PBS Teachers Newsletter: May 20 - 26, 2007

Welcome to the PBS Teachers Newsletter, the weekly newsletter from PBS designed specifically for PreK-12 educators

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The program times listed below are for PBS's national schedule and may not be accurate for your station. Please check your local station TV Schedules, http://www.pbs.org/teachers/tvschedules/, for the most accurate dates and times.

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PBS IN EDUCATION
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High School Students and Educators Encouraged to Participate in Veterans History Project
Online
9-12

In anticipation of the September premiere of Ken Burns' "The War," the Library of Congress, PBS and WETA have launched a nationwide educational outreach program that will give World War II veterans the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own words. PBS and the Library of Congress are encouraging your high school students to take part in this process by interviewing veterans in your community. More than 100 public television stations nationwide will also participateby reaching out to veterans for stories to be shared locally on-air, online and through community events funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

http://www.pbs.org/thewar


Education World rates PBS Teachers "A+"
Online
PreK / K-2 / 3-5 / 6-8 / 9-12

Education World, a Web site dedicated to recognizing the best in online educational resources, awarded PBS Teachers an A+ in its May Web site review. Giving PBS Teachers an A+ in both content and site design, "teachers looking for curriculum materials in any subject area or grade level need look no further," wrote the editors of Education World.

http://www.education-world.com/awards/2007/r0507-11.shtml


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THE ARTS
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Masterpiece Theatre
The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, May 20, 2007
9 - 10:30 pm

Just as Martha Stewart has turned us into nations of wannabe domestic goddesses, the Victorians had their own preacher in the shape of Mrs. Isabella Beeton. Dead at the age of 28, this cultural icon was not the sturdy matron one might imagine, but a sassy and talented journalist and editor with an equally entrepreneurial husband, Sam. (CC, Stereo, DVI, 1 year)

Learn more about the real Mrs. Beeton and get some of her guidance and recipes at the companion Web site. http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece/mrsbeeton


Big Apple History
On With The Show!
Lesson Plan
3-5 / 6-8

Examine comedy skits based on family or domestic situations and compare vaudeville comedy to the comedy of today. Learn to write a comedy script based on a family or domestic situation and to stage a skit.

http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/parentsteachers/arts_lesson8.html


MPT -- Maryland Public Television
Knowing Poe
Station
6-8 / 9-12

Through the activities on this site, you can introduce learners (or, be introduced, yourself) to the literature, life, and times of Edgar Allan Poe -- one of America's foremost writers.

http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_realtest.asp


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HEALTH AND FITNESS
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It's My Life
When Food Becomes a Problem
Lesson Plan
3-5 / 6-8

Describe different types of eating disorders and evaluate effects of eating disorders on the body and emotions. Explain how and why one should help someone with an eating disorder.

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/parents/lesson_plans/when_food_is_a_problem.html


NOVA
Test Your Brain
Interactive/Online Activity
6-8 / 9-12

Investigate the effect of oxygen deprivation on brain function and test the changes in mental abilities climbers experience as they climb to ever-higher altitudes, in this virtual experiment.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/exposure/braintest.html


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MATH
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NOVA
Virtual Stock Market
Interactive/Online Activity
6-8 / 9-12

Investigate the workings of the stock market by trading traditional stocks and using call options in this online interactive activity.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/stockmarket/virtual.html


Clifford
Measuring Up
Interactive/Online Activity
PreK / K-2

Develop understanding of words associated with size, location and comparison in this interactive game. Select the tallest, lowest, longest and smallest objects as Clifford and his friends test your knowledge.

http://pbskids.org/clifford/games/measuring_up.html


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READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS
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Masterpiece Theatre
A Death in the Family
Lesson Plan
6-8 / 9-12

Study the life and work of James Agee. Determine the extent to which James Agee's characters in "A Death in the Family" are real or idealistic and explore Agee's themes of grief, religion, music and coming of age.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/death/tguide.html


The Amazing Colossal Adventures of WordGirl
Sentence Fluency, Word Spill
Lesson Plan
K-2 / 3-5

Apply new vocabulary and develop fluency in speaking and writing by creating sentences from word cards "spilled" during this game.

http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/parentsandteachers/pt_lessonplans.html


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SCIENCE AND TECH
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Nature
Murder in the Troop
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, May 20, 2007
8 - 9:00 pm

In a wildlife story with Shakespearean overtones, life becomes dangerous for twin baboons in Zambia when their father is defeated as alpha male of the troop by the dominant ruler of a neighboring troop, unleashing potentially deadly intrigue. (CC,Stereo, DVI, 1 year)

Log on to the companion Web site to take a virtual safari through the Zambezi.

http://www.pbs.org/nature/murder


NOVA
The Great Robot Race
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
8 - 9:00 pm

