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PBS Teachers Newsletter


July 27-August 2, 2008

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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 for the most accurate dates and times.




THE ARTS

Great Performances: Dancing Good and Evil
Lesson Plan
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8

Create a pantomime, work cooperatively to conduct and share research, and identify and discuss how movement is used in dance to develop character.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/plan_swanlake_overview.html

NOVA : Car of the Future: Open Content - Getting Started
Offline Activity/Project
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Guide students through the process of video creation using a video-editing tool and the open-content clips available through the Car of the Future Web site. Search for clips by scene, topic, interview or keyword.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/open/teac-01.html


HEALTH AND FITNESS

Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Step By Step: Kids Trimming Down: Fitness & Nutrition Quiz
Interactive/Online Activity
Grade Range: 3-5

Test your knowledge of children's health with this interactive quiz. Answer 20 questions about exercise, psychology, pediatrics and nutrition and then evaluate your understanding of this growing problem.
http://www.lpb.org/programs/kidstttd/education/index.htm

American Experience: A Brilliant Madness
Offline Activity/Project
Grade Range: 9-12

Explore the mathematical genius and schizophrenia of John Nash and investigate his impact on military strategy. Role-play the "prisoner's dilemma" to understand game theory and its application in economic and military decisions of the 20th century.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/tguide/index.html


MATH

Scientific American Frontiers: Deep Crisis: Salmon Counting
Lesson Plan
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8

Explore the techniques of census and population counting. Infer numbers of a virtual population illustrated within a rectangular sampling grid, and observe the accuracy of the technique in relation to the sample size the estimate are based on.
http://www.pbs.org/saf/1306/teaching/teaching2.htm

Arthur : Go George Go
Interactive/Online Activity
Grade Range: K-2

Find the shortest route from one place to another in this interactive game.
http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/gogeorgego/index.html


READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS

Big Apple History: Raise a New Torch
Lesson Plan
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8

Explore immigration in the past and present, and examine the poem, "New Colossus," by Emma Lazarus. Compare this poem to poetry of today, and use information gained to write a new "welcome to America."
http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/parentsteachers/immigration_lesson2.html

Masterpiece Theater: Leo Tolstoy Timeline
Interactive/Online Activity
Grade Range: 9-12

Examine Leo Tolstoy's life and major works in the context of major world events. Understand how Tolstoy's work reflects his world and serves as social commentary, and discover information about historical events referenced in his novel "Anna Karenina."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/anna/timeline.html


SCIENCE AND TECH

Nature: Oceans in Glass: Behind the Scenes of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
On-Air & Online | Sunday , July 27, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Thanks to its realistic presentations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is recognized as one of the most significant and spectacular aquariums in the world. Instead of exhibiting collections of animals, the aquarium presents entire habitats, virtual slices of ocean that include 30,000 animals and plants. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/oceans-in-glass-behind-the-scenes-of-the-monterey-bay-aquarium/introduction/636/

NOVA: Car of the Future
On-Air & Online | Tuesday , July 29, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" take viewers on a roller-coaster ride into the world of cars as NOVA takes a look at the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/

NOVA ScienceNOW
On-Air & Online | Wednesday , July 30, 2008, 9 - 10:00 pm

NOVA scienceNOW follows the upcoming NASA mission to send a lander to Mars, a mammoth mystery and the recent passing of famed "cancer warrior" Judah Folkman. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/


SOCIAL STUDIES

Remembered Earth: New Mexico's High Desert
On-Air & Online | Sunday , July 27, 2008, 10:30 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Filmmaker John Grabowska and Indian author N. Scott Momaday present a vision of hope for humankind's relationship to the natural world by interpreting the myth, beauty and power of a scarred but sacred landscape of the American West. (CC, stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/rememberedearth/

History Detectives
On-Air & Online | Monday , July 28, 2008, 9 - 10:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

An artifact that could be a souvenir of the Hindenburg disaster; a stamp that may be connected to the Bonus Army March on Washington in 1945; and a bell that may have been ringside at Jack Dempsey's legendary world heavyweight championship match. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/

Wide Angle: Lord's Children
On-Air & Online | Tuesday , July 29, 2008, 9 - 10:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Three children kidnapped by Uganda’s anti-government rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and forced to commit atrocities, escape and take refuge in a rehabilitation center. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/

P.O.V.: Campaign
On-Air & Online | Tuesday , July 29, 2008, 10 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

An insider's view of Japanese electoral politics in this portrait of a man plucked from obscurity to run for a critical seat on a suburban city council. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/campaign/preview.html

Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal
On-Air & Online | Friday , August 1, 2008, 8 - 8:30 pm
Grade Range: 9-12

"Washington Week," the longest-running news and public affairs program on public television, has forged an editorial partnership with "National Journal," the nonpartisan publication that for 36 years has been dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of the politics and policy of the federal government. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

Be our fifth panelist. Write in for the "Webcast Extra." Answers to your questions will be available online Friday night.
http://www.pbs.org/washingtonweek

NOW on PBS
On-Air & Online | Friday , August 1, 2008, 8:30 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 9-12

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, 10-day fair use)
http://www.pbs.org/now

Bill Moyers Journal
On-Air & Online | Friday , August 1, 2008, 9 - 10:00 pm
Grade Range: 9-12

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)

Log on to the companion Web site to sign up for the Moyers podcast.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers

China from Inside: Shifting Nature
On-Air & Online | Friday , August 1, 2008, 10 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

China's environment is in trouble, but solutions often seem as harsh as the problems. Part 3 of 4. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/

Online NewsHour EXTRA: High Gas Prices Changing Habits, Consumer Choices
Online
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

With gasoline costing a national average of more than $4 a gallon, people across the United States are changing the way they shop, vacation and even go to school.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/us/july-dec08/gas_7-15.html


PBS BLOGS

Media Infusion


Blogger, Brett Smith, discusses the use of MP3 recordings during classroom music time as an authentic assessment tool for students. Smith also covers a variety of innovative teaching resources for music and content-area classrooms.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion/

Learning.now with Andy Carvin: Going Ape over APIs
Online
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Andy Carvin looks at API, which helps make the Internet the rich, interconnected ecosystem it is today.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2008/07/going_ape_over_apis.html


PBS PARENTS

PBS Parents: 5 Great Family Nutrition Habits
Online
Grade Range: PreK, K-3, 3-5

Even though it still feels like summer, it's not too early to start thinking about a new school year. A little advance preparation can make the first week a lot easier. Tailor these strategies to suit you and your child as you prepare for the big day.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/goingtoschool/before_school.html


GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

School Improvement Grants for Parent Involvement
Online

Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant program finances school-improvement projects initiated by parents. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: K-12 schools (including charter, private, and parochial schools) and parent groups associated with a nonprofit, K-12 schools. Deadline: Oct. 17, 2008.
http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/

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