Education
Challenging Students and Adults AlikeDiscovery is a strong proponent of video-based learning and the opportunity to leverage its high-quality nonfiction content to educate students and adults alike about the wonders of nature and our planet. The establishment of Discovery Education in 2004 provided a direct conduit for supplying schools throughout the U.S. with standards-based video learning tools. Today, Discovery is the number one provider of educational media to U.S. classrooms, offering a suite of curriculum-based tools designed to foster student achievement, as well as educator enhancement resources such as assessment services, professional development and a nationwide teacher community that promotes the integration of media and technology in the classroom.
In addition to these efforts, Discovery also works with corporate partners to promote science education and inspire the next generation of scientists and inventors through annual programs such as the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.
Click on the logos below to learn more about our lifelong learning initiatives:
Curiosity in the Classroom
Discovery Education and Intel have formed an exciting partnership to offer teachers, parents and students in grades 6-12 a dynamic website devoted to satisfying students' curiosity. Launching in August 2011, Curiosity in the Classroom provides in-class and at-home resources to encourage insightful conversation and extend learning concepts found in Discovery Channel's groundbreaking television series, CURIOSITY.
Discovery Educator Network
The Discovery Educator Network (the DEN) is a grassroots professional development network of educators passionate about the power of media and technology as tools to impact student achievement. DEN connects members and enables the sharing of proven educational resources and techniques through both in person and online platforms, including professional development events, blogs, discussion boards, webinars and other digital resources. The largest global educator community of its kind, DEN has trained more than 600,000 educators through more than 30,000 events.
Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge
Encouraging the exploration of science and innovation among America's youth and promoting the importance of science communication, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge inspires middle school students to demonstrate their science knowledge for the chance to be crowned America's "Top Young Scientist" and receive $25,000. Over the last 13 years, more than 600,000 middle school students have participated in the competition, and winners have gone on to speak in front of members of Congress, work with the nation's top scientists, and pursue academic careers in the sciences.
Science of Everyday Life
A destination for teachers, students of all ages and their parents, and an extension of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Science of Everyday Life brings the magic of 3M and the science of everyday life into classrooms and homes across America every day. The site offers curriculum and interactive tools that bring to life the science that's happening all around us, plus an interactive "Innovation HQ" highlights how major innovations in science came about and how they impact our everyday lives.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge
The first national K-12 sustainability initiative of its kind, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge - a partnership between Discovery, the Siemens Foundation, the College Board and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) - empowers students to become "green agents of change." Participating teams identify an environmental problem or issue in their classroom, community or world, develop a solution demonstrating their knowledge of core scientific principals and share how other students or communities can implement similar programs to effect real change. More than 32,000 students have participated since the inaugural Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge in 2008.
Siemens STEM Academy
The Siemens STEM Academy is a collaborative effort of the Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the College Board to empower and celebrate excellence in science, technology, engineering and math education. As the premier online professional development community for STEM educators, over 125,000 teachers from across the United States exchange and download resources, participate in and view webinars, obtain up-to-date STEM news and network with their peers. Additionally, each year the STEM Academy selects top educators from around the country to participate in the Siemens Teachers as Researchers (STARs) programs, two-week professional development experiences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In addition, 50 educators are chosen to participate in the Siemens STEM Institute, a one-week professional development initiative at Discovery Communications headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Energy Balance 101
In support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, Discovery Education has joined forces with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) to empower young people to make healthy choices and achieve a healthy weight through the concept of energy balance with Energy Balance 101. Students and families have access to free online curriculum and at-home learning tools to support grassroots, community-based wellness education for students in grades K-5. Developed in collaboration with pediatric dieticians and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), Energy Balance 101 is designed to help students build lifelong good health habits. The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together over 150 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, sporting goods and insurance companies, restaurants, a professional sports association, trade associations, NGOs and the Army. The Foundation focuses on activities in the schools, the workplace and the marketplace to promote healthy weight among Americans by balancing the energy they consume with the energy they expend through physical activity. Member companies include the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Nestle USA, Sports Authority, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Kraft and General Mills, among others.
Toyota Teen Driver
Uniting teachers, students and parents in promoting the importance of safe driving among today's youth, Toyota Teen Driver is a free, one-of-a-kind comprehensive program that anchors the concept of safe driving in the real world for teens. Toyota Teen Driver offers a variety of powerful tools and interactive resources that are designed to help teens avoid distractions and stay safe behind the wheel. Conversation starters, lesson plans, quizzes, practice driving activities and more are all presented in a relevant way that resonates with each of the program's three key audiences. By participating in real conversations about distraction-free driving, teens are empowered to drive safely and encourage their peers to do the same.
Explore the Blue
Discovery Education and Take Me FishingTM launched Explore the Blue, a comprehensive resource empowering K-5 teachers and parents to engage students in a dialogue about the importance of outdoor recreational activities, such as boating and fishing, and the value of clean and healthy natural resources. The site is divided into three main sections: an Educators section with 28 cross-curricular standards-based lesson plans, a webinar series and a regional habitat map that details aquatic plants and animals throughout the U.S.; a Student section with Thrill of the Catch, an educational, interactive game where you are invited to create and feed your fish as well as learn to become an angler; and a Family section with "activities" to encourage outdoor excursions.