The BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Monthly bulletins have fresh instructional ideas, classroom swag, and community announcements for classroom teachers. 

This Month's Question - How can I keep my class engaged and energized before winter break?

How to Motivate Students to Work in Collaborative Teams

• "Boost and maintain classroom energy through the rest of 2024 by having students work together. From project-based learning to a culture of celebration, student collaboration can improve active listening, engagement, and more."
• Read up on BrainPOP educators' best classroom collaboration tips.

Five Brain Breaks Ideas for Middle School Students

• "Middle school students may need a minute, or five minutes, to fully get ready to start that lesson. There are quite a few distractions in and outside the classroom. Whether it’s the start of class or a break in between lessons, no brain break is too small or too big."
• Check out this BrainPop blog post for some unique classroom attention getters to boost learning all day.

ICYMI: 3 Reasons AI Should Be Part of Your Digital Citizenship Lessons

• "Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a term that has made many rounds in the news cycle this year. As with any emerging technology, it has come with various (and even divided) opinions, especially when it comes to its use in education. However, there’s one thing we can all agree on–AI isn’t going anywhere." 
• Read the recent BrainPop Teaching Strategies blog post to learn more.

Don't miss fresh new classroom swag!

• Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!
• Download stickers, posters, game templates and much more!

Here are some "Timely & Relevant" resources from Discovery Education for December 2024 - your daily hub of resources for your classroom with digital media and ready-to-use learning activities. Be sure to log into your district's single sign on link for Discovery Education before clicking on the links in this post.

Explore the Ready-to-Use-Activities

• Explore DE's ready-to-use activities for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade bands. These time-saving activities can be used as-is or modified to meet the needs of their classroom! From Background Builders to Daily Sentence Fix-Its to Choice Boards and more – teachers can find quick grab and go resources to use anytime in the Instructional Activities Channel, such as:

  • Activity Calendars for Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5 - Use them as they are or make your own copy to edit and share.
  • Daily Sentence Fix-It Calendars for each month for Grades 3-5 - Check out this month's December edition.
  • Need to Know Lesson for Grades 3-8 - The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch - engage students in a classroom activity that features the primary source photograph, "Supreme Court of the United States." (as seen in the image below)

Highlighted Monthly & Timely Content

• Searching for timely monthly resources? Check out the December Highlights Newsletter for instant access to a treasure trove of Discovery Education resources for all grade levels - perfect for monthly celebrations. View examples that include:

Holiday Celebrations:

• • Celebrations of Light Around the World (3-8)

  • Sentence Fix-It: December Holidays  (K-2)

  • Hanukkah  K-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | K-12 Channel

  • Christmas K-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | K-12 Channel

  • Kwanzaa  K-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | K-12 Channel

Timely Celebrations:

• • Hour of Code/Computer Education Week (12/6-12/12): Computer programming, often called coding, is the process of entering a sequence of instructions to command a computer to complete a specific task. 

• • Pearl Harbor (12/7): Explore the events surrounding the Battle of Pearl Harbor and the loss of more than 2,000 lives on December 7, 1941. 

  • Genocide Prevention Day (12/9): USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education is dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides a compelling voice for education and action. 

  • International Mountain Day (12/11): Witness how Earth changes—all around you, and all the time! 

  • Wright Brothers Day   (12/17): Learn about the contributions of the Wright brothers to the field of aviation.

  • First Day of Winter   (12/21): Discover a collection of videos, images, songs, and writing prompts that explore the science behind the seasons and their environmental effects.

ICYMI - School Leaders - set your teachers up for success with DE Experience

• Check out the Discovery Education Experience Toolkit that contains resources and training materials for teachers, including bite-sized, engaging micro-training is tailored for teachers (by teachers) and encourages them to dive into the product, customize their homepage, and quickly find the content resources they need. Everything you need is here, including email templates, a talking script, and a resource list. 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Discovery Education

The BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Monthly bulletins have fresh instructional ideas, classroom swag, and community announcements for classroom teachers. 

This Month's Question - How can I meet students where they are on their learning path?

 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 

• Classrooms are filled with diverse learners, each with unique strengths and abilities. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides teachers with a framework to meet students where they are and create inclusive, empowering learning experiences. Check out BrainPop's guide for incorporating UDL best practices in your classroom!
• Go to the Guide!

Teaching Strategies: Quick Attention Getters to Boost K-3 Classrooms

• "It’s the first day back from a long weekend, or maybe it’s right before a big holiday break, and your class just won’t focus. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep those curious minds focused on a task or project. Our team of former teachers and admins, otherwise known as BrainPOPers, understand and have been just like you sitting in that energetic classroom."
• Check out this BrainPop blog post for some unique classroom attention getters to boost learning all day.

ICYMI: 3 Reasons AI Should Be Part of Your Digital Citizenship Lessons

• Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a term that has made many rounds in the news cycle this year. As with any emerging technology, it has come with various (and even divided) opinions, especially when it comes to its use in education. However, there’s one thing we can all agree on–AI isn’t going anywhere. 
• Read the recent BrainPop Teaching Strategies blog post to learn more.

Leveled Reading and Vocab Builder

• Our new learning activities Leveled Reading and Vocab Builder help build background knowledge across a wide range of subjects, making curricular material more impactful for all learners. Log in to try some activities for yourself!

