The post Life Is a Puzzle—Solve It with Healthy Choices appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Observed annually from October 23–31, Red Ribbon Week honors the legacy of Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique (Kiki) Camarena and serves as a nationwide call to action for promoting wellness, safety, and prevention. It’s a time to recognize the impact of substance misuse and to encourage students to make healthy, informed choices that support their well-being and future success.
In celebration of the 2025 Red Ribbon Week theme, “Life Is a Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free,” we’re sharing proactive strategies and standards-aligned resources to help educators spark meaningful conversations and support students in building lives full of purpose, resilience, and connection.
As part of the Pharmacists Teach program, Dose of Knowledge empowers educators, pharmacists, parents, and community members to guide students in making smart decisions about medication safety and mental health. These K–12 standards-aligned resources include everything educators need to teach students about responsible choices and wellness.
Think It Through, a choose-your-own-adventure animated experience that helps students practice decision-making and explore the consequences of their choices in a safe, engaging way.
The Ask, Listen, Learn classroom activities are designed with the whole child in mind.
These middle school resources help students:
Ask, Listen, Learn helps students uncover the science behind how substances affect the brain and body, empowering them to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to risky behaviors.
Created in partnership with the DEA, Operation Prevention offers tools for educators, families, and communities to support prevention efforts. These resources are aligned to national health and science standards and integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction.
Through hands-on investigations, students explore the science behind substance misuse and its impact on the brain and body. English and Spanish resources, self-paced modules, and culturally responsive content help kickstart life-saving conversations.
The latest Virtual Field Trip, An Ounce of Prevention, empowers high school students to make informed decisions and become advocates for prevention in their communities. Students meet real people working to combat the fentanyl crisis and raise awareness about counterfeit drugs.
Join us Oct 29 during Red Ribbon Week for Careers at Sea and Shore: A Virtual Field Trip to Maritime Manufacturing Centers — designed for Grades 6–12. This experience takes students behind the scenes to see how submarines are built and introduces them to the engineers, welders, and technicians who make it happen.
More than just a look at cool technology, this field trip highlights how living a healthy lifestyle can open doors to meaningful careers in industries like maritime manufacturing and national security.
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: Powerful Resources for Recognizing Red Ribbon Week appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Find the right resources to spread awareness and empower all students for Red Ribbon Week!
Observed annually every October 23-31 to honor the memory of Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique (Kiki) Camarena, Red Ribbon Week is a time to reinforce alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention, recognize the harmful effects of substance abuse, and promote the importance of making healthy and safe decisions.
In honor of the 2024 Red Ribbon Week theme of “Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free,” we’re sharing proactive strategies and standards-aligned resources to help educators facilitate meaningful class discussions while supporting the health and well-being of all students.
Get a “Dose of Knowledge” with CVS Health! An extension of the Pharmacists Teach program, Dose of Knowledge strives to empower educators, pharmacists, parents, and other members of the community to support education related to substance misuse and guide students to make good decisions for the health and well-being of themselves and their community. These standards-aligned K-12 classroom resources give educators everything they need to teach students of all ages about medication safety and mental health! With new resources like the choose-your-own-adventure, Think it Through, educators and students can engage in an interactive animated adventure empowering healthy choices and decision-making skills.
Designed with the whole child in mind, cannabis classroom activities from Ask, Listen, Learn focus on how kids interact with society and how society influences their behavior. Through these informative and engaging drug prevention activities for middle school, students will:
Ask, Listen, Learn is built to help students uncover the science behind how alcohol and cannabis affect developing brains, bodies, and behavior. With these prevention resources, both educators and families can equip students with vital prevention skills and dive deep into the science, data, and facts, helping kids decide to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to all risky behaviors.
Created in partnership with the DEA, Operation Prevention provides tools to support every member of the community with the power of prevention. These resources are aligned to national health and science standards and integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction. Through a series of hands-on investigations, students will explore the science behind substance misuse, and the resulting impacts on our brain and body. Kickstart life-saving conversations this Red Ribbon Week with English & Spanish language resources, self-paced modules, culture-based content, and much more!
