Charlotte, NC (Thursday, March 28, 2024)—Oregon’s Harrisburg School District (HSD) today announced a new multiyear partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education. Thanks to this new collaboration, teachers and students in HSD’s elementary school classrooms will soon have access to two dynamic new digital products that empower educators to bring science instruction to life in ways that ignite student curiosity about the natural world and drive deeper engagement in learning.
Located in Northwestern Oregon and serving the city of Harrisburg and the surrounding rural areas of Benton, Lane and Linn Counties, HSD offers a comprehensive K-12 education. Through an elementary school serving students in kindergarten through 4th grade, a middle school serving students in 5th grade through 8th grade, and a high school for 9th grade through 12th grade, HSD’s talented team of professionals provide students learning opportunities that empower all students to succeed.
The HSD’s elementary school team sought a new suite of high-quality science resources aligned to state standards that would be simple to integrate into instruction and support the district’s goals for academic progress. Following a thorough review of viable solutions, the district selected Discovery Education’s Science Techbook for Oregon and Mystery Science for classroom use.
Delivered through Discovery Education Experience, the company’s K-12 learning platform, Science Techbook for Oregon is a K-12 core curriculum that includes engaging digital resources, print student textbooks, hands-on activity kits, virtual investigations, and custom professional learning. Adopted for classroom use by Oregon’s State Board of Education and aligned to the 2022 Oregon Science Standards, this comprehensive resource includes ready-to use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students, powerful technology tools—such as toggle-on Spanish translation—that personalize access, and time-saving teacher tools that streamline prep and grading. Science Techbook for Oregon is available in both print and digital formats, providing a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore, including hands-on engineering activities, interactive labs, and STEM connections.
Through its digital, print, and blended options, Science Techbook for Oregon delivers a wide range of high-quality resources that support students as they discover how science is practiced in the real world, while focusing on deeper understanding and application of grade-appropriate science content. Recently, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook was certified as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier III standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Mystery Science provides K-5 educators simple-to-use, open-and-go, hands-on lessons that inspire students to love science. Each lesson begins by posing a question commonly asked by young students. Students then explore these questions through interactive videos featuring real-world visuals fostering a sense of wonder and actively supporting student engagement in the accompanying discussion prompts. Mystery Science simplifies prep for teachers, making the integration of this resource into classroom instruction simple. Plus, all K-5 science lessons are available in Spanish, with accompanying videos featuring authentic Spanish narration and Spanish text-on-screen (for discussion questions, vocabulary words, and step-by-step instructions). Editable, ready-to-use worksheets and assessments are also available in both English and Spanish.
“Igniting young learners’ curiosity about the natural world at a young age is important,” said Darcey Edwards, Principal of Harrisburg School District’s Elementary School. “If an educator can spark students’ curiosity in science, they can engage them in learning and begin to build the knowledge and skills that will promote further academic success as they progress through school. We believe these new resources will pique students’ curiosity and engage them in science, and we look forward to seeing these tools in action in our classrooms.”
All HSD educators will now also enjoy access to the Discovery Educator Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration.
“Discovery Education is excited to kick-off this new collaboration with the Harrisburg School District,” said Abbey Whitworth, Discovery Education Account Executive. “The educators serving Harrisburg’s elementary school students are dedicated to helping each student live up to their fullest potential and we look forward to supporting their efforts with these dynamic resources.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
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