The session focuses on the shift from traditional instruction to three-dimensional, phenomenon-based teaching. Participants will explore how students learn better with phenomena that stimulate student questions and a storyline where each lesson builds on what students have learned in earlier lessons and sets the stage for learning in later lessons.
Ted Willard is a Senior Subject Matter Expert in Science for Discovery Education where he develops three-dimensional, phenomenon-based science curricula. Before joining Discovery Education, Ted spent eight years as the in-house standards expert for the National Science Teaching Association... Read More →
Tuesday July 22, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am CDT Mundelein 403
Participants will learn processes to unpack the crosscutting concepts in the Next Generation Science Standards and other State Standards based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education. These crosscutting concepts provide a useful lens for students when they ask questions about and try to make sense of phenomena.
Ted Willard is a Senior Subject Matter Expert in Science for Discovery Education where he develops three-dimensional, phenomenon-based science curricula. Before joining Discovery Education, Ted spent eight years as the in-house standards expert for the National Science Teaching Association... Read More →
Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:10am - 11:55am CDT Mundelein 403
Students need to be creators of content, not merely consumers. It's time to transform your classroom into a dynamic hub of creation and innovation! This engaging presentation will ignite your imagination and equip you with practical strategies to turn your students into passionate content creators through the power of podcasting. We'll dive deep into the "why" and "how" of integrating podcasting into any subject or grade level. You'll gain a wealth of ideas for bringing this exciting medium directly into your classroom, fostering critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills.
Join The DE Assessment and Adaptive Learning team for a practical, hands-on session centered on creating effective Classroom Assessments. During this session, participants will learn industry best practices that can be applied to any assessment, from lesson-level checks for understanding to end-of-course tests. Part of the session will be devoted to creating an assessment using what you've learned for a real topic you'll be teaching in the Fall.
Director of Assessment and Adaptive Learning, Discovery Education
As a lifelong educator and lover of learning, Jessica is obsessed with creating solutions to help teachers solve the puzzle of student academic growth and mastery, for every kid.Jessica began her career in education as an elementary school teacher and Teach for America Corps Member... Read More →
Kelly began her career as a bench chemist, specializing in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) and radiochemistry. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, with a minor in Chemistry. Her academic journey also includes studies in forensic... Read More →
Senior Assessment and Adaptive Learning Specialist
A passionate educator and advocate for equity in learning, Betsy is driven by the belief that all students can succeed when given the right tools and support. She began her career teaching English as a Second Language in South Korea and New York City, then went on to serve in multiple... Read More →
Tuesday July 22, 2025 2:10pm - 2:55pm CDT Mundelein 403
Generative AI is EVERYWHERE in toda's world and certainly in many classrooms across the globe. If you feel unsure about where to begin on this journey, this session is for you. Join the Assessment and Adaptive Learning team for a session on fun and exciting session on Generative AI. This will be a hands-on session where we will explore various tools to get your toughest-to-engage learners excited about learning. We will be creating songs, vision boards, slideshows and more during this session. All materials will be shared so that you can easily use them with your students.
Director of Assessment and Adaptive Learning, Discovery Education
As a lifelong educator and lover of learning, Jessica is obsessed with creating solutions to help teachers solve the puzzle of student academic growth and mastery, for every kid.Jessica began her career in education as an elementary school teacher and Teach for America Corps Member... Read More →
Kelly began her career as a bench chemist, specializing in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) and radiochemistry. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, with a minor in Chemistry. Her academic journey also includes studies in forensic... Read More →
Senior Assessment and Adaptive Learning Specialist
A passionate educator and advocate for equity in learning, Betsy is driven by the belief that all students can succeed when given the right tools and support. She began her career teaching English as a Second Language in South Korea and New York City, then went on to serve in multiple... Read More →
Tuesday July 22, 2025 3:40pm - 4:25pm CDT Mundelein 403
Take a journey through Game-Based Learning and Interactive Experiences that foster personalized learning and put students in the driver's seat. Take on the role of a Crash Test Engineer at Honda Motor Company, step into the shoes of a co-op farmer, take the wheel at a copper mine, and more! The choice is yours! All resources shared come with curriculum aligned to national standards. Even better, all of Discovery Education's immersive games are available through a web browser - giving students an all access pass to powerful learning experiences.
