Discovery Education's Classroom Resources

A little known or little explored area of Discovery Education is the Classroom Resources link. You can see this tab on the Discovery Education site before you log into DE. Once you click on the Classroom Resources tab, there are all sorts of free resources to use in the classroom.

Create a word search, maze, hidden message, etc. using Puzzlemaker. Choose the type of puzzle you would like to create, fill in the information required for that puzzle; for example, the title, how big the puzzle should be, the words or numbers, clues, messages, etc. Then click "Create My Puzzle" and your puzzle appears.

The next tab is Lesson Plan Library. When you click on Lesson Plans, you can choose the grade range you are interested in: K - 5; 6 - 8; and 9 -12. After selecting a grade level, scroll over a subject to view the list of lesson plans available for that subject. Each lesson plan is divided into several different areas: objectives of the lesson; materials needed for the lesson; procedures to follow in delivering the lesson; evaluation of the lesson; the vocabulary used in the lesson; and the standards the lesson addresses.

The "Featured Content" tab has several different web links to choose from. Science of Everyday Life has a list of "Science of Summer" activities and you can learn about the Young Scientist Challenge that 3M and Discovery Education sponsor every year. More information will be coming soon to this site. Energy Balance: 101 is about schools being healthy. There is a contest teachers can sign up for and teachers, parents, and the community can find out more about being healthy and living a healthy life. Explore the Blue includes outside activities that schools and parents can explore with students to develop healthy lifestyles. Web 20.10 has lots of different types of Web 2.0 tools to use in your classroom. There is information on internet safety, media literacy, blogs, and tech tips. For all of you interested in STEM, check out Siemens STEM Academy. There are webinars, resources, contests, and teachers can become STAR's and attend professional development opportunities. Be sure to check out the other web links under Featured Content: Understanding Epilepsy, ReadyZone H1N1, Think Green®, Classroom Emergency Preparedness, New Teacher Survival, WebMath, Clip Art, NASA at 50, Kathy Schrock's Guide, Brain Boosters, Curriculum Center, Learning Adventures, and Worksheets to Go.

The other tabs under Classroom Resources are Parent Corner, Science Fair Central, Discovery Student Adventures, and Contests and Grants. At the bottom of the Classroom Resources page is a list of Featured Resources that you might also like to explore.