your classroom is easier than ever.
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