I’ve been writing this newsletter for 6 years. Some weeks are a struggle to find a new tool
or a fresh way to use a tool that I have not written about in previous
editions. This week was not one of those
weeks. I’ve served on the 21st
Century Leadership Team since the beginning but this is the first year I’ve
been through training as a mentor rather than a leader.
During our latest training, I had several Wow moments. Some of what I’m
sharing came from that training, others are things that I was already using in
class.
1. Whaddaya Know: Do you need to review a skill
in a game show format? Discovery
Education offers quiet a few topics in this game show format. There are 33
different game show options, currently. Children are contestants on a game show
and answer questions from the selected topic. The types of questions can be
multiple-choice, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank. Contestants can earn points
based on the amount of time it takes to answer a question. If a contestant misses the question, the next
person gets a chance to answer the question.
2. Discovery Atlas Interactive Map: This interactive map lets you learn about the
culture, government, history, and natural world. Click on the country and links are provided
for related videos.
3. Board
Builder : This interactive tool allows students to create a digital poster
board. They have neat templates that are
customizable. Each board can house a lot
of content. You can add Discovery
Education videos, student made videos, PDF files, images, text, web links and
more. It is very user friendly. To me it
is much easier to use than Glogster.
Here is a link to a PDF file with 50 suggestions on how to use board
builder. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/feeds/www/media/studentpage/50%20Ways%20to%20Use%20Board%20Builder.pdf
4. Support for the Common Core: Discovery Education offers model lessons to
help you meet the needs of the rigor required by the implementation of CCRS
standards. Under the streaming plus
link, you will find a Common Core in the classroom tab. There you will find your grade and links to
lessons related to most of the reading and math common core standards. These multi day lessons allow you to cover
several standards in one unit.
5. The Best Reason to Become a Den Star: The Science Techbook is a great tool that is
only available to DEN Star teachers. It
offers grade level units for most science topics. The techbook has lesson plans and houses
videos and activities related to the topic. This digital textbook has reading
passages, assessment questions, explorations, and video segments related to
each concept. It also has an interactive
glossary. Each word in the glossary has
an animation and video related to the word. I also love the e-books in many lessons. The
content is aligned to your state standards.
Discovery
Education offers great videos but it is so much more. Take some time to explore. You might be amazed at what you find!
Have a great
weekend!
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