The Discovery Channel

I am quickly learning how important it is to seek out quality resources whenever possible when creating engaging and relevent activities for the classroom.  I recently attended a wedding and ran into a friend who works for the Discovery Channel's education division.  He told me about all kinds of great things they were developing for use in the classroom.

I was able to gain access to the site because I knew someone behind the scenes, but it is password protected.  As with many resources in education, a fee is required to permit access for use in the classroom.

Below is a screen shot of the Lesson Plan Library available within the Teacher Center of the website. This library includes full lesson plans with supporting technologies and activities across many different subjects.

The Interactive Discovery Atlas Map could be used in so many ways.  Students could research different cultures, governments, histories, and natural worlds through this tool.  Teachers could use the videos within this map to enhance certain topics within the classroom.  I could even see myself using this map to research future travel plans.

I also found a great resource for students working on a STEM fair project:

In addition to all of the great resources for the classroom, Discovery Education offers professional development and different professional resources for teachers.

I'm so glad I ran into my old friend at another old friend's wedding and made this wonderful professional connection.  I hope I can find ways to use this collection of resources in my classroom.