Access Discovery Education Science Techbook with a view that lets you browse by course, unit, or concept, and explore the tools and resources found throughout Science Techbook.
Due to varying state requirements, we have several different versions of Science Techbook. Please select your version to display the most relevant article for you. Note that some screenshots may not match exactly, but the information is still relevant and accurate.
- Modular: A 16 unit course designed for Middle School Science, driven by phenomenon and hands-on investigations. Note that Grade 6 begins with the Unit titled Rocked Sled.
- National: A comprehensive program with high-quality three-dimensional lessons and hands-on investigations for students that follows the 5E instructional model. Note that each Concept includes Intro and Beyond components.
- California: A comprehensive guide for California partners.
- Classic: A foundational program that helps you design high-quality lessons and activities for students that follows the 5E Instructional Model. Note that each Concept includes a Model Lesson.
Overview
Accessing Science Techbook
Select Science Techbook from the Curriculum Packs section of your My DE homepage. You can also access Science Techbook from any page using the Global Navigation menu in the top left corner.
Course, Unit, Concept
The following are key terms used in Science Techbook:
- Course: The overall course of study in an academic area.
- Unit: Each unit is organized around the research-backed phenomenon-based storyline learning model.
- Lessons & Activities: Each modular unit contains a series of lessons broken into activities that follow a logical development of student understanding of the Disciplinary Core Ideas in the unit.
Science Techbook opens to the last course visited. If you have access to multiple courses (K-5 or 9-12), switch courses by using the drop-down at the top of the page.
Course Views
There are three ways to navigate the content of each course in Science Techbook: Overview, Table of Contents, and Standards views.
- Overview, the default view, is a browse-enabled, visual grid.
- Table of Contents view provides a more linear, book-like navigation. Select Lesson Standards to view all resources for the entire lesson. Select Standards on each concept to see the grade-level standards for the concept, or use the Expand All button to see all standards addressed in the unit. This view gives you a quick view of each activity including timing pacing.
- Standards displays the course content broken down by standards. Select a standard, expand to the detail of the standard until blue hyperlinked text appears, and then select the standard content. This displays the unit(s) where that standard is addressed.
Unit Overview
Once a unit has been selected, the Unit Overview tab displays the lessons and activities.
On the Unit Assessments and Resources tab, find the performance-based assessments as well as additional teacher documents to support planning.
Assessments and Resources
Digital Performance-Based Assessments expect students to demonstrate three-dimensional learning through multiple prompts associated with a problem-based scenario and expose students to a variety of item types. These Performance-Based Assessments are designed to provide evidence of student learning for each of the performance indicators included in the unit.
Online Teacher Guides that accompany the Performance-Based Assessments describe the multidimensional nature of each prompt and provide sample student responses. Note that these assessments are also available in Spanish.
Teacher Planning Resources
Additional unit-specific materials such as storyline, overview, structure, planner, objectives, and teacher background are available to support planning.
The Lesson Narrative and Lesson Progression support teachers in planning out the pacing and design of their lessons with students.
Overview
Accessing Science Techbook
Select Science Techbook from the Curriculum Packs section of your My DE homepage. You can also access Science Techbook from any page using the Global Navigation menu in the top left corner.
Course, Unit, Concept
Science Techbook is organized and described using the following vocabulary:
- Course: Overall course of study in an academic area.
- Unit: Thematic groupings of learning concepts.
- Concept: Individual topics of study.
Science Techbook opens to the last course visited. If you have access to multiple courses, you may switch courses by using the drop-down from the top action bar.
Course Views
There are three ways to navigate the content of each course in Science Techbook: Overview, Table of Contents, and Standards views.
- Science Techbook Overview, the default view, is a browse-enabled, visual grid. [Note: This screenshot is from Grades 6-8, K-5 has a different look, but the structure is the same.]
- Table of Contents view provides a more linear, book-like navigation. Select Standards on each concept to see the grade-level standards for the concept, or use the Expand All button to see all standards addressed in the unit. Print the Table of Contents view using the printer icon in the toolbar.
- Standards displays the course content broken down by standards. Select a standard, expand to the detail of the standard until blue hyperlinked text appears, and then select the standard content. This displays the unit(s) where that standard is addressed.
Unit Navigation
Select any Unit to see an expanded description of the unit of study and description of its Concepts, with fast access to teacher support, concept resources. Locate the unit assessment in Unit Assessments and Resources.
Once a unit has been selected, the Unit Overview tab displays complete concept descriptions, concept Resources, unit project, anchor and investigative phenomena
The Unit Assessment, found in Unit Assessments and Resources, includes the three-dimension performance-based assessment for the unit, available in both English and Spanish.
5E Instructional Model
Science Techbook follows the 5E Model of Instruction (5Es), a research-based instructional cycle that uses complex essential questions to guide the learning experience.
Each of the 5Es describes a phase of learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The 5Es allows students and teachers to experience activities that build upon prior knowledge to construct meaning and demonstrate progress toward learning goals.
The inquiry learning cycle is not linear, so you can move between the 5Es for content and resources to best meet the needs of students. Resources in Discovery Education Science Techbook are organized around the 5E instructional model based on their use by the student: engaging with a concept, exploring resources, explaining understanding, elaborating though deeper investigation, and evaluating understanding.
Recognizing the need to organize instruction into manageable segments for elementary students, some versions of our Science Techbook condense the 5E Model into three segments: Wonder, Learn, and Share.
Accessing Science Techbook
Select Science Techbook from the Curriculum Packs section of your My DE homepage. You can also access Science Techbook from any page using the Global Navigation menu in the top left corner.Course, Unit, Concept
Science Techbook is organized and described using the following vocabulary:- Course: Overall course of study in an academic area.
- Unit: Thematic groupings of learning concepts.
- Concept: Individual topics of study.
Course Views
There are three ways to navigate the content of each course in Science Techbook: Overview, Table of Contents, and Standards views.Overview, the default view, is a browse-enabled, visual grid. Here, access a Unit or explore the various Concepts that make up a Unit.
The Table of Contents view provides a more linear, book-like navigation. Select Standards on each concept to see the grade-level standards for the concept, or use the Expand All button to see all standards addressed in the unit. Print the Table of Contents view using the printer icon in the toolbar.
The course content can also be displayed in a Standards view. Select a standard, expand to the detail of the standard until blue hyperlinked text appears, and then select the standard content. Science Techbook displays the concept(s) where that standard is addressed in Science Techbook, or view all concept resources that support the standard.
Unit Navigation
Select any Unit to see an expanded description of the unit of study and description of its Concepts, with fast access to model lessons and concept resources. Find the unit assessment in Unit Resources.Once a unit has been selected, the Unit Overview tab includes the Anchor Phenomenon and displays complete Concept descriptions, Investigative Phenomenon, Model lessons, and Concept Resources.
The Unit Assessment, found in Unit Assessments and Resources, can be used as a formative or summative assessment with questions similar to those students experience on computer-based, high-stakes tests. Tests are offered in English and Spanish.
5E Instructional Model
Science Techbook follows the 5E Model of Instruction (5Es), a research-based instructional cycle that uses complex essential questions to guide the learning experience.
Each of the 5Es describes a phase of learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The 5Es allows students and teachers to experience activities that build upon prior knowledge to construct meaning and demonstrate progress toward learning goals.
The inquiry learning cycle is not linear, so you can move between the 5Es for content and resources to best meet the needs of students. Resources in Discovery Education Science Techbook are organized around the 5E instructional model based on their use by the student: engaging with a concept, exploring resources, explaining understanding, elaborating though deeper investigation, and evaluating understanding.
Recognizing the need to organize instruction into manageable segments for elementary students, some versions of our Science Techbook condense the 5E Model into three segments: Wonder, Learn, and Share. Accessing Science Techbook
Select Science Techbook from the Curriculum Packs section of your My DE homepage. You can also access Science Techbook from any page using the Global Navigation menu in the top left corner.
Course, Unit, Concept
Science Techbook is organized and described using the following vocabulary:
- Course: Overall course of study in an academic area.
- Unit: Thematic groupings of learning concepts.
- Concept: Individual topics of study.
Science Techbook opens to the last course visited. If you have access to multiple courses, you may switch courses by using the drop-down at the top of the page.
Course Views
There are three ways to navigate the content of each course in Science Techbook: Overview, Table of Contents, and Standards views.
Science Techbook Overview, the default view, is a browse-enabled, visual grid.
Table of Contents view provides a more linear, book-like navigation. Select Standards on each concept to see the grade-level standards for the concept, or use the Expand All button to see all standards addressed in the unit. Print the Table of Contents view using the printer icon in the toolbar.
The course content can also be displayed in a Standards view. Select a standard, expand to the detail of the standard until blue hyperlinked text appears, and then select the standard content.
The concept(s) where that standard is addressed in Science Techbook displays, or you can view all concept resources that support the standard.
Unit Navigation
Select any Unit to see an expanded description of the unit of study and description of its Concepts, with fast access to model lessons, concept resources, and find the unit assessment in Unit Resources.
Once a unit has been selected, the Unit Overview tab displays complete Concept descriptions, Model Lessons, and Concept Resources.
The Unit Assessment, found in Unit Assessments and Resources, can be used as a formative or summative assessment with questions similar to those students experience on computer-based, high-stakes tests.
5E Instructional Model
Science Techbook follows the 5E Model of Instruction (5Es), a research-based instructional cycle that uses complex essential questions to guide the learning experience.
Each of the 5Es describes a phase of learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The 5Es allows students and teachers to experience activities that build upon prior knowledge to construct meaning and demonstrate progress toward learning goals.
The inquiry learning cycle is not linear, so you can move between the 5Es for content and resources to best meet the needs of students. Resources in Discovery Education Science Techbook are organized around the 5E instructional model based on their use by the student: engaging with a concept, exploring resources, explaining understanding, elaborating though deeper investigation, and evaluating understanding.