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$341K ‘science techbook’ to be used by Apache Junction school district

Nurturing Student Curiosity on Earth Day and Beyond with Resources from Discovery Education 

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Charlotte, NC (Wednesday, April 18, 2024) Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital resources nurture student curiosity and drive deeper engagement in instruction—presents educators a wide array of new, free digital resources designed to nurture student curiosity about the natural world on Earth Day and beyond. 

The Earth Day resources from Discovery Education and its partners have been curated to be easily integrated into existing lesson plans and planned observances.  

The following resources are available to users of the award-winning Discovery Education Experience K-12 learning platform:  

  • Earth Day channel features on-demand events, videos, images, Virtual Field Trips, and fun activities that commemorate Earth Day and inspire student curiosity to drive deeper engagement in learning.  
  • The DEmystified channel, a DE Original Series, encourages students to explore the wonders of the world, including the difference between weather and climate and why different places experience different weather. 
  • Earth to Luna: So Much Water, Fishtronaut: The Case of the Underwater Desert, and Fishtronaut: A Case of the Missing River videos help students in grades PK-5 learn where water comes from and how to protect aquatic creatures.  
  • The Minecraft: Education channel includes a series of lesson plans, ready-to-use activities, and student-created artifacts designed for Minecraft’s Sustainability City that encourage students to consider how human choices affect the environment. 
  • The Game Plan for the Future: A Virtual Field Trip with the NBA premieres on April 18, 2024, at 1 PM ET. Designed for students in grades 3-8, this event showcases how STEM concepts are helping the NBA think about sustainability in its arenas and offices and spark an individual’s interest in sustainability to improve the communities in which they are located. Register here or watch the VFT on-demand. 

In addition, users of the award-winning Mystery Science service can turn to the Celebrating Earth Day collection. Mystery Science by Discovery Education is an engaging standards-aligned science curriculum for grades K-5 designed to help students stay curious. In this collection of 45-minute engineering lessons, Mystery Guides lead no prep, open-and-go lessons with step-by-step hands-on activities exploring scientific phenomena using common classroom items. 

Discovery Education also offers a collection of free resources created in collaboration with leading corporate partners, including: 

  • Educators can find ready-to-use lesson plan bundles from Conservation Station: Creating a More Resourceful World—an educational initiative with Itron. The resources inspire students to explore water conservation, energy, and smart cities while the accompanying educator guides make it easy to plug and play resources into any class.  
  • With Sustainability: The Human Factor, a 3-part Video Topic Series, students discover human imagination, ingenuity, and passion behind the science of sustainability. Each video features a young changemaker who is sparking action at the local level, along with professional insights from a Trane Technologies thought leader working to innovate a healthier planet for all. These resources are from Sustainable Futures, a program developed in collaboration with global climate innovator, Trane Technologies. 
  • A collection of career exploration resources from the STEM Careers Coalition™ – an alliance of industries and non-profit organizations partnering with Discovery Education to ignite student curiosity by creating equitable access to STEM content and career connections – inspires students to explore sustainable futures. The collection of dynamic, on-demand resources supports educators’ efforts to drive deeper student engagement by connecting classroom lessons to the real-world. Career profile videos show students a variety of STEM careers including an organic chemist, bat conservationist, engineering professor, water quality engineer, geologist, health and safety coordinator, solar engineer, and more.  
  • A classroom activity from Better for Earth, Better for Us, an educational program with LG, takes students into the world of animal adaptations to observe snow leopards in real time. Students collaborate with their peers to create a project of their choice. 

“Discovery Education is proud to offer teachers and students access to these engaging digital resources. With these materials in hand, educators are prepared to nurture student curiosity and explore our world,” Lance Rougeoux, Senior Vice President of Curriculum Instruction and Student Engagement at Discovery Education. 

Discover even more Earth Day resources from Discovery Education here. For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.    

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com

Contacts 
Grace Maliska 
Discovery Education 
Email: gmaliska@dicoveryed.com 

Oregon School District Rolls Out Discovery Education Digital Resources for Science Instruction

Arizona’s Apache Junction Unified School District Supports Innovative Teaching and Learning with New EdTech Resources 

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Charlotte, NC (Thursday, April 18, 2024)—Arizona’s Apache Junction Unified School District (AJUSD) today announced a new collaboration with global edtech leader Discovery Education supporting innovative teaching and learning in the district. In this new phase of partnership, teachers and students in grades K-12 will receive access to a dynamic new digital resource that brings science instruction to life in ways that ignite student curiosity about the natural world and drive deeper engagement in learning. 

AJUSD serves over 3,000 students in a 217-square mile area that includes the City of Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, Peralta Trail, Queen Valley, and the unincorporated areas of the Superstition Mountain foothills. The district is committed to providing all students with a world-class education that empowers them to become innovative scholars, college/career prepared, and compassionate global citizens. By fostering a dynamic learning community that cultivates intellectual curiosity and critical thinking, AJUSD is helping all students develop into lifelong learners. 

In support of AJUSD’s effort to embrace cutting-edge pedagogical methods and technology to deliver a curriculum that is both rigorous and engaging, district curriculum leaders sought a new, digital K-12 science solution. Specifically, the AJUSD team sought a flexible, teacher-friendly, classroom-tested science solution that was easy to integrate into instruction and aligned to Arizona’s state education standards.  

Following a careful review of available resources, the district selected Discovery Education’s Science Techbook for classroom use.  

