Oregon School District Rolls Out Discovery Education Digital Resources for Science Instruction
- By Kate Lucariello
- 04/17/24
As part of its multiyear partnership with Discovery Education (DE), Oregon's Klamath Falls City School District (KFCSD) has selected two new digital resources for its high school science curriculum, Science Techbook for Oregon and Pivot Interactives.
The course materials are aligned with the state's 2022 Oregon Science Standards and are part of a suite of "flexible, simple-to-use digital resources" delivered through the Discovery Education Experience, the company said.
The Science Techbook for Oregon is a core K–12 curriculum that includes "digital resources, print textbooks, hands-on activity kits, virtual investigation, and custom professional learning," DE said.
The lessons, which also feature a toggle-on Spanish translation, are "phenomena-driven" and are available in both print and digital formats. They feature immersive and interactive activities, labs, and STEM connections that demonstrate "how science is practiced in the real world," through grade-appropriate content, DE said.
Pivot Interactives is a library of over 10,000 interactive, video-based science activities which students can "explore and learn for themselves," the company noted. Tools include:
- IRIS, a color and light gauge to make accurate measurements;
- An interface that allows students to change actions in the videos and see the outcome;
- Instructions guides for how to collect, measure, analyze, and interpret data and receive feedback; and
- Open-ended, auto-graded questions that also provide answer hints and demonstrations to reinforce correct information.
Those interested in learning more about how it works can try an activity.
The school district also uses Mystery Science and DreamBox Math in its classrooms.
All KFCSD educators have access to the Discovery Educator Network of education professionals online and in person across school systems and around the world, the company added.
"Klamath Falls City School District has made it clear to the community that we expect every student to graduate," said Fred Bartels, KFCSD's director of school improvement. "But that is not enough. Students need to be ready to meet the challenges of our changing world. These new resources provide not only the knowledge needed for future success, but also the opportunities students need to develop the soft skills needed to thrive in the future."
About the Author
Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.