The latest Virtual Field Trip from Operation Prevention, An Ounce of Prevention, is here to empower students in grades 9- 12 with knowledge they can use to make healthy decisions, become advocates for prevention in their communities and fight back against the fentanyl crisis. Students will meet people working on the ground in communities nationwide to amplify awareness and decrease the demand for fentanyl and counterfeit drugs.
This year, honor Red Ribbon Week by sharing ideas for making healthy choices, information to raise awareness of real-life situations, and ways to make responsible choices in and out of school!
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]]>The post College Savings Month: FinLit Resources for All Grades appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>September is College Savings Month! Discovery Education’s collection of engaging content gives younger students the stepping stones to learning financial responsibility, while inspiring older students to think critically about their college plans and financial goals.
A major part of saving for college is thinking about the number of years a career path will need. Since some fields will require higher degrees than others, it’s important for students to narrow their focus to give their financial goals some clarity. Encourage students to explore different careers, then determine how they’ll need to prepare for these careers with higher education. Career profiles from the STEM Careers Coalition and Discover Data can help students envision themselves in different careers and guide their career goals.
Once students determine a direction for their future, it’s time to focus on financials! Introduce students to technical programs, community colleges, public universities, and private universities to compare prices and programs. Encourage students to research different tuition rates, room and board costs, and estimate costs for books and materials.
Make family discussions about college planning easy with discussion guides from TGR EDU: Explore, a program with TGR Foundation, A Tiger Woods Charity. These resources will help older students (grades 6-12) understand the various types of financial aid, navigate the application process, and prioritize responsibilities for college admissions.
Identifying and meeting financial goals can also lead to conversations on budgeting and personal financial choices. Lead students in grades K-2 through the Needs and Wants activity to help them determine what purchases should fit into a budget. The Premium Products hands-on activity in the Discover Data Channel helps students in grades 6-8 learn why some items cost more than others. Lastly. students can understand the financial effects of their choices with conversations around budgeting and behavioral economics lessons from Econ Essentials.
Explore how to make personal finances culturally relevant and interesting in the professional learning series from Pathway to Financial Success in Schools, developed with Discover Financial Services. Through these real-world educator stories, teachers see firsthand the benefits financial education can have on students. Plus, find more resources that offer additional step-by-step navigation to guide students in grades 6-12 on their financial and personal missions.
Find fun in financial literacy with Discover Venture Valley, a program with the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. Discover Venture Valley empowers students in grades 6-12 to build financial and business basics through gamified learning as they take on the role of a budding entrepreneur in the new Venture Valley video game.
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: Earth Day appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Celebrate Earth Day with Discovery Education’s collection of Earth Day activities and encourage your students to explore the wonders of our planet!
Our planet is beautiful—from land to sea! Wondering about the importance of water to our world, what issues our planet is facing, or how we can help? DE has pulled together engaging lessons, videos, and activities to show students the wonders of our planet.
Start the journey for students in grades PK-5 with DE’s Earth to Luna: So Much Water, Fishtronaut: The Case of the Underwater Desert, and Fishtronaut: A Case of the Missing River videos to learn where our water comes from and how to protect the creatures that live in it. Next, let students in grades 3-5 dive into the different climates and weather conditions around the world with DEmystified: Climate.
Introduce the various resources our planet offers us and highlight the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources, and ways to protect these resources with videos from DEmystified, then take the resource research even further with Elements videos on clean water and trash!
Take the journey to the next level for students in grades 6-12 by exploring real-world environmental issues. Experience living in a California drought with When a Town Runs Dry, or explore how commercial farming impacts life in the Gamo Highlands of Africa with A Thousand Suns, to better understand various environments that exist around our planet!
