Discovery Ed Releases Free Resources for the 'Great American Eclipse'

Image: Discovery Education.

A total solar eclipse dubbed the "Great American Eclipse" is passing over the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic on Aug. 21 for the first time in 99 years and school districts across several states are getting ready. To help educators who are using the opportunity as a teaching moment, Discovery Education today released free educational resources that can be integrated into lessons.

Teachers and students nationwide now have access, at no cost, to multimedia resources that include “pictures and videos explaining what actually occurs during an eclipse,” as well as “a map detailing the 2017 Great American Eclipse’s march across North America,” according to information from the company. 

Other “special collection” resources have been added to the digital textbooks "Discovery Education Streaming Plus" and "Discovery Education Science Techbook," the company said. Discovery Ed is offering a free 60-day trial to explore the Solar Eclipse Content Collection.

For those who won’t be able to see the Great American Eclipse in real life (since its path of totality only covers about a dozen states), the company plans to livestream the eclipse from 1:17 p.m. to 1:23 p.m. Discovery Ed is encouraging participants to join the live Twitter chat happening between noon and 2 p.m. with @DiscoveryEd using the hashtags #CelebrateWithDE and #GreatAmericanEclipse. The live chat will feature Jeffrey Hall, an astronomer, astrophysicist and director of the nonprofit research institution Lowell Observatory.  

Resources are free and available at www.discoveryeducation.com/GreatAmericanEclipse.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • laptop screen displaying a typed essay, on a child

    McGraw Hill Acquires Essaypop Digital Learning Tool

    Education company McGraw Hill has announced the acquisition of Essaypop, a cloud-based writing tool that will enhance the former's portfolio of personalized learning capabilities.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.