Discovery School
This month, the newsletter explores just one website: Discoveryschool.com. It is filled with lesson plans, links to web resources, tools for teachers and much more. I did some exploring and want to highlight some specific features I think you'll find useful.
1. Lesson Plans: Completely searchable with plans for all grade levels and curriculum areas.
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/
2. Sites of the School Day: Kathy Schrock highlights websites for teachers each month. The sites can be delivered via email but you can also visit the list online and explore the archives. The first link each month is a review of upcoming holidays from the popular to the obscure.
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/sos.html
3. On TV: Discovery Channel produces two documentary series just for classroom use: Assignment Discovery and TLC Elementary School. Both are commercial-free and free to tape. You can use them for two years. The site also includes short clips from most of the videos for sale in the Discovery store.
http://school.discovery.com/ontv/
4. Conversations: Want to talk to other teachers or read conversations with guest experts? This is the place. You can subscribe to an email newsletter, become part of a discussion groups with other teachers, and, coming soon, join in online chat with teaching colleagues around the world.
http://school.discovery.com/conversations/conversations.html
5. Science Fair Central: Even if you aren't planning a science fair, this website has great tips for designing, implementing and presenting experiments. Reviews the scientific method and gives examples of creating a central question.
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
6. Brain Boosters: These short but challenging puzzles make perfect class openers. http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/
7. Animal Cams: Part of the Student Guide at Discovery School, this page features a variety of animal cams so students can "spy" on alligators, lions, and penguins.
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/animalcams/
For more animal webcams, visit the National Zoo: http://natzoo.si.edu/Webcams/webcams.htm
8. Geogame: Interactive geography game that leads students from continent to country to capital. This game is part of the Student Guide.
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/geogame/index.html
9. Parent's Guide: DiscoverySchool.com is rich with features that are helpful for parents and students as well as teachers from product reviews and educational advice to study tools and homeschooling resources. Teachers might want to print some of the articles about homework and conferences to share with their parents.
http://school.discovery.com/parents/index.html
10. BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper: A collection of web links organized by curriculum area. Includes a good list of news outlets and reference sites. BTW, BJ is a real kid!
http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/index.html
Feature Web:
Feature Web: