Discovery Education’s Science Techbook for Texas is a comprehensive core curriculum designed for Texas teachers and students.
Science Techbook for Texas strategically and systematically integrates the scientific and engineering practices, recurring themes and concepts, and grade-level content as outlined in the TEKS.
Assessments include new STAAR question types: text entry, hot spot, drag and drop, multipart, multi-select, and short constructed response.
Easily meet lab and activity requirements with engaging hands-on activities and interactives that fit into a 20-minute lesson.
Elementary lessons are ready-to-teach in slideshow format with point-of-use instructor support.
Science Techbook for Texas provides a complete science curriculum in English and Spanish.
Science phenomena and activities feature Texas locations so students can truly see themselves in the program.
Science Techbook for Texas is a hands-on and immersive active learning program. Watch students transform into junior scientists and engineers through engaging real-world lessons!
Students are motivated to understand the science content because it’s exciting and relevant.
Students build conceptual understanding through hands-on activities and interactives in every Concept.
Tools like language toggles and Immersive Reader along with embedded differentiated instruction strategies support accessibility.
Make the most of your time! Science Techbook for Texas includes intuitive digital tools that personalize the student experience and instructor resources that streamline processes.
The Science Techbook for Texas Elementary curriculum scored 100% on all indicators of the TRR Report. Learn more here.
The embedded formative assessment prompts throughout the K-5 program are STAAR 2.0 assessment types. Additionally, you will find Concept Summative Assessments in the Evaluate lessons for grades 3-5. The question types in these assessments also mirror the look and feel of STAAR- based item types and include the new STAAR 2.0 question types: text entry, hot spot, drag and drop, multi-part, multi-select, and short constructed response.
Many assessments are automatically graded, and instructors can view student and class performance in the Concept Assessment Results section. Constructed response questions include rubrics for additional feedback.
For more information on assessments, click here.
At the close of each Explore lesson, students complete a formative assessment called “What Did You Figure Out?” Available in print and digital modalities, these assessments provide a quick opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding.
Phenomenon Check-Ins, found at the end of every hands-on activity, serve as another formative check for understanding that allows students to reflect on their sensemaking. As students generate and analyze data, these artifacts allow teachers to monitor student progress. Many formative assessments are auto-graded with built-in scaffolded supports for instant feedback.
For more information on assessments, click here.
Using the CER framework, students synthesize the evidence gathered while completing hands-on activities, interactives, and literacy lessons during their Explore Lessons. They evaluate the validity of this evidence to answer their original questions from Engage.
In K-2, knowing our youngest learners are still novices to scientific and engineering practices, we include the claim statements for instructors to use as a whole-class discussion and encourage students to talk with one another to share how evidence does or does not support each claim.
In grades 3-5, we scaffold students’ understanding as they begin to construct their own scientific claims and explanations.
Rubrics and the ability to provide personal feedback to their peers help students continue improving the rigor of their explanations over time.
Students can build scientific and academic vocabulary with the interactive glossary. Always available in the toolbar, and hyperlinked throughout lessons, this supportive resource expands on definitions with key context, videos, images, and animations.
Science Techbook for Texas includes a wide variety of technology tools and instructional strategies that save both teachers and students time including a Lexile toggle that changes the Lexile of the student narrative for grades 3- 5, Immersive Reader for the lesson slideshows and the Interactive Glossary, text-to-speech, highlighting and notetaking tools, point-of-use differentiation strategies for approaching learners, advanced learners, and emerging bilinguals, ELPS support strategies, SOS instructional strategies, and common student misconceptions.
Use the Explore More Resources section to assign TEKS-aligned activities and resources that focus on Concept Background, Reinforcement, and Extension. Resources are designed to be completed independently by students.
Literacy Cards enhance lessons for students in grades K-2. K-5 literacy lessons, with activities such as Read Togethers, are delivered via slideshows and include strategies for whole and small-group instruction.
Students and instructors can also take advantage of the Immersive Reader located within the Lesson slideshows and the interactive glossaries. Immersive Reader provides personalized access to the curriculum with features such as read-aloud, line focus, translation, and grammar markings, as well as the ability to adjust the size, style, and color of the font.
Yes! Grades K-5 include Mystery Science phenomena to introduce select concepts. Engage lessons employ a variety of instructional methods, including hands-on, video, data sets, and images to awaken students’ curiosity about science phenomena.
The elementary student curriculum is available in authentically translated Spanish to support Emergent Bilinguals.
Embedded strategies for Emergent Bilinguals aligned to the ELPS are available at point-of-use within the teacher materials. These include guidance for linguistic accommodations (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the ELPS.
Numerous lessons within the concept include detailed teacher support for how they can facilitate and encourage the use of students’ first language, alongside the acquisition of the English language. These features provide four scaffolded strategies that can be employed based on the language proficiency level of the students in the classroom.
Students and instructors can also use the Immersive Reader in the lesson slide shows and interactive glossaries. Immersive Reader provides
personalized access to the curriculum with features such as read-aloud, line focus, translation, and grammar markings, as well as the ability to adjust the size, style, and color of the font. Immersive Reader also authentically translates the text into over 100 languages.
For more information on our multilingual resources, click here.
Discovery Education features like Assessment Builder and Studio give teachers the flexibility to create their own customized assessments to best meet their student’s needs.
