April 22 is Earth Day.
Celebrate Earth Day with your students and talk about ways to appreciate nature and protect our Earth. What are some ways in which your students can help raise awareness on important issues like the environment?
Begun in 1970, Earth Day signifies the world’s attention to our environment and our need to address how we care for and protect our world. Engage students in conversations about how they practice taking care of the planet at home, school, and everywhere.
Part III: How We Celebrate Earth Day and Keep the Earth Healthy-Grade Band K-2; 3-5
Positive Effects from Earth Day-Grade Band K-2; 3-5
A Short History of Earth Day-Grade Band K-2; 3-5
Celebrate Earth Day Everyday-Grade Band K-2; 3-5
The World Conservation Guide-Grade Band 6-8
Emerging Careers: Environmental Occupations: Technical-Grade Band 9-12
April 30-El Dia de Los Ninos/El Dia de Los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)
Twelve years ago, writer Pat Mora had a dream that she put into actuality: El Dia de Los Nino/El Dia de Los Libros. Since that time many libraries and schools have participated in and celebrated Children’s Day/Book Day. Mora wants libraries, schools, and parents to help all children around the country rediscover the joy of reading. Use a video chapter and/or image to spark interest in reading with your students.
All About Animals: Mammals (Revised)-Grade Band K-2
Is Your Mama a Llama? Spanish Version-Grade Band K-6 (I love the English version, but the Spanish plays just as well).
Rabbit Ears Children’s Literature Collection: The Emperor’s New Clothes-Grade Band K-6
Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?-Grade Band 3-5
Extra (French Series 1): Episode 2: Sam Fait du Shopping (Sam Goes Shopping)-Grade Band 9-12
Extra (German Series 1): Episode 1: Sams Ankunft (The Arrival of Sam)-Grade Band 9-12
National Poetry Month
This month is National Poetry Month. Engage students in discussions and projects that will allow them to celebrate and appreciate the art of poetry. Use some of the resources below to help you plan a unit and reinforce language and literacy skills.
Sounds of Poetry-Grade Band K-2
“Poetry: Ollie the Octopus” from Discovering Language Arts: Listening and Speaking-Grade Band K-2
“Poetry Matters” from Language Arts at Work-Grade Band 6-12
Just the Facts: Understanding Literature: The Elements of Poetry- Grade Band 7-12 (Discovery Education streaming Plus)
Great Books: Dante’s Inferno-Grade Band 9-12
“Themes in Early Poetry and Writing” and “Egyptian Literature and Poetry” from “The Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Alfred, Lord Tennyson” and “Bringing Attention to “John Keats: ‘The Nightingale’ ” and “Themes in Romantic Literature and Poetry” from History through Literature: Romanticism & Revolution-Grade Band 7-12 (Discovery Education streaming Plus)
Help elementary grade students learn the parts of a plant through the program: Plant Parts and Their Uses, which uses visual and audio tools to help children learn.
Students often have difficulty identifying what they are seeing under the microscope. The Incredible World of the Microscope provides information about microscope use and slides that you may wish to have students review. Students can enhance their hands-on experience with live pond specimens by viewing the parts of microorganisms that propel them or allow them to feed in the short segment, “Locomotion in Protists: Ciliates” from Biology: The Science of Life: The Microscopic World.
Get students doing a virtual lab, “Keep it Cool” on green school buildings in Discovery Education Science for Middle School. Don’t have Discovery Education Science? Learn more today.
Learning about economics and how money is used has become a critical skill for students. Use Discovery Education video to help students make sense of some of the things they are hearing about in the news.
Elementary students can be introduced to the concept of money in the video program, Learning About Money.
Middle school students can learn about how money came to be and how mathematics helps us understand how money is lent and borrowed at different rates in the segment: “Interest Rates: Borrowing and Lending Money” from the program Behind the News: Money.
High school students can relate the mathematics they are learning in algebra to real finances using: Discovering Math: Concepts in Business Mathematics: Economics and Finance. This program contains information on different kinds of interest and on the history of money in the United States.
From the Social Studies Perspective
Ask your students where do they think we would be had activists, such as Paul Revere, not resisted and acted against the British? By many historians, America was and remains the “great social experiment.” Use chapters from the videos listed below to explore just how unique America was and is.
U.S. That’s Us!: Paul Revere-Grade Band K-6
Paul Revere: The Messenger of Liberty-Grade Band 6-8
Liberty’s Kids: The Midnight Ride-Grade Band 6-8 (Discovery Education streaming Plus)
American History: Foundations of American Government-Grade Band 6-12