Delivered through Discovery Education Experience, the curated collection of high-quality, grade-level appropriate digital content aligned to Arizona’s K-12 Academic Standards and made available to public schools statewide by Arizona’s Department of Education, Science Techbook is a K-12 core curriculum that includes engaging digital resources, hands-on activity kits, virtual investigations, and custom professional learning. This comprehensive resource includes ready-to use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students, powerful technology tools—such as toggle-on Spanish translation—that personalize access, and time-saving teacher tools that streamline prep and grading. Science Techbook is available in both print and digital formats, providing a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore, including hands-on engineering activities, interactive labs, and STEM connections.  

Through its digital, print, and blended options, Science Techbook delivers a wide range of high-quality resources that support students as they discover how science is practiced in the real world while focusing on deeper understanding and application of grade-appropriate science content. Recently, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook was certified as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier III standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

“Apache Junction Unified School District has made creating tailored learning experiences that let students follow their curiosity a priority,” said Meara Verna, AJUSD’s Executive Director of Educational Services. “With these new resources, our teachers will have state-of-the-art tools and resources to create the dynamic lessons our students need and deserve, and I look forward to seeing the Science Techbook in action across district classrooms.” 

All AJUSD educators also enjoy access to the Discovery Educator Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Educator Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration.  

“Discovery Education is excited to collaborate with the Apache Junction Unified School District’s team to support science education and the creation of student-centered learning experiences,” said Nicholas Yorio, Discovery Education Senior Account Executive. “The district has created an innovative approach to preparing all learners for success beyond graduation, and we are proud to support their work.” 

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com

Contact 
Stephen Wakefield 
Discovery Education 
Phone: 202-316-6615 
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com 

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Kentucky’s Bell County School District Announces New Partnership with Discovery Education Supporting Phenomena-Based Science Instruction Districtwide 

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Charlotte, NC (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)—Kentucky’s Bell County School District (BCSD) today announced a new multiyear partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education. Through this collaboration, teachers and students in BCSD K-12 classrooms now have access to powerful digital products that help enhance the district’s science curriculum and support the introduction of phenomena-based learning in science lessons. Together, these resources will nurture student curiosity about the natural world and drive deeper engagement in science instruction. 

Located in the southeast corner of Kentucky, BCSD serves approximately 2,600 preschool through twelfth-grade students in several communities across Bell County. These students are served by 6 preschool through 8th grade school centers and 1 high school. The district partners with the Bell Whitley Community Action Agency to provide a fully blended preschool model that includes Headstart to help promote Kindergarten Readiness and offers a full day of kindergarten to help meet students’ needs. 

BCSD is dedicated to creating equitable learning experiences for all students that produce college and career-ready individuals prepared for success beyond the classroom. The district believes a firm foundation in science is essential for future success and sought to enhance their current curriculum by introducing phenomena-based learning into science instruction. To accomplish this, BCSD sought a suite of flexible learning resources that aligned with the NGSS learning standards and included hands-on learning activities for students. Following a thorough review of viable solutions, the district selected Discovery Education Experience and Discovery Education’s Science Techbook for classroom use.  

Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education Experience provides a powerful K-12 learning platform that facilitates engaging instruction in any environment. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day. Through expanded, lasting partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Brightspace, and Clever, integrating Discovery Education’s learning platform into existing Information Technology architecture is easier than ever. Discovery Education Experience will be integrated into learning in all K-12 classrooms.        

Accessible through Discovery Education’s award-winning digital platform Discovery Education Experience, the Science Techbook empowers BCSD teachers to easily integrate an innovative curriculum into instruction to create unique, student-centered learning experiences. Included in this comprehensive core curriculum are engaging digital resources and virtual investigations. In addition, embedded accessibility tools help more students connect to content than ever before, and a suite of time-optimizing resources provide teachers with more opportunities to focus on teaching. 

The Science Techbook includes ready-to-use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students with powerful technology tools—such as toggle-on authentic Spanish translation—that personalize the student experience, and labor-saving teacher tools that streamline preparation and grading. Science Techbook provides a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore scientific phenomena, including hands-on activities, labs, and STEM connections.  

The Science Techbook delivers a wide range of high-quality resources that support students as they discover how science is practiced in the real world, while focusing on deeper understanding and the application of grade-appropriate science content. Recently, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook was certified as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier III standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Discovery Education’s Science Techbook will be used in grades 4-12 in the Bell County School District. 

“The Bell County School District believes in the power of phenomena-based instruction to propel student learning,” said Angela Allen, the district’s Director of Academic Programs. “There is something incredibly powerful in using a natural event—like an eclipse or bird migration—to ignite student curiosity and drive engagement in learning. The new resources from Discovery Education support the creation of this type of learning experience and we look forward to seeing them in action.” 

BCSD educators using Discovery Education solutions will receive dedicated professional development from Discovery Education’s team of professional learning experts. These learning opportunities for teachers help schools recognize the full return on their edtech investment. Through Discovery Education’s interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional learning increases student engagement and supports the continued academic development of all students.  

In addition, all BCSD educators will now also enjoy access to the Discovery Educator Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Educator Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration.  

“The Bell County School District’s embrace of phenomena-based learning will create powerful educational experiences for all students,” said Caroline Shea, Discovery Education’s Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships. “We look forward to supporting the district’s progress as they bring science instruction to life for all learners.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com

Contact 
Stephen Wakefield 
Discovery Education 
Phone: 202-316-6615 
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com