Augmented- and virtual-reality tools are no longer futuristic add-ons—they’re classroom game-changers. In this fast-paced, hands-on session, we’ll show you how Discovery Education’s Immersive Learning platform (including the free Sandbox AR app and standards-aligned 3D lesson library) can transform any lesson into an exploration your students can step inside.
You’ll watch a live AR demo, unpack ready-to-teach immersive lessons, and practice simple routines that keep mixed-reality activities on-task and student-centered. Walk away with an “Immersive Lesson Planner,” classroom-ready rubrics, and management tips that turn apprehension into confidence—so you can launch your very first immersive experience the next day. Bring a charged device and your curiosity; we’ll supply the tools, resources, and a confidence boost to match.
How do DE curriculum designers develop K-5 lessons in Science Techbook? Take a peek behind the curtain into the activity-based National NGSS-aligned K-5 program. We will highlight features and resources in the program that can be implemented in your classroom right away!
Hailey Adams is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Engagement for Science at Discovery Education. Hailey attended North Carolina State University graduating with a degree in secondary science education with a speciality in life sciences. Hailey has 10 years of experience... Read More →
What is Phenomena and what makes it engaging? By centering science education on phenomena that students are motivated to explain, the focus of learning shifts from learning about a topic to figuring out why or how something happens and connects that learning to the natural world. Explore hands-on examples of phenomena-based lessons as we share resources to get you started on building your own phenomena based science lessons.
Brad is a passionate educator with over 20 years of educational experience. He began his career teaching in a 3-5 multi-age classroom in rural North Carolina where he utilized some of the earliest educational internet based web resources. He launched one of the first technology based... Read More →
Thursday July 24, 2025 11:10am - 11:55am CDT Mundelein 403
In this engaging and interactive session, we will explore how to harness the power of Mystery Science to ignite and sustain curiosity in the classroom. Participants will discover practical strategies for integrating hands-on exploration with Mystery Science and learn how to seamlessly implement these activities alongside Discovery Education Experience to create a dynamic and enriching learning environment. Get ready to roll up your sleeves, have some fun, and walk away with a ready-to-use alignment between Mystery Science and Experience!
Melissa Hampton is a Senior Director of Teaching and Learning for Discovery Education. Prior to joining Discovery Education, Melissa spent 20 years in public education serving as a junior high and high school teacher, instructional coach, high school administrator, and a K-12 district Director... Read More →
Thursday July 24, 2025 1:15pm - 2:00pm CDT Mundelein 403
We want to hear from you! Embedding STEM Careers content in our products is important to us. We welcome your feedback on NEW careers-specific instructional approaches. How would YOU love to see careers content delivered to students in your classroom or school? Let's chat!
Hailey Adams is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Engagement for Science at Discovery Education. Hailey attended North Carolina State University graduating with a degree in secondary science education with a speciality in life sciences. Hailey has 10 years of experience... Read More →
Thursday July 24, 2025 2:10pm - 2:55pm CDT Mundelein 403
We want to hear from you! Earning more instructional time, especially in elementary, is one of Discovery Education's highest priorities. We welcome your feedback on cross-curricular integration within our products. How do YOU currently integrate other subjects into instructional time? How could your instructional materials better support integration? Let's chat!
Hailey Adams is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Engagement for Science at Discovery Education. Hailey attended North Carolina State University graduating with a degree in secondary science education with a speciality in life sciences. Hailey has 10 years of experience... Read More →
Thursday July 24, 2025 3:40pm - 4:25pm CDT Mundelein 403
