PBS Teachers Newsletter: June 24 - 30, 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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THE ARTS
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Simon Schama's Power Of Art
Caravaggio
On-Air & Online
9-12
Monday, June 25, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's tumultuous life and career led to his final self-portrait in "David With the Head of Goliath." (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Tell us about the "power of art" in your life and win a trip to Washington, D.C., where Simon Schama will lead a special guided tour of the National Gallery.

http://www.pbs.org/powerofart


P.O.V.
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
On-Air & Online
9-12
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
10 - 11:30 pm

If the refugee is today's tragic icon of a war-torn world, then Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, a reggae-inflected band born in the camps of West Africa, represents a real-life story of survival and hope. Tune in for this tableau of tragedy transformed by the band's inspiring determination to sing and be heard. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Learn more about the film and the filmmakers at the companion Web site.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/sierraleone
(Available June 26, 2007)


Paul Simon: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
On-Air
3-5 / 6-8 / 9-12
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
9 - 11:00 pm

Paul Simon, one of America's most respected songwriters and musicians, will be the recipient of the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. This newly created award recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world's culture. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)


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HEALTH AND FITNESS
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Scientific American Frontiers
Genes and Aging
Lesson Plan
3-5 / 6-8

Explore the scientific breakthroughs in understanding the genes that control the way we age. Collect your own samples of active nematodes by assembling and using a device called a Baermann Funnel, then observe the behavior of these worms.

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1202/teaching/teaching2.htm


Sesame Street
Color Me Hungry
Interactive/Online Activity
PreK

Match colors while learning about good nutrition in this interactive game. Sort fruits and vegetables by color and Grover will tell you more about them.

http://pbskids.org/sesame/letter/colormehungry.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


Caillou
Train Conductor
Interactive/Online Activity
PreK

Complete patterns in this online interactive game to complete a colorful railroad track in time for the train to enter the station.

http://pbskids.org/caillou/games/train/index.html


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READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS
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Dragon Tales
Backwards to Forwards: Making Up Stories
Offline Activity/Project
PreK

Write a story about a day when everything went backwards. Select a story starter from a list and take turns telling parts of the story with an adult who will write them down.

http://pbskids.org/dragontales/parentsteachers/activities/activity123a.html


Culture Shock
Final Projects
Lesson Plan
6-8 / 9-12

Examine how America is still affected by slavery today, discuss the extent to which "Huck Finn" is a racist novel, identify alternative endings for the book and determine if the novel should be taught in American schools.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/teachers/huck/section6.html


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SCIENCE AND TECH
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Nature
The Venom Cure
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, June 24, 2007
8 - 9:00 pm

Poisons, toxins and venoms are the defense and attack mechanisms of the natural world. Yet scientists are finding impressive new possibilities for them -- new drugs, new cures, new ways to save lives. (CC, Stereo, DVI, 1 year)

Learn more about venom research at the companion Web site.

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


NOVA
The Great Inca Rebellion
On-Air & Online
9-12
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
8 - 9:00 pm

Using a mix of crime-lab science, archeology, and history, NOVA, in collaboration with National Geographic Television, reports on new evidence that is changing what we know about the final days of the once-mighty Inca Empire. (CC, Stereo, DVI, 1year)

In our online interactive feature, compare Inca and conquistador soldiers to see how markedly their dress and weaponry differed.

http://www.pbs.org/nova/inca
(Available June 19, 2007)


Bear Island
On-Air
6-8 / 9-12
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
8 - 9:00 pm

Tune in for this exploration of the secret world of western Canada's and Alaska's coastal rainforest grizzlies. Learn more about these creatures and how their environment is being depleted by man. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)


Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers
Cars That Think
On-Air & Online
9-12
Friday, June 29, 2007
10:30 - 11:00 pm

The fully automatic car may be down the road a ways, but cars that do your thinking for you are just around the corner -- they watch out for hazards, they listen to you, they read your lips, they even know when you're distracted.

Download our lesson plan in which students design their own model cars.

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1502


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SOCIAL STUDIES
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History Detectives
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Monday, June 25, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

America's top gumshoes are back for a fifth season to prove once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary. In the season premiere, the Detectives pursue the case of a portable projection screen that may have played a role in preventing World War III. (CC,Stereo, DVI, 1 year)

Use our online teacher's guide to engage your middle and high school students in rich history investigations.

http://www.pbs.org/historydetectives


Frontline/World
After the Wave
On-Air & Online
9-12
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

A new edition of the international newsmagazine includes stories from a remote area of Indonesia, where after the tsunami a former rebel tries to make peace with the past and from Mozambique, where trained rats save lives by discovering landmines. (CC, Stereo, DVI, HDTV, 1 year)

Download our lesson plans that focus on issues such as the role of women in China, tensions between Arabs and Iraqi Kurds and Russia's conversion from communism to capitalism.

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld


PBS Presidential Primary Forum with Tavis Smiley
On-Air & Online
9-12
Thursday, June 28, 2007
9 - 10:30 pm

Two live presidential forums, moderated by Tavis Smiley, kickoff an ambitious line-up of content on multiple platforms for PBS Election 2008. The programs mark the first time that a panel composed exclusively of journalists of color will be represented in a primetime presidential forum. Join us for the live Democratic presidential forum at Howard University in Washington, DC. The Republican presidential forum will be held September 27 in Baltimore, Maryland. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Log on to the companion Web site to tell us what you would ask the 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidates.

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/special/forums/index.html


NOW
On-Air & Online
9-12
Friday, June 29, 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)

In our Web exclusive renowned journalist William Greider talks about alternatives to urban sprawl.

http://www.pbs.org/now


Bill Moyers Journal
On-Air & Online
9-12
Friday, June 29, 2007
9 - 10:00 pm

This weekly public affairs series features 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)

Tell us your stories about groups that you've joined or witnessed in your local communities that speak to the notion of informed citizens effecting change, one small seed at a time.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers


Online NewsHour EXTRA
Bald Eagle May Fly off Endangered List
Online
6-8 / 9-12

Once on the brink of extinction, the bald eagle has rebounded and may soon be removed from the list of endangered species.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june07/eagle_6-13.html


KNPB
House with a History
Station
9-12

This is the companion Web site for the KNPB-produced series "House with a History." The series explores Nevada's historic houses and shows how these structures are a link to the state's cultural past.

http://www.knpb.org/productions/house/default.asp


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PBS BLOGS
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Learning.now with Andy Carvin
It's Never Too Early for Student-Generated Political Videos
Online
3-5 / 6-8 / 9-12

Andy writes about how one teacher has encouraged his students to produce and post online campaign ads representing past and future presidential candidates.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/06/its_never_too_early_for_studen_1.html


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PBS PARENTS
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How to Negotiate with Your Child
Online
PreK / K-2 / 3-5

Life with kids often involves negotiation, whether we like it or not. And negotiating with kids can be a challenging process. However, it can also actually be a great learning experience for your kids. If you don't negotiate, your children may not learn how to deal with conflicts constructively. If you don't teach them how to work with you, they may never learn how to work with others.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/negotiate.html


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