Next, step into the animal kingdom with a new Endangered Species Series created in partnership with LG! In the first activity of the Endangered Species Series, students will have the opportunity to dive into the world of animal adaptations by observing snow leopards in real time! Students will be able to identify variations in characteristics within the species, which play a crucial role in providing advantages for survival, finding mates, and successful reproduction. Our planet offers many resources, animals, and plants, and Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to explore them all!
With so much to appreciate about Earth, how can we show we care for our local communities? Inspire students to think about their communities by highlighting stories of leaders making an impact in their local communities.
Sustainable Futures, a program from Discovery Education and Trane Technologies, provides resources to inspire students to learn, explore, innovate and lead us to a healthier world. With career profiles and a look inside Trane Technologies, students can see employees who are using solutions to create the systems that make a positive impact in their communities.
Explore these initatives from Discovery Education and a coalition of industry leaders dedicated to making a difference for our planet, and inspiring others to join them!
Students can practice making mindful choices by using the Sandbox AR app to clean up the beach in augmented reality! Walk around in a pre-made beach scene, find the plastic objects, and remove them to pick up the litter. This activity takes place inside the free Sandbox AR app for iOS and the Sandbox for Google Chromebook.
Find out about Fast Fashion’s Impact on the Environment with a video from Newsy, reading passages from Science News Explores, or turn your classroom into a design studio with the Plastic Fabric STEM Challenge that allows your students to create a makeshift fabric from recycled plastic.
Trees are a great resource for our planet since they provide nutrients to our soil, clean our air, and help provide a habitat for many living things. To honor Earth Day, plant seeds of knowledge about trees and what it takes to help trees flourish with Earth To Luna: Yummy Dirt and the Plant a Seed Exercise!
Next, grow students’ understanding of trees with real-world stories! For students in grades PK-2, read the story of Jadav “Molai” Payeng in The Boy Who Grew a Forest from Vooks, and completing the activity sheet about the story after reading. Students in grades PK-8 can explore stories of real students’ actions in We Are One, and students in grades 3-12 can see the impact newly planted trees are having in cities around the world with a new article from Newsy!
Earth Day is on April 22 each year, but with engaging content from Discovery Education, you can elevate your students’ understanding of the Earth any time of the year!
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: Financial Literacy Month appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Preparing future-ready students means helping them build the skills needed to succeed beyond the classroom. And what better way to help students focus on life skills than to celebrate Financial Literacy Month! Discovery Education has a wealth of resources to teach all students about money management, financial responsibility, and all about the economy.
It is never too early to learn about financial literacy! Discovery Education’s Money Channel and Financial Literacy Channel are great places to find videos and instructional activities that will introduce a strong foundation of financial understanding for students in K-12.
The Money Channel invites students to dive into the role money plays in our world. Find age-appropriate topics—from identifying money to understanding investments—and activities for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. As younger students begin identifying how goods and services connect to the role of money, older students can put these concepts into practice by considering how to save, spend, and invest in the real world.
Once students understand the purpose of money, they are one step closer to learning how to manage money. The Financial Literacy Channel helps students understand how making good financial choices and using the right money management tools can make a community of wise consumers who can achieve their dreams. From discussions about earning money to analyzing how to budget wisely, the resources in the Financial Literacy Channel can help all students prepare for future financial choices.
Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids prepare kids in grades K-6 with the knowledge, tools, and practice they need to make informed decisions to reach their goals and dreams. With videos and activities on earning, saving, donating, and spending money, students can practice the decision making that comes with managing money.
As students in grades 6-12 grow closer to entering the workforce, it’s important to connect their financial education to the real world to help students visualize how they will interact with money as they move into adulthood.
Econ Essentials brings the basics of economics and financial principles to life with standards-aligned instructional materials from Futures Fundamentals. This growing collection of videos, collaborative activities, and self-guided learning modules introduces how financial decisions can be affected by economic systems in place and explores how students will interact with these systems in the future.
