Welcome toDiscovery Education

Science for Middle School

Digital Media that Works

Engage student minds with science while reinforcing important literacy and mathematics skills.

Empower students to think and explore like scientists.

Enhance science instruction with a formative assessment tool that enables you to monitor student progress and recommend resources based on individual student needs.

Logging into DE Science for Middle SchoolUse the “Subscriber Login” tab to log in

with username and password.

Logging into DE Science for Middle SchoolLocate Discovery Education Science Elementary School

under My Services

Keyword Search

Enhance Your Instruction with Multimedia Content

Browse three areas of science

Curriculum Standards Search Advanced Search

Browse Units, Topics & Concepts

Three areas of science

Unit

Topics

Concepts

Inquiry ProblemsUse the Inquiry Problems to introduce a topic to students.

Explore ConceptsYou can browse media in 3 categories:

Interact, Watch and Read

Explore Concepts: Interact

ExplorationsStudents manipulate variables and make predictions about outcomes

Virtual LabsStudents design and conduct their own scientific investigations

Integrated Science SimulationsStudents explore concepts by making choices and controlling variables

Interactive VideoUsers click on “hot spots” to pause the video to learn more information

Explore Concepts: Watch

VideosVideo content is exclusive to Discovery Education Science.

Videos are divided into segments, so you can show only the parts of the video that best relate to your teaching.

Explore Concepts: Read

ArticlesSupport key concepts while enhancing reading proficiency with engaging, informative selections from WRC Media’s award-winning libraries

Reading PassagesEnhance your lessons with these highly visual and dynamic reading passages from Discovery Education’s award-winning book series.

Selections include science timelines and interviews with leading scientists.

Teacher Center

Process Skills LibraryFind resources that can help your students develop their science process skills:•Virtual Labs•MythBusters episodes•Science Sleuths

Featured Series LibraryFind Video Clips from some of your favorite Discovery series:•Planet Earth•Jeff Corwin Experience•Human Body: Pushing the Limits

Teacher Center - Process Skills Library

Virtual LabsStudents design and conduct their own scientific investigations

Science SleuthsStudents examine science mysteries and use articles, interviews and video to solve the problem

MythBustersEpisodes have been selected and edited for Middle School audiences and illustrate the adventure and careful use of the scientific process to prove a science myth, or bust it!

A variety of media in the Process Skills Library addresses the critical thinking skills students must acquire in order to successfully engage in the scientific process.

Teacher Center - Featured Series LibraryFind Video Clips from some of your favorite Discovery series. Immerse students with featured video including Planet Earth, Jeff Corwin Experience, Human Body: Pushing the Limits and When We Left Earth.

Professional DevelopmentAccess a variety of resources designed to help you make the most effective use of Discovery Education Science for Middle School digital media.

My ContentThis global feature allows you to collect, organize, share and retrieve your favorite Discovery Education media resources, assignments, quizzes, writing prompts, and more in one convenient place. Located in the dark grey navigation bar at the top of the screen, “My Content” is accessible from anywhere on the site.

Add media resources and assessments to folders you create

Use the Action pull down menu to copy, move, assign or delete media

Add a Resource to My Content

Locate a resource and click “View Details”

Click “Add to My Content”

Select “DE Science Elementary

Click “Add”

Quiz Builder

The Quiz Builder tool allows you to create online assessments that you can use to test student comprehension or survey prior knowledge. You can search over 2,000 pre-made quizzes in the Quiz Library, choose individual questions from the Quiz Builder databank or write your own questions. Students access quizzes through the Student Center.

Assignment Builder

The Assignment Builder is a versatile resource that helps you build online activities and web-based projects that are stored on the Discovery Education streaming servers. You can use this tool to create student assignments that integrate a variety of digital media types. Students access assignments through the Student Center.

Writing Prompt Builder

Stimulate the writing process in your classroom with thousands of images that are ready-made for declarative, persuasive, narrative, and expository writing exercises. You can search the Writing Prompt Library for images accompanied by suggested text or create your own writing prompts with the help of the Writing Prompt Builder.

Assessment Manager

Create• Standards-based

assessments• Custom assessments• Edit existing

assessments

Assign• Assessments you’ve

already created• Assessments created by

Science

Report & Recommend• View results by student• View results by class

Use Science’s formative assessment tools to monitor students’ understanding and adjust your lessons accordingly.

Classroom Manager

Manage Classrooms and Content

Create a new Classroom

Classroom Manager

1. Enter the Class Name

2. Enter a Start Date

3. Enter an End Date

4. Save/Continue

Create a Class – Create a Class

Classroom Manager

1. To add students to your class, select their name from the School Roster on the left

2. Select the "Add" button

3. Save/Continue

Create a Class – Select Students

Classroom ManagerCreate a Class – Review

1. Review/edit class details

2. Review/edit class roster

3. Select ‘Done’

If you will be teaching the same set of students in separate subjects, you can duplicate this group of students.

Presentation Strategiesand

Software Integration

Presentation Models

Common ways teachers, Media Specialists, and technology coordinators display Science content:

– Computer connected to an LCD projector

– Interactive whiteboards

– Televisions with scan converters

– Computer labs

– Libraries and Media Centers

– Mobile carts with laptop computers

– Student “stations” and “centers”

Teaching Strategies to Consider

Determine prior knowledge with a pre-activity assessment. Use assessment results to assign appropriate Science media to individual students.

Create “investigative teams.” Have students work in small groups on Virtual Labs or Explorations to develop testable questions, test their hypotheses and record results.

Connect your computer to a projector and use Explorations or Integrated Science Simulations as presentation tools to kick off a lesson.

Pose questions or prepare thought-provoking “lesson starters” before viewing media to actively engage students.

Assign Reading Passages and Articles that reinforce concepts and provide background information.

Save time by saving your favorite resources to folders within My Content.

Technology Information to Know

Video files, images, articles and reading passages may be downloaded. All other content is available online only via streaming.

A building with a dedicated T-1 line could comfortably accommodate 6 users with no buffering assuming no other users on the Internet.

Home users with 56k modems can search and use support materials; viewing interactive media and performing downloads may be possible but will be very slow.

Recommended 3rd party software:• Windows Media Player - PC• Apple QuickTime Player - Mac• Flash 8.0 or Greater• Adobe Shockwave Player

Screen Resolution:• Minimum : 800 x 600• Best results: 1024 x 768

You may need to install updated “codecs” if the media player is not properly playing the audio or video components.

Questions?