Enjoy the great outdoors

From the inside of course.  Richard Byrne recently shared these National Park resources in his blog post here.  There are a variety of games and activities your students might enjoy.

How to be camera ready

We are Teachers offers a few suggestions here for making professional video appearances. 

Kahoot at home

I know many of you use Kahoot! In the classroom- here are Alice Keeler’s suggestions for remote learning options.

Distance learning resources

Matt Miller  (Ditch that Textbook) recently shared a new page on his website for distance learning.  While there are many great suggestions, please ensure any tool is authorized by the district for classroom use (for example, Flipgrid is not currently approved).

Bookmark the Classwork page

Kasey Bell's tip from this week's newsletter includes bookmarking your Google Classroom Classwork page- it will save you a few (hundred?) clicks!  Please see the video below:

DNA Day - April 25

DNA Day is April 25th! Engage Students in Discovering the

Power of DNA with Virtual Learning Resources from DNA Decoded

We have all seen the commercials for DNA kits available to trace your ancestry and learn more about your family traits. This DNA Day, challenge your students to take DNA exploration to the next level with at-home learning resources from DNA Decoded that allow them to examine how our genes interact with one another and the environment. Developed in partnership with the Illumina Foundation, DNA Decoded provides students the opportunity to explore genomics and apply it to real-world problems.

These no-cost resources can be easily implemented from any digital device for self-guided learning or downloaded for inclusion as part of a digital lesson. Read on to discover a few of our favorite digital activities!

Level-up with Ready-to-Go Resources

In Disease Detectives high school students get a first-hand view of how epidemiologists track disease and work to stop outbreaks. This incredibly timely content can be incorporated as part of an overall lesson on COVID-19 to help students understand how genomics can be utilize.

We have all seen the commercials for DNA kits available to trace your ancestry and learn more about your family traits. This DNA Day, challenge your students to take DNA exploration to the next level with at-home learning resources from DNA Decoded that allow them to examine how our genes interact with one another and the environment. Developed in partnership with the Illumina Foundation, DNA Decoded provides students the opportunity to explore genomics and apply it to real-world problems.

These no-cost resources can be easily implemented from any digital device for self-guided learning or downloaded for inclusion as part of a digital lesson. Read on to discover a few of our favorite digital activities!

Level-up with Ready-to-Go Resources

In Disease Detectives high school students get a first-hand view of how epidemiologists track disease and work to stop outbreaks. This incredibly timely content can be incorporated as part of an overall lesson on COVID-19 to help students understand how genomics can be utilized to help halt the spread of the disease, providing added knowledge that can be comforting in this time of uncertainty.

Race and Medicine shines a light on the question of the science behind classifying humans as different ‘races.’ Students have the opportunity to role-play working as scientists to build evidence and build and argument to answer their assigned question related to race and ancestry. This cross-disciplinary activity aligns to NGSS, as well as standards for Technological Literacy and English Language Arts.

Hands-on learning experiences are also critical to incorporate during virtual learning. Secrets of Sequencing invites students to explore next generation genomic sequencing using common items that could be found in the home, such as pipe DNA Decoded also features four digital lesson bundles that can be taught over several virtual lesson periods, or that students can explore over the course of several days in their cleaners and beads. After the lesson, students will have a greater understanding of the different ways sequencing can be used to help design treatment plans for patients.

self-guided learning. The two newest resources, Your Other Genome and Targeting Cancer both give students the opportunity to consider the role of DNA in advancing patient care. From helping to cure infection and remove bad bacteria to creating life-saving personalized treatments for cancer patients, the resources connect learning with real-world scenarios for a lasting impression on students.

This DNA Day, support your students with virtual learning tools to expand their awareness of how DNA impacts our everyday health and wellness with relevant resources to ignite interests that can help guide their future career path!

Discover more about Discovery Education’s corporate and community partnerships and the COVID-19 student, educator, and family resources at DiscoveryEducation.com and through Discovery Education Experience’s Corporate Education Partnerships channel. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Discovery Education is offering schools and school systems not currently using the company’s digital services free access to Discovery Education Experience. Schools accepting this offer will have access to Discovery Education’s dynamic K-12 learning platform and its ready-to-use digital lesson plans, activities, and standards-aligned resources through the remainder of the school year. In addition, Discovery Education is offering a suite of no cost resources for parents and caregivers called Daily DE that can be used at home. For more information, visit Discovery Education’s comprehensive Virtual Learning resource center dedicated to helping educators adapt their instruction to meet today’s needs.

Storyboardthat and Wonder

Melissa Ciampa shared her students' work from home- they are reading Wonder and shared their understanding by creating Storyboardthat illustrations.

Google Classroom Questions

Kasey Bell has compiled a list of the top Google Classroom questions (and answers)- see her list here.

Earth Day Activities from Discovery Education!

We will also be hosting four LIVE events on Wednesday, 4/22, from our partners at Animal Planet, Polar Bears International, and Major League Baseball. Visit our 50 Ways to Earth Day page to learn how to join, or watch them after in the 50 Ways to Earth Day channel!

10 AM EST

You Can Protect the Animals with Animal Planet's Forrest Galante

This world premiere event will feature a special message and video from Animal Planet’s EXTINCT OR ALIVE host Forrest Galante and discuss some easy things students can do to make the world a better place for wildlife.  

11 AM EST

A Live Earth Day Visit with Polar Bears (Elementary School Edition)

Students will learn all about polar bears and simple actions that can make a positive impact on our planet. Viewers will then take a virtual trip to the zoo for an exciting introduction to a real polar bear cub!  

1 PM EST

MLB Green Goes Live!

Don’t miss this live Twitter chat with the MLB and Brent Suter, professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers! Join the team @DiscoveryEd to hear about his passion for sustainability and pitch in to the conversation.

2 PM EST

A Live Earth Day Visit with Polar Bears (Secondary School Edition)

Participating secondary school students will dive into the wild world of polar bears and learn how to help protect and preserve natural habitats. Attendees will then discover some little-known facts about polar bears before having a memorable meeting with a real cub! 

See All Event Details

From Ditch that Textbook- Novel Hyperdocs

Here is a collection of 25 Hyperdocs for novels- perhaps there is one you could
use now with your students.  Hyperdocs make the material interactive and in most
cases provide choice to demonstrate student learning.

edPuzzle

Several folks have emailed me about the free EdPuzzle application- I’ve used it before and liked it. (and as FYI- you can download and add Discovery Education videos in EdPuzzle!).  Here's a nice tutorial from Richard Bryne.

Google Meet and Classroom

If you would like one more look at the new integration of Google Meet and Classroom, please see this post (and video) from Richard Byrne here.

At-Home Learning About the Outdoors!

Resources, Games, and Activities all about Nature! Check out this list of activities focused on the natural world and ecology to help you and your learner engage with the outdoors while at-home learning continues. Nature Nuggets - Early Learners NATURE Nuggets brings science and animals from NATURE on PBS to kids and their caregivers. Watch the videos and try out these activities for a fun way to engage with nature both inside and out! NATURE - Grades K-12 Check out these PBS NATURE resources for children of all ages with hands- on activities, online resources, and video getting kids thinking and interacting with nature!

Virtual Learning

If you type virtual learning into the search in your Discovery Education account,
you will find an entire channel devoted to the topic.  See how your (and your students)
Discovery Education accounts can help during our remote learning.

Econ lessons for high school

Discovery Education has shared a series of economic lessons for high school students here.

Making Video Calls a success!

Matt Miller (Ditch that Textbook fame) has several suggestions for your Video calls.  Whether you use Google Meet or Webex, these tips will help create a positive and successful experience for you and your students.  Please see his blog post here.

Webex Whiteboard

Special thanks to Holly Bruens and her students for sharing their Webex whiteboard
from class today.  What could your students do?

Google Meet in Classroom!

Check out the Google Meet integration for Classroom.  Alice Keeler has all the details here.

Why your classroom banner dims

Please see this blog post from Alice Keeler for the answer!

Making Google Classroom more interactive

Looking to make Google Classroom more interactive?  Check out Sarah Kiefer’s post here.  She offers 3 suggestions to help you connect with your students.

More suggestions from WriteReader

Here’s another blog post with suggestions for using WriteReader at home.

Name Picker

Richard Byrne shares one of my tools- Wheels of Names! Bet you could use it on
Google Meet or Webex- just add the student names when you start the call.

Files linked in Google Drive

Alice Keeler shares her strategy for using Google Drive in her classroom.  I especially liked the idea of using Doc or Slides for directions- think how much it would save you in the Classroom.  Please read her post here.

Student resources in Discovery Education

Check out the new Student Learning Activities channel in Discovery Education. 
From virtual field trips to ways to use Discovery, you will find grade-level
activities for your students. Log into your account and search for student
learning- the channel will appear in the search.

Got a Chromebook? Make a movie!

In his blog post here, Richard Byrne shares how to create and share a video using your Chromebook’s built in tools.

Make private comments a conversation

Alice Keeler suggests using comments as a conversation in Google classroom.  Please see her blog post here.

Earth Day Virtual Field Trip

Sign up here for a Discovery Education virtual field trip on Earth Day, April 15.  Here’s the description:

NEW Virtual Field Trip from FUTURE U.  Students will get a fresh look at the future of sustainable innovations on an engaging journey that can be incorporated into your Earth Day lessons. Join us on a virtual journey to meet the incredible individuals who are working to create clearer skies, cleaner water, healthier lands, and a smaller ecological footprint for our planet.

Life Cycles + Storyboardthat at home!

Learning from home didn’t stop Beth-Ann Bulla’s students from demonstrating their understanding of life cycles using Storyboardthat.  Please feel free to leave her students some feedback.

WriteReader at home

Here’s an interesting blog post on how to use WriteReader during our remote learning time.

Sharing Docs in Google Classroom

Richard Byrne does a nice job outlining the options to share a document in Google Classroom in his blog post here. If you are looking to see both the student and teacher view, this video will help.

Fair Use and Reading online

The short answer is Yes- please see this article for some of the situations to avoid.