The Pathway to Financial Success Channel, created in partnership with Discover Financial Services and Discovery Education, provides middle and high school students with a comprehensive unit-based curriculum enhanced by videos, self-paced modules, and cross-curricular activities. Students can progress through relevant topics such as financial responsibility, identifying a career, and using credit wisely. Elementary resources and animated videos are coming at the end of April, so stay tuned for more resources to help more students prepare for their financial future. Making major financial decisions calls for major preparation – and Pathway to Financial Success is a great means of preparation!
Students can sharpen their entrepreneurial skills with videos and interactive lessons from Discover Venture Valley, as the activities and videos get students started on the path to becoming the game-changing entrepreneurs of the future. Help students imagine the possibilities of their future from both a financial and business standpoint with simple ways to start envisioning themselves as entrepreneurs.
Don’t forget! Financial Literacy Month kicks off April 1 and Discovery Education has plenty of activities, videos, and resources to help your students find their financial footing!
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with unique and engaging student activities and learning resources about Dr. King, the civil rights movement, and the impact of service to others. By exploring the following content channels, you’ll be able to find new ways of celebrating this annual holiday and promoting meaningful discussions in class.
Each of these channels feature a dynamic collection of vetted instructional materials curated by DE curriculum experts and differentiated by grade level. Choose from a wide variety of content types, including videos, Virtual Field Trips, Studio Quizzes, audio, text, and more.
Find everything you need to teach students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a pastor who led and inspired Black people to demand equal rights. Dr. King advocated for peaceful resistance to unfair laws, such as boycotting buses that forced Black Americans to ride separately and leading a march to Washington, D.C., to call for jobs and freedom for all. To this day, Dr. King inspires people around the world to work for freedom and equality.
Meet the heroes of the civil rights movement! These Americans—from college students to religious leaders to politicians—faced danger and even death to achieve equal rights for African Americans. African American people faced discrimination in school, public transportation, stores and restaurants, and even the military. Show students how, in the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans and movement allies came together to stand up for what was right and change US laws, regulations, and society forever.
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Commemorate this annual celebration that recognizes the rich heritages, cultures, histories, and accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the United States. This includes people from the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, as well as those who have origins in the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Dive into content from Discovery Education and pique your students’ interest in Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
Start your AAPI Heritage Month celebrations by learning more about the various cultures and countries that make up the continent of Asia. Check out the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Channel to find articles, audiobooks, podcasts, and activities that reveal how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders celebrate their heritage and continue to shape the United States.
Easily plan your lessons for students in grades 3-8 with DE’s ready-to-use background builder or teacher choice board to help students build context around the importance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage.
Learn about the history of different countries and people of Asia and the Pacific Islands with videos and reading passages from DE! Go back in time to over 1,400 years ago, when the South Pacific Islanders observed the migration of the pacific golden plover. See how the Polynesians followed the flock for over 400 years, and how it eventually led them to the Hawaiian Islands.
Look into the truth of historical women’s experiences with a reading passage that reveals the truth about how women in ancient China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Korea fought in wars. Discover how female skeletons show battle scars consistent with fighting injuries, revealing that women likely fought alongside men in ancient times.
Step into the shoes of different Asian and Pacific Islander cultures by learning about the different countries and their people. With videos from DE, students can see these countries with their own eyes. Introduce younger students to the country of India with this video highlighting five interesting facts about the country of India, including one about a festival where you paint an elephant from trunk to toe!
Take students in grades 6-12 to Cambodia with this video that illuminates the impacts of sand dredging on Cambodia’s identity, values, and survival. Students can hear from a Native Cambodian woman who shows how the manufactured removal of land from Cambodia’s coastline threatens to overpower their culture.
Learn more about the written and spoken languages of Asian and Pacific Islander cultures with this selection of classic fairy tales from Japan, featuring the son of a peach, a cruel stepmother and an enchanted mirror, and a warrior with a mission from the Dragon King! These tales were first translated in 1908 by Yei Theodora Ozaki, based on the Japanese version by Sadanami Sanjin.
