Discus–A Resource for Homeschoolers in SC

Move over Google Search Engine. It’s time to try this instead: Discus. The SC Discus resource is one of my favorite homeschool tools. And it’s FREE for all residents in South Carolina!

It’s like some kind of secret that nobody seems to know about. But, I’ll shout it from the rooftops–you’ve got to know Discus!

But, it’s so cool once you dig into it. Please just try it–I think you’ll like it.

• If you’d like test prep for GED, SAT, ACT plus full practice tests.
• If you’re teaching the a broad topic, like the Civil War. And you’d like an overview of the subject with subtopics you might also include
• If you’d like to find out pros and cons of hot-button political and social issues–from vetted, researched perspectives (not just the echo chamber of social media).
• If your emergent reader would benefit from audio read along options. Or you’d like to try familiar books and topics in a foreign language.
• If you’d like your students to learn how to learn.

This information is accessible from your home…all this is right at your fingertips! What a great thing for South Carolina homeschoolers to be able to utilize. You’ve got to know SC Discus!

SC Discus Resource

SC Discus is free to all South Carolina Residents. You can access it though your county library website with your library card. Or through the State Library with a secret User ID and password (which we’re not allowed to publish online.) Note: if you need the access info, we have to verify you’re a resident of SC and then we can tell you privately. (Scroll down to request password information).

See what all the Discus resource has to enhance your homeschool. It’s great for unschoolers to follow their interests on any topic. It’s also an ideal supplement for any curriculum.

 Note: Discus resources do change from time to time. They keep the ones that are most used, so here’s a few of the ones that you might want to use for your homeschool. Updated 11/2021

African-American History: Explore 500 years of African-American history and culture. For Middle school and High school. Includes videos, slideshows, images, biograpies, primary sources, maps, graphs and searchable timelines. Contains pro/con articles on hundreds of controversies.

Animal Kingdom: Easy-to-read articles, videos, and photos with age-appropriate reference and learning materials for ages K-4th grade.

Auto Repair Source: Auto service and repair info form more than 38,000 vehicles. Includes step-by-step repairs with images from manufacturers guides, labor estimates and diagnostic trouble codes.
Recommended for speaking knowledgably with mechanics or to DIY your own auto repairs.

Bloom’s Literature: A comprehensive source for literary research on writers and their works throughout history and the world. Information on more than 46,000 major and minor literary characters. For middle school and up.

Britannica School: An encyclopedia and related content on three levels: elementary, middle and high school, as well as teacher resources; also includes access to the Britannica Learning Zone for early-childhood learners in prekindergarten through 2nd grade. Read-Aloud feature in the encyclopedia articles highlights each word as it is read to increase comprehension for struggling readers, English language learners, and visually impaired users.

Credo Reference: Where do you even start to research a topic? Credo’s database includes overview and orientation on topics and subject matter. Mindmapping tool helps locate subtopics that you should include in your lessons or research paper. Includes links to encyclopedias, biographies, chronologies, and dictionaries, all from well-respected publishers. Plus the entire DK Eyewitness eBook series is available here too.

Culture Grams: Delve into the map and take a closer look at the history, lifestyle and society that lives there. Audio and video clips, recipes and teaching activities.

Explora for Elementary Schools: Search this collection of more than 1.2 million images of relevant photos, maps, flags, and more. Includes nearly 100 popular full-text elementary school magazines, such as Boys’ Life, Cricket, Highlights, Junior Scholastic, and Zoobooks.

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center: Comprehensive resource for career exploration and planning for middle school thru adults. Career interest assessments that rank interests and suggest occupations and industries. Provides education planning for undergrad, grad, nursing, or vocational and technical schools. Covers 140 industries and career fields with thousands of professions.

Gale in Context: BiographyA comprehensive resource of more than 600,000 biographies of people from around the world and throughout history. For all ages. Multimedia content that includes video, audio clips and images.

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints: Explore 100’s of contemporary social issues with content structured to promote critical-thinking skills and information literacy. Vetted, peer-reviewed articles, pro and con viewpoints for middle school and high school research.

History Reference Center: Full-text reference eBooks, encyclopedias, peer-reviewed journals, primary source documents and videos, images covering US and world history. For middle school and up.

Learn 360: Multimedia resources covering many subjects, includes high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, interactives, maps, and science experiments. For preK thru 12th grade. Covers all significant subject areas: English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Health, World Languages, Technical Vocational Education, Music & Dance, and more. Integrates with Google Classroom.

Learning Express: Test prep resources for all ages. A comprehensive collection of test-preparation tools, skill-building materials, and other career and life skills resources. Tools for improving proficiency levels in reading, writing, and math for elementary school learners through adults. Interactive skill-building tutorials and 130+ e-book titles. You can even take a simulation SAT test for practice…set it at timed or untimed.

Literary Reference Center: A broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works. Includes plot summaries, synopses and work overviews; articles/essays of literary criticism; author biographies; book reviews; classic and contemporary poems and short stories; and author interviews.

Magic School Bus: Collection of 51 videos  that teach science by taking kids (ages 6-9) on a virtual bus ride with Ms. Frizzle. Part of the Learn 360 infobase.

NovelList K-8: What do you want to read next? This resource is for helping students find their next great fiction or nonfiction title to read. Contains over 700 BookTalks, over 950 searchable award lists, and options to sort by popularity and/or Lexile reading levels

PebbleGo — Animals: Engaging read-alout audio and videos with articles appropriate for K-3rd students. Games, definitions, a Question of the Day, and educator resources. Available in English and Spanish.

PebbleGo Next — Biographies: Engaging read-aloud audio and videos with articles appropriate for grades 3-5. Categories include: Actors, American Indians, Exploreres, Scientists, and Women.

Science Reference Center: Contains full-text science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, essays, and biographies of scientists and major fields of study. Multimedia includes animations, images, and video

Small Business Reference Center: Up-to-date information on topics related to small businesses and entrepreneurs for adult researchers. Recommended for homeschool families and groups running home-based business.

StudySC: Welcome to South Carolina with links to quality online content for South Carolina-related topics for all ages. Provides teachers with lesson plans and other content to support classroom activities. Arranged by grade level and subject area. Includes homework help, projects and more.

Teen Book Cloud: 1,000 graphic novels, enhanced eBooks, classic literature, National Geographic videos, educator resources and audiobooks for grades 7-12.

Tumblebooks: Contains over 1,400 read-aloud storybooks, chapter books, graphic novels, songs, and National Geographic videos. Geared for ages K-6th grade. Special features include a book report organizer, puzzles and games, pre-selected playlists. Some books are available in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.

TumbleMath: The most comprehensive collection of math picture books and stories. Combines annimation, narration, and sound to create compelling and enticing story book for K5-6th graders.

Plus Discus has several college and adult reference databases to explore business, alternative/natural medicine, and more.

It’s a lot of information to explore. So, just start with one of the links that I’ve recommended. Check the Training tab for upcoming webinars, archived tutorials and printable guides and handouts.

See what I mean? Discus is a great resource. Tell all your friends, “You’ve got to know Discus!”
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