Silver Spring, MD (April 15, 2019) —Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms, invites educators around the globe to a special, virtual event in observance of Earth Day 2019 on April 22 at 1:00PM Eastern.  During this engaging and immersive no-cost virtual experience appropriate for K-12 classrooms, students will view extended clips from the documentary STRAWS and meet the film’s producer/director Linda Booker, who will help students explore the issues surrounding single-use plastics like straws.

Inspired by research that shows plastic straws are now among the top-five beach litter items collected, STRAWS outlines how billions of non-recyclable plastic straws wind up in landfills,  litter streets and wash into oceans. During this Virtual Viewing Party, students will learn about the impact straws and plastic waste is having on our oceans and their inhabitants and discover how they can make a big impact on cleaning up our environment through simple actions.

To register to participate in the STRAWS Virtual Viewing Party, and to receive additional materials supporting Earth Day-related classroom activities and instruction, visit the STRAWS Virtual Viewing Party Registration Page.

“One of the biggest challenges I face as an educator is helping my students make authentic connections between their actions and our environment,” said Dana Johnston, an Instructional Specialist in California’s Orange Unified School District.  “Through the Earth Day Virtual Viewing Party, my students will learn about an important and timely issue facing our environment and see how they can take action to be good stewards of the Earth.”

In addition to hosting activities like the STRAWS Virtual Viewing Party, Discovery Education offers a host of digital services that support science instruction and the exploration of our environment. Discovery Education Streaming Plus is a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K–12 curricular areas. Discovery Education Streaming empowers educators to create dynamic learning environments that mirror students’ use of technology outside the classroom. Teacher resources include lesson plans, instructional strategies, and content collections organized around themes. Students can access images, primary source documents, podcasts, oral interviews, books on tape, articles, and videos, as well as a collection of new STEM resources designed to fuel a cultural shift in teaching and learning.

Students in elementary, middle and high school that have regular access to Streaming resources have higher attendance rates and are outpacing their peers on state assessments in reading, mathematics, and social studies. Additional findings tell a consistent story of how access to Discovery Education Streaming can be linked to higher student achievement, especially for racial/ethnic minorities and students impacted by poverty, disabilities, and limited English proficiency. Click here to learn more.

Discovery Education’s Science Techbook series empowers educators to transform science instruction through a rich digital curriculum that includes video, audio, text, interactives with hands-on activities, and virtual labs that help educators differentiate instruction and provide a rich and engaging learning experience for students. Additional student features include Spanish/English text-to-speech and leveled reading tools and note-taking and highlighting capabilities.  The Science Techbooks series also includes valuable STEM resources including STEM Project Starters that encourage students to connect math, technology, and engineering to their understanding of science concepts to produce creative solutions to real world problems. In addition, the STEM In Action resources help students connect their work to STEM careers, which promotes a clearer understanding of how skills used in school can be applied to jobs “in the real world.”

Discovery Education’s STEM Connect is a cutting-edge, web-based, interdisciplinary K-8 supplemental resource that helps students develop the creative, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills they need for success beyond graduation. Featuring flexible, modular learning units, STEM Connect provides students an easy-to-follow educational experience that includes real-world challenges, career connections, and hands-on activities.

“Discovery Education is proud to bring this thought-provoking virtual experience to teachers and students, and we invite educators everywhere to participate,” said Discovery Education President of K-12 Education Scott Kinney.  “These types of events, which challenge students to rethink their daily activities, can have a tremendous impact both inside and outside the classroom.”

Following this event, the STRAWS Virtual Viewing Party will be added to the curated, Earth Day content collection within Discovery Education Streaming.  For more information about Discovery Education’s digital curriculum and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.

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About Discovery Education:
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the U.K. and reach over 5 million educators and 51 million students in more than 90 countries. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

About STRAWS:

STRAWS is an award-winning 33 minute documentary highlighting the devastating levels of straws and other plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans. It has screened in over 50 film festivals, corporate offices and 100’s of NGO’s worldwide to advance sustainable practices and policies. The STRAWS in Schools campaign is part of an impact program coordinated by educational media distributor Video Project, and offers NGSS/STEM/STEAM curriculum with the educational license.

Contacts:

Discovery Education
Stephen Wakefield
Email: SWakefield@discoveryed.com
Phone: (240) 463-2894

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