Next, share this video that reveals the meaning behind Land of Big Numbers author Te-Ping Chen’s name. In this video, she tells students how she learned to embrace her heritage and how it shaped her identity.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month starts on May 1! Honor the history and contributions of these cultures and countries with engaging resources from Discovery Education for the month of May or throughout the entire school year.
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: National STEM Day appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Do your students ever imagine themselves as a pilot, video game designer, environmentalist, or surgeon? STEM professionals work in nearly all industries and for a variety of organizations. In their everyday lives, people with STEM backgrounds engage in investigative and diagnostic experiences to seek solutions to real-world problems and enhance technological innovations—sharing their exciting findings and successes with the world. It’s no wonder that today’s students are easily captivated by the rich variety of STEM career paths they can take.
National STEM Day is a great chance to start your STEM journey! The Siemens STEM Day Channel offers a variety of tools and resources that will help you reinvent your STEM curriculum. You’ll find over 175+ hands-on activities spanning grades K-12 and a teacher support center with educator activities!
Exploring STEM topics can be fun and offer students a brain break to practice thinking outside the box. The N*GEN video series teaches younger students about a variety of STEM topics. Learn about the wetlands, robots, food, bees, and more through these engaging videos!
To excite older students about STEM, dig into the Dig into Mining Channel! Created in partnership between Freeport-McMoRan and Discovery Education, this interactive educational program for students grades 6-12 uncovers the use of metals such as copper in our everyday life and provides students a deeper understanding of today’s hard rock mining industry with dynamic resources. A new STEM learning game, HAUL! Interactive, lets students take the wheel of a 2-story high mining truck to practice mathematics and explanation skills.
A great part of STEM learning is the potential for connections to the real world. Make your lessons relevant by helping students connect their in-class learning to out-of-class challenges and topics! Discovery Education has resources to help explore real-world topics that could have a direct impact on your community!
Virtual Field Trips can create an exciting learning experience to highlight real-world STEM professionals in action! No need to schedule a bus to pick your students up for a National STEM Day field trip on November 8—Discovery Education helps bring the field trip to your classroom!
Step into the world of Extended Reality (XR) where innovation bridges our physical and digital worlds! Join experts at Verizon Innovation Labs to discover how XR is more than gaming. XR is saving lives, revolutionizing education, and impacting industries as well as how cyber experts are ensuring responsible technology development to prepare for this new digital landscape.
With the STEM Forward Channel, students can join Katie Ledecky, 3-time Olympian, 7-time Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, proud STEM advocate and Team Panasonic athlete, for an immersive deep dive into game-changing tech that’s creating better ways forward for all people. The Winning with STEM Virtual Field Trip transports students to five Panasonic Innovation Centers around North America for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the everyday inspiration Panasonic’s team uses to power groundbreaking new ideas that improve people’s lives and make the world a better place.
The Illumina Foundation and Discovery Education partnered to create DNA Decoded to inspire middle and high school teachers to unlock the power of genomics and impact the future of their students. The Virtual Field Trip Genomics: Decoding the Language of Life transports students to the Illumina labs in San Diego, California to meet real-world experts who are harnessing the power of the genome to improve lives and support the Earth’s natural resources.
What are some ways you show students how STEM skills can lead to life-changing careers? Perhaps you can invite local STEM professionals to give a presentation on their career paths and how they achieved it or ask students to select a famous STEM professional for a report! There are many creative ways to engage students with STEM career paths, starting with the career resources in Discovery Education Experience.
Next, dive into the energy-water nexus with the Conservation Station Channel, an educational initiative from Itron and Discovery Education. This innovative, standards-aligned program encourages middle school students to explore the relationship between water and energy through the lens of conservation, with career profiles and STEM sit downs to highlight people who are making cities smarter and moving us toward a more energy-efficient future.
Inspiring all students to explore STEM careers is important, but a recent survey by Girls Who Code and Logitech shows that early influences have a big impact on women entering STEM careers. 60% of women surveyed said a parent or a teacher encouraged them to study computer science, demonstrating the pivotal role particular adults play in supporting women at a young age. Discovery Education has great resources to help girls see (and learn from) real women working in STEM careers!
