Here, Nelson has been given a Mentor-Directed lesson during Discovery on the Parts of the Skeleton work and is focusing on a Stage 1 activity.
Discovery activities are designed to foster independence and to create a bridge between Foundations and Explorations. Inside the Classroom Guild, a vast array of didactic materials in four specific domains of learning (Language Arts, Math, Science, and Geography) help children construct this bridge.
During Discovery, the student apprentice is guided and supported by the Mentor to utilize didactic materials. These materials are concrete in nature and intended to isolate important concepts and skills. Didactic tools are self-correcting and foster learning that is simple and straightforward.
Instead of information passing directly from the Mentor to the student apprentice, didactic materials help children connect with the environment and make independent learning choices. But in order for children to utilize Discovery tools, they must first be mentored. Didactic materials are introduced and utilized in stages ranging from Mentor-directed to self-directed with the ultimate goal of student apprentices achieving independence.
The purpose of Discovery is not to leave children to do whatever they wish to do in the Classroom Guild. Rather, the goal is to remove all obstacles that distract from learning and to provide tools that promote Guild Touchstones.