North Clackamas School District has adopted an online Techbook for the middle school math curriculum: Discovery Education. It is also connected to Google. Students are able to sign in to this curriculum from home. As a part of any well-rounded classroom experience, the curriculum is a resource for good teaching and learning practices.
To sign in, follow the steps below:
1. Log in to the students NClack account on any google site (gmail or their drive account).
2. Then type in the URL or click on the link: google.discoveryeducation.com
3. This should automatically sign the students in to Discovery Education.
4. Click on the My DE Services Tab side menu.
5. Select Math Techbook.
6. From there, students can navigate to their current grade level, unit of study and concept of study.
The Discovery Education Techbook is very different for those of us who grew up with a traditional textbook. Here you will find some helpful information to help navigate the different and helpful features for accessing the material at home for both students and parents.
The Grade Level is like the overall textbook.
The Unit is the chapter. The Concept is the section of that chapter. In each Concept, there are 3 tabs along the top: Discover, Practice, and Summary.
The Discover section contains an Introduction and Investigations. These are things that I will be using in class. This section may not be the most helpful for parents or for students looking for direct review. It is the initial exploration, development, and interactive way to build conceptual understanding of the material. These are best explored through class time. We use these activities in a variety of ways in the classroom (rarely done independently on the computer).
Also within the Discover section, there is the Summary tab. The Summary section is a parent's best friend. This section is most similar to a traditional textbook. It has paragraph descriptions of the content to be learned, worked out examples, and explanation.
In the Discover section, there is also Extension. This a challenge problem. If your student easily understands the concept, the Extension is a good way to differentiate the instruction and dig deeper into the concept. This section and the apply section are used whole class when appropriate.
The second main tab is the Practice section, which involves Coach and Play for each section. These are practice problems focused on the current concept and content standards. Coach allows more feedback when students get an incorrect answer. Play involves badges for earning correct answers. These are used in class as practice, as homework review, and also can be used for independent study. If your student wants extra practice problems, try Coach and Play. The questions can be repeated. When working through Coach and Play, students should have out a paper for work and a calculator, if applicable. Another awesome feature within the Practice section is the tab at the top that says Additional Assistance. In the Additional Assistance section there are short video tutorials with teachers explaining how to directly do concepts. This is best for students who want a quick review, are struggling with a concept or who have been absent.
The last main tab is Apply. These are performance or extended tasks that are used to enhance investigation or depth in a content.