The IF/THEN Initiative is committed to showing young girls exactly what a scientist looks like. The IF/THEN Channel seeks to further advance women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by empowering current innovators and inspiring the next generation of pioneers.
Girls4Tech helps bridge the gap between opportunity, awareness, and readiness by providing schools and community organizations with free resources to educate, inspire, and equip young girls with the skills and confidence they need to envision themselves as future professionals in STEM fields. Find classroom activities, careers profiles, digital lesson bundles, and more in the Girls4Tech Channel!
Don’t miss National STEM Day on November 8! Sparking students’ interest in STEM careers and topics can extend past one holiday and you never know—it could create a lifelong passion!
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]]>The post #CelebrateWithDE: Women’s History Month appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>March is Women's History Month! We’ve collected all the impactful DE resources that highlight stories from extraordinary women in history and feature modern women making a difference in our world. Keep reading to find ready-to-use activities, videos, and resources available in Discovery Education Experience you can use in your lessons to honor Women’s History Month!
“I teach with the ‘see it, be it mentality.’ I believe we need to show students, particularly girls, that their ideas are valid, and they already have the power to make their dreams come true. With curated resources from Discovery Education and their partners, I can empower my students today to become the leaders of tomorrow.”
– Cecilia Wilburn-Davis,
5th grade teacher, 2022 Teacher of the Year, Oakbrook Elementary School (SC)
Start your celebration with the curated collection in our Women in History Channel! Reflect on the remarkable journey of women throughout history and learn contemporary stories of women changing the world. This channel showcases stories of pioneering women throughout history and explores the impact women have had in politics, STEM, the arts, sports, and more.
Take a deeper look at significant figures in women’s movements with DE’s Women’s History Teacher Choice Boards! These flexible collections of activities for grades 3-5 and grades 6-8 are easily modified to fit your students’ needs and interests. Choose from multiple activities and a variety of content that can be used as student assignments or as an all-in-one instructional presentation.
The Womanica Channel has a powerful podcast series that investigates incredible stories of groundbreaking women whose legacies have stood the test of time. These bite-sized audio clips share biographies of women you may or may not know, but whose impacts have changed the world. Gain inspiration and spark student curiosity by listening to the contributions, trials, and triumphs of phenomenal women from a variety of backgrounds including scientists, activists, teachers, comedians, and more!
Pop into present day to learn about modern world-changing women and their careers!
The NBA and WNBA Game Changers: Celebrating Women’s History video showcases game-changing women who are passionate about creating a more equitable playing field for all. Former WNBA player Crystal Langhorne and Seattle Storm Co-owner Ginny Gilder share about their sports careers and encourage students to continue using their voices to create positive change.
Students can connect their interests to potential careers with the IF/THEN Channel! Students can learn about who creates their favorite video game, protects the animals in the jungle, or works to cure cancer! The IF/THEN Initiative is created in partnership between Lyda Hill and Discovery Education and is committed to showing young girls exactly what a scientist looks like and inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.
Girls4Tech, Mastercard’s signature STEM program supported by Discovery Education, allows students to step into the world of cybersecurity. Hear from women working in cybersecurity to keep us all safe online and explore their exciting and innovative careers. Geared towards giving girls in middle and high school access to STEM resources and career exploration tools, this program dives deeply into the topics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.
Consider more career options with the STEM Careers Coalition, the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate and non-profit leaders and anchored in schools by DE. This program offers educators an array of career profiles featuring diverse women in various industries and job roles. Discover how leaders at places like Procter & Gamble, The Caterpillar Foundation, American Petroleum Institute, and more use STEM every day to create innovative solutions to the world’s challenges. These career profiles are accompanied by lesson resources that engage students in the world of STEM by helping them focus on their career goals with simple strategies, roadmaps, and other easy-to-use digital tools.
The resources, career profiles, and content available in Discovery Education Experience are here to help you make your mark on March's Women's History Month!
