Discovery Education is no stranger to virtual field trips, bringing students and educators to a wide range of places in the U.S. and globally – from Boston’s Museum of Science, to the food labs at Chobani, to Montana’s Glacier National Park and even to China with First Lady Michelle Obama. But Discovery Education had never hosted a live, international field trip – until now!
On Monday, November 10, Discovery Education hosted its first ever National School Assembly. This unique learning experience provided over 765,000 students around the world the opportunity to reflect on the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and to consider the importance of Remembrance Day.
The event was a virtual field trip, broadcast live from the moat at the Tower of London, amidst the breathtaking art installation created by artist Paul Cummins: “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” which features 888,246 ceramic poppies planted in the moat.
During the live event, produced to support the Tower’s “Why Remember?” school campaign, Access Hollywood correspondent and former Blue Peter presenter Tim Vincent introduced a series of moving and thought-provoking pieces that included students reading First World War poetry, a school choir, a live link-up to a Canadian school and an interview with Invictus Games gold medal winner and veteran Mickaela Richards. Cadet Sergeant-Major Robert Cousins poignantly closed the event by playing the Last Post.
To support the virtual field trip, Discovery Education offered participating educators a series of lesson plans and resources.
Interested in seeing the field trip for yourself? You can access an archive of the broadcast at www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/remembranceassembly.