NOVA follows the race to build an autonomous vehicle that can successfully complete a rugged, 212-kilometer course across the Nevada desert in the DARPA Grand Challenge 2005. (CC, Stereo,DVI, 1 year)

Download our teacher's guide in which students design, build and test a rubber band-powered car.

http://www.pbs.org/nova/darpa


Secrets of the Dead
Voyage of the Courtesans
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
8 - 9:00 pm

In 1789, more than 200 female thieves, prostitutes and con-artists, rounded up from London's most notorious prisons, were shipped off to an Australian penal colony aboard a leaky vessel named the Lady Juliana. Once aboard, the wily women turned their banishment into opportunity, transforming their ship into a rowdy floating brothel. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Examine the clues and evidence at the companion Web site.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_courtesans


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SOCIAL STUDIES
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American Experience
The Great Transatlantic Cable
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Monday, May 21, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

Until the first transatlantic cable was laid, communication between North America and Europe took at least a week. This program documents the grueling attempts to manufacture a cable long enough to span the continents and the challenges of laying it across the ocean floor. (CC, Stereo, DVI, 1 year)

Use our teacher's guide to lead your students in a discussion about whether it is possible for the world to be growing more united and more divided at the same time.

http://www.pbs.org/amex/cable


City At War: London Calling
On-Air
9-12
Monday, May 21, 2007
10 - 11:30 pm

This program vividly depicts London under assault from Germany during World War II, following legendary American newsman Walter Cronkite back to London, where as a United Press correspondent, he filed newspaper stories on the Blitz, D-Day and more. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)


Frontline
A Hidden Life
On-Air & Online
9-12
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

Tune in for this investigation into the real story behind a scandal. The conservative Republican mayor of Spokane, Washington, was caught leading a double life. But how had his deepest secrets been uncovered? (CC, Stereo, DVI, 1 year)

Download our lesson plan in which students learn about the guiding ethical principles of professional journalists.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hiddenlife/


Independent Lens
Knocking
On-Air & Online
9-12
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
10 - 11:00 pm

This film opens the door on Jehovah's Witnesses, revealing how they have impacted society in ways far greater and more surprising than the spreading of their faith. (CC, Stereo, DVI,1 year)

At the companion Web site, learn about the myths and realities regarding Witnesses, their practices and beliefs.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/knocking


The Blair Decade
On-Air
6-8 / 9-12
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
9 - 11:00 pm

This program tells the inside story of Tony Blair's rise to Number 10 Downing, providing a new view of the Labour Party's most successful leader -- a man who is ruthless, never compromises, is supremely confident of his judgment and may have sacrificed part of his domestic agenda for a foreign policy that almost destroyed him. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)


Churchill
The Lion's Roar (part 2 of 3)
On-Air & Online
9-12
Thursday, May 24, 2007
10 - 11:00 pm

This episode traces Churchill's leadership of Britain through its finest hour during the Battle of Britain. The program also explores the relationship between Churchill and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Explore our online interactive world map to find out about Churchill's worldwide influence.

http://www.pbs.org/churchill


NOW
On-Air & Online
9-12
Friday, May 25, 2007
8:30 - 9:00 pm

Through documentary segments and interviews with original thinkers, "NOW" goes beyond the noisy churn of the news cycle and gives you the context to explore your relationship with the larger world. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Tell us what you think in our online "Question of the Week; "Will climate control be a dominant issue in the Presidential campaign?

http://www.pbs.org/now


Bill Moyers Journal
On-Air & Online
9-12
Friday, May 25, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

Veteran journalist Bill Moyers returns to PBS with a weekly public affairs series featuring interviews and news analysis on a wide range of subjects, including politics, arts and culture, the media, the economy and issues facing democracy. (CC,Stereo, 1 year)

Share your thoughts in our blog; should a politician be expected to keep separate his or her personal faith from the political arena?

http://www.pbs.org/moyers


Online NewsHour EXTRA
Battle Rages over Religion and Turkish State
Lesson Plan
6-8 / 9-12

Turkey's parliament canceled the country's presidential elections, amid mass protests over the ruling party's nominee.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june07/turkey_5-09.html


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PBS BLOGS
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Learning.now with Andy Carvin
Open Letters on the Role of Education Technology
Online
3-5 / 6-8 / 9-12

The U.S. Secretary of Education is asking for your input on the role of technology in the classroom.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/05/open_letters_on_the_role_of_ed_1.html


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PBS PARENTS
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Young Children and Television
Online
PreK / K-2 / 3-5 / 6-8

A new study released last week reports that 90% of two-year-olds are regular television watchers. TV is prevalent in the lives of very young children; however studies on TV and toddlers are fairly rare. Children's media expert Shelley Pasnik has scoured the research to answer your most common questions about young children and television.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/article-faq.html


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