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]]>The post 5 Strategies to Re-Engage Students After a Break appeared first on Discovery Education.
]]>Ahhh! School breaks. They offer much-needed downtime for students and educators as you enjoy the festivities and reconnect with family and friends. It’s a time for leisurely pursuits with no pressure. Stay in your jammies all day? Absolutely!
Start with Some Free Time
Students are full of energy when they return from vacation. Meet them where they are and give them 15 or 20 minutes to relax and reconnect with their friends. This recess will allow you time to circulate and chat with everyone as you welcome them back to class. Your recognition is essential for anxious students who need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. When ready, get them up and moving with a game tied to an upcoming lesson.
Idea 1: Scavenger Hunts to Break the Ice
Scavenger hunts get students active and thinking in a fun environment, and they’re easily customized for any age group and subject matter. Hunts can be as simple as finding objects and following clues to requiring students to solve problems with each hint. Check out these ready-to-use choice boards for a few ideas to help you get started. Or, take advantage of the Spotlight on Strategies: Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt, a favorite among DE educators!
Idea 2: Mini-Exhibit to Collaborate & Learn
A great way to get students up and collaborating with their peers is to stage a mini-exhibit. Give students voice and choice as they work together in teams to demonstrate something they learned.
This exciting introduction to new material will spark curiosity about upcoming learning. And for a bonus, students can put their final exhibit into DE’s Studio for others to explore. Then use the Spotlight on Strategies: IDEA Share for feedback on projects.
Idea 3: Easy Active Strategy: See-Think-Wonder
For those of you with special time constraints, try this Spotlight on Strategies: See-Think-Wonder to spark students’ thinking and satisfy their need for peer collaboration. Choose an image related to an upcoming topic and supply pencils and paper.
Separate students into small groups and ask them to brainstorm about the image using these three questions:
When time is up, have one group member share their findings. Use this information to stimulate a discussion leading to an upcoming lesson.
Idea 4: Virtual Field Trips
Interactive Virtual Field Trips ease students back into learning with super-fun experiences, from visiting LEGO® Brick in Denmark to going backstage at the Country Music Awards to exploring STEM with Olympian Katie Ledecky. These virtual field trips are available on most any subject matter, curated for different age groups, grades, and difficulty levels.
When the trip is complete, break students into small groups and ask them to summarize the field trip and include a list of questions for future discussions. You can also take advantage of ready-to-use activities that support DE’s most popular virtual field trips.
Idea 5: The Gold Standard for Engagement: Augmented Reality
Nothing says “attention” like transporting students into a new reality. It’s more than a cognitive experience. Stimulate your students at an emotional level and spark their imagination. Content presented in this way is more meaningful and memorable, and research shows students retain information at a much higher level when exposed to immersive activities.
Virtual reality may be out of reach due to the cost of the equipment, but augmented reality (AR) is cost-effective and easy to use. All you need is a smartphone or tablet, and you’ll be ready to download an AR app. Scavenger hunts work great with this technology!
Augmented reality sandboxes are especially fun for breaking the ice. With an app like Sandbox AR (available on iPads only), students can create virtual spaces and populate them with unique objects taken from science, nature, history, and the “built” worlds.
Create a maker space and ask students to take turns building a city one object at a time. It will stimulate their imaginations and bring them back to the world of learning!
Find out more about Discovery Education’s collection of augmented reality apps and other immersive experiences on our Immersive Learning hub.
As you return to the classroom, we hope these learning resources and strategies help you feel confident you can spark students’ curiosity and re-engage them in the learning process. Create fun and inviting activities aligned to the upcoming curriculum and ease the transition from vacation-mode to learning-mode!
Rose Lattanze is an educational consultant and writer helping educators blend technology with instructional growth. She trained in Dr. Robert Marzano’s research-based instructional strategies, serving schools and districts as they transformed from teacher-based to student-based instruction. Currently, she writes about all things education for various EdTech companies.
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