Silver Spring, MD (September 24, 2019) – Illinois’ Danville Community Consolidated School District No. 118 (DSD#118) announced today that it has launched a new partnership with Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. This new partnership promotes the integration of Discovery Education’s high-quality digital content into Social Studies lessons at the district’s North Ridge Middle School, and emphasizes student-centered, inquiry-based Social Studies learning opportunities.
Located approximately 30 miles east of Champaign on the Illinois-Indiana border, DSD#118 serves a diverse population of approximately 5,500 students each day. To support efforts to create engaging digital classrooms that feature lessons aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science and increase opportunities for student-driven inquiry, DSD#118 educators in the school system’s middle school will shortly begin integrating Discovery Education’s award-winning Social Studies Techbook into classroom instruction.
Currently used by approximately 5.6 million students across all 50 states and Canada, Discovery Education’s Techbooks are fully interactive, comprehensive digital curriculums. Updated regularly at no additional cost, Discovery Education’s Techbooks include detailed lesson plans, hands-on activities, digital simulations, and robust teacher supports that immerse students in inquiry-driven instruction.
Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook utilizes an inquiry-based instructional approach that emphasizes informational text literacy, analytical writing, and problem-solving skills that students will apply in the classroom and beyond. Each subject area includes primary source documents and activities, digital investigations, multimedia reference library, interactive maps, and more.
“Our educators were looking for innovative to ways to meet the Illinois Social Studies Standards and enhance student-driven inquiry in their classrooms,” said MaryEllen Bunton,
Danville Community Consolidated School District No. 118’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction. “Our new Social Studies Techbooks provide Middle School teachers a digital resource that not only meets these needs, but is also aligned with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework. We believe this new digital textbook will give our students exciting new ways to engage in a host of Social Studies topics.”
To help educators learn how to effectively use their new Techbooks to support instruction, Danville Community Consolidated School District No. 118’s Middle School educators will participate in robust professional learning opportunities and job-embedded instructional coaching delivered by Discovery Education experts. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating technology and digital content into teaching and learning in ways that will maximize the power of their new resources, increase student engagement in instruction, and improve students’ academic achievement.
Educators will also be supported in their efforts to create digital learning environments by the Discovery Education Community. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.
“We at Discovery Education are incredibly excited to launch our new collaboration with Danville Community Consolidated School District No. 118,” said Nellie Herchenbach, Discovery Education Partnerships Manager. “School systems across Illinois are leading a nationwide movement to create dynamic digital Social Studies lessons that engage students and prepare them to participate in our 21st Century democracy, and we are eager to continue this important work in Danville.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources 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.
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