The next Big Library Read kicks off on November 7th with a mystery for the whole family to enjoy!

The Sora Big Library Read is occurring again this year from November 7 - 21

• Have your students join and participate in a worldwide book club this November! Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key by Tracy Occomy Crowder will become available for simultaneous use in ebook and audiobook formats between November 7-21. The title, along with a promotional spotlight on Sora, will be added at no cost. 

• Like past Big Library Read programs, you can download free marketing materials and use #BigLibraryRead on social media to get the word out. There is a letter from the author and a reader group guide available for parents and educators. 

• Legler Regional Library in Chicago, Illinois will be hosting a live event on November 21 from 5-7 PM CDT. Author, Tracy Occomy Crowder will be attending from 6-7 PM for a live reading, audience Q&A, and story writing activity. Any readers that are interested in attending virtually can register here or via Legler Regional’s website!

• The Content Access Level for this title is set at "Juvenile"

Summary

• "In 2008 Chicago, in the Southside community of Washington Park, Montgomery “Monty” Carver had hopes for the best summer ever! Unfortunately, things aren’t going as planned. Monty is struggling to prove to his parents that he’s old enough to be without adult supervision - especially after a very embarrassing incident with a metal detector. Man! So when Monty finds a golden key in Old Lady Jenkins’s sunflowers, he decides he’s going to unravel the key’s mystery all by himself, thank you very much. No parents allowed. Besides, he’s ten years old now, and he’s mastered the perfectly round ‘fro! (It takes a protractor, you see.) Soon Monty’s hunt to determine the origin of the key leads him to discover the rich history—like famous Black jockeys!—of his Chicago community, which has been speculating its future since one of their residents, Barack Obama, is running for president and the Olympics might come to town in 2016.
  
  On top of all that speculating, there are rumors going around that a ghost is hanging out behind their apartment building, and that Monty’s elementary school may have to close. So much to solve! Should the Olympics come to Washington Park? What happens if his school closes? Is there really a ghost? And where, oh where, did the key come from anyway? Monty is determined to find out."

Here are some "Timely & Relevant" resources from Discovery Education for November 2024 - your daily hub of resources for your classroom with digital media and ready-to-use learning activities. Be sure to log into your district's single sign on link for Discovery Education before clicking on the links in this post.

Explore the Ready-to-Use-Activities

• Explore DE's ready-to-use activities for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade bands. These time-saving activities can be used as-is or modified to meet the needs of their classroom! From Background Builders to Daily Sentence Fix-Its to Choice Boards and more – teachers can find quick grab and go resources to use anytime in the Instructional Activities Channel, such as:

  • Activity Calendars for Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5 - Use them as they are or make your own copy to edit and share.
  • Daily Sentence Fix-It Calendars for each month for Grades 3-5 - Check out this month's November edition.
  • Background Builder for Grades 6-8 - Industrial Revolution - Students learn how to describe key events and explain the impact of the Industrial Revolution. (as seen in the image below)

Highlighted Monthly & Timely Content

• Searching for timely monthly resources? Check out the November Highlights Newsletter for instant access to a treasure trove of Discovery Education resources for all grade levels - perfect for monthly celebrations. View examples that include:
  • Children's Book Week (11/4-11/10): See children's picture books come to life with Weston Woods during Children’s Book Week which begins on November 6th.
  • Geography Awareness Week (11/11-11/15):  Celebrate Geography Awareness Week by sharing the majesty and diversity of the American landscape, from the Great Salt Lake to the beauty of Yellowstone National Park to the wilderness of the Badlands.
  • National STEM Day (11/8): Find lesson plans and self-paced modules rooted in STEM principles, as well as counselor and family resources which explore career options and provide a school-to-home connection.
  • Veteran's Day (11/11): Salute all who served in the military this Veterans Day! Veterans Day provides citizens with a chance to reflect on how war and conflict has shaped our country and a space honor those who have fought for freedom.
  • Thanksgiving (11/28): Give thanks on this annual holiday that started as a day of gratitude for the harvest bounty. Consider the history and tradition of Thanksgiving and browse through resources that highlight the evolving values, customs, and new interpretations of this holiday in modern times.

Virtual Field Trips and DE Docs

• What Is the Difference Between Virtual Field Trips and DE Docs? Virtual Field Trips offer dynamic, interactive experiences that take your students behind the scenes of unique destinations, connecting them to real-world problems through engaging, multimedia content, while DE Docs are new, long-form, documentary-style videos that provide an in-depth exploration of specific topics, offering new perspectives and a focused narrative to deepen your students' understanding.
  • DE Docs: Money Mastery
    • An engaging and educationally rich 20-minute video that makes building financial literacy accessible and approachable. Created for middle school students, this video provides them with the foundation they’ll need to make savvy financial choices now and in the future.
  • Check out the latest Virtual Field Trips premiering in November!
    
    • White Bird: The Courage of Kindness Virtual Field Trip | Nov 12 | Grades 6-12
    • Re-Powering the Future: A Mission Possible Virtual Field Trip | Nov 21 | Grades 9-12

School Leaders - set your teachers up for success with DE Experience

• This bite-sized, engaging micro-training is tailored for teachers (by teachers) and encourages them to dive into the product, customize their homepage, and quickly find the content resources they need. Everything you need is here, including email templates, a talking script, and a resource list. 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Discovery Education