Discovery Ed and Partners Launch 3 Free Virtual Field Trips

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/09/21

Identity and belonging, the truth about vaping and the potential of nuclear science are the topics of three free "virtual" fieldtrips that have been introduced by Discovery Education working with various partners. The point of the curriculum is to provide lessons to help students explore aspects of the world they might not otherwise have exposure to. Each field trip comes with educator guides, student activities and other resources.

The lessons include:

  • "Identity, Belonging, and Legacy: How Testimony Makes Us Stronger Than Hate," produced with USC Shoah Foundation, which maintains a library of audio-visual testimonies with people who have experienced genocide. The lesson opens for use on Apr. 15, 2021 at 1 p.m. Eastern time and explores the ways the present continues to be shaped by our collective past. The specific topic is the Armenian Genocide, which took place more than 100 years ago, but is still affecting people today. The virtual field trip is intended for students in grades 6-12.

  • "Nuclear Frontiers," created with help from the American Nuclear Society and the U. S Department of Energy, will launch on May 6. This interstellar virtual journey explores how nuclear science has fueled human progress from Earth to outer space "and beyond." Intended for grades 3-12, students will learn about the potential of nuclear energy and the STEM careers driving its innovation.

"Virtual field trips are a unique way to engage all learners and ignite their natural curiosity about the world" said Cecilia Wilburn-Davis, a grade 5 English language arts teacher at South Carolina's Oakbrook Elementary School at Dorchester School District Two, in a press release "With the digital content supports from Discovery Education and its partners, I have a set of powerful resources that take students beyond the classroom to explore the planet and discover new places, people and ideas they might not otherwise have the chance to meet."

The field trips can be found within its K-12 learning platform on the Virtual Field Trips channel, in the Corporate Education Partnerships channel and on the individual websites for each.

Learn more and register for the virtual field trips on the Discovery Education website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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