Nov 18-24 PBS Teachers Newsletter

PBS Teachers Newsletter

November 18-24, 2007

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

Program Times listed are for KNME-TV/Channel 5. If you would like to customize your newsletter or change your local station, please visit http://www.pbs.org/teachers/preferences

PBS IN EDUCATION

PBS Launches Collaboration with AASL
Online

PBS and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), are collaborating to support school library media and technology integration specialists in their work. PBS Teachers site visitors now have direct access to select articles from AASL's flagship publication, Knowledge Quest, while Knowledge Quest readers will be able to find information on PBS links and resources that further enrich the content in the current Knowledge Quest publication. Published bimonthly September through June, Knowledge Quest is devoted to offering substantive information to assist building-level library media specialists, supervisors and library educators. Articles address the integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning theory and relevant disciplines.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqweb.cfm
Listen and Learn: New Education Lectures Available on the WGBH Forum Network
Online

A host of new lectures are now available on the WGBH Forum Network, a free online resource that offers audio and video streaming lectures from leading authorities. The WGBH Forum Network offers an extensive on-demand audio and video library of scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policy makers and community leaders discussing numerous topics relevant to educators and their students.
http://www.forum-network.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=118
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THE ARTS

Art in the Twenty-First Century: Paradox
On-Air & Online
Grade Range: 9-12

The final episode of the series showcases five artists who, through uniquely different styles of work, address and respond to contradiction, conflict and ambiguity and examine the relationship between mystery and meaning in art. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/art21
Fetch!: Size it Up
Offline Activity/Project
Grade Range: K-2, 3-5

Enlarge a drawing by using a grid and reproducing each block on a square sticky note. Explore the eye's ability to blend distortions and errors when viewing the reproduction from a distance.
http://pbskids.org/fetch/parentsteachers/activities/act-sizeitup.html
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HEALTH AND FITNESS

American Masters: Alice Waters: You Are What You Eat
Lesson Plan
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8

Examine eating habits and determine how one can eat food that is healthier and tastier. Develop a proposal and multimedia presentation about improving the quality of food in the school.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/education/lesson24_overview.html
American Experience: Miss America
Offline Activity/Project
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Explore gender roles, multiculturalism and social diversity through the evolution of the Miss America Pageants of the twentieth century. Explore social issues surrounding the events, including those of race, sexual discrimination and body image.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/missamerica/tguide/index.html
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MATH

PBS Parents Guide to Early Math: Tickets Please
Interactive/Online Activity
Grade Range: PreK, K-2

Explore different number combinations that add up to the same number. Leveled for one-digit and two-digit sums.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/earlymath/grades_games_tickets_fla.html
Mathline : Neighborhood Math: Math at the Mall
Offline Activity/Project
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8

Explore numbers, data anaylsis and graphing at a mall by categorizing the types of stores, figuring percentages of each type and graphing the results. Create a scale drawing of the mall, and figure the amount of area used by each category.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/concepts/neighborhoodmath/activity1.shtm
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READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS

WordGirl!: The First Ever Word Girl Web Comic!: Mystery Meat
Interactive/Online Activity
Grade Range: K-2, 3-5

Read WordGirl's first ever Web comic if you're ready to improve your vocabulary and delve into the mystery of "Mystery Meat!"
http://pbskidsgo.org/wordgirlcomic
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Art Beat at School: Life Reflections in Songwriting and Poetry
Lesson Plan
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Analyze, discuss and compare sources of inspiration and writing styles, including use of words and imagery, of various songwriters. Create a journal documenting your life experiences and write a song or poem that reflects those experiences.
http://www.opb.org/education/atschool/lesson.php?rowid=74
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SCIENCE AND TECH

Nature: The Beauty of Ugly
On-Air & Online | Sunday, November 18, 2007, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

From hagfish to naked mole rats, warthogs to proboscis monkeys to the ugliest bug in Oklahoma, "Nature" explores how and why ugly can be beautiful -- even when it isn't pretty. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/beautyofugly/index.html
NOVA: Master of the Killer Ants
On-Air & Online | Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 8:00 - 9:00 PM
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

In the Mandaras Mountains of northern Cameroon lives the Mofu -- an ancient tribe that shares its homes and crops with insects in a mutual balance of survival. But this year, a terrible drought has hit the region, and the termites, usually the Mofu's precious ally, have left the fields and invaded the huts and granaries. To fight back, the Mofu shaman calls for Jaglavak, a ferocious army ant with the body of a dragon. This program is shot in an intimate style that takes viewers into the traditional mindset of the Mofu shaman and the villagers who depend on him. Then, with high-tech macro shooting techniques, the film goes underground and gives viewers a terrifying close-up look at a termite's fortress and the war that rages between termites and Jaglavak. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova
Wired Science
On-Air & Online | Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Grade Range: 9-12

"Wired Science" travels to Japan and meets up with a GeekDad who builds fighting robots for competitions; Adam sits down with Anne Wojcicki and Linda Avey, the co-founders of 23andMe, to chat about giving people insight into their genetic information; we meet medical professionals who are working to eliminate symptoms of various diseases by supplying electricity to the brain; we venture out to the first International Rocketbelt Convention in Niagara Falls; and Ziya Tong travels to Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park to discover how lasers aid in the preservation of ancient sites. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)

Log on to the Education section of the "Wired Science" Web site to find blogs with expert teachers discussing how to use "Wired Science" in the classroom, student of the month and teacher of the month features, and a "Careers in Science" section.
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/
Leonardo's Dream Machines
On-Air & Online | Thursday, November 22, 2007
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

This two-part program follows the world's leading experts as they attempt for the first time to build some of Leonardo da Vinci's dream machines -- to his exact specification and scale -- 500 years after he first committed his ideas to paper. Were Leonardo's ideas the flights of fancy of a gifted artist or revolutionary designs hundreds of years ahead of their time? (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

WGBH: Meet the Greens!
Station
Grade Range: K-2, 3-5

"Meet the Greens" is a site for kids from WGBH about sustainability and green living that encourages kids to make informed choices and meaningful changes.
http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/
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SOCIAL STUDIES

Athens: The Dawn of Democracy
On-Air & Online | Monday, November 19, 2007, 9 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Bettany Hughes explores the contradictions of the "Golden Age" of ancient Athens, where democracy emerged nearly 2,500 years ago. Far from an environment of peace and tranquility, democratic Athens was a bloody, tumultuous place of both brilliant ideas and a repressive regime. No two years went by that Athenians didn't vote to go to war. Eventually the empire withered, to be crushed finally by Alexander the Great. It would be another 2,000 years before society was once again able to tolerate the idea of democracy -- rule by the people. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/previews/athens/
Independent Lens: The Creek Runs Red
On-Air & Online | Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 4:00 - 5:00 AM
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

The EPA calls the mining town of Picher, Oklahoma, the most toxic place in America, but a dwindling population still calls it home. Today the town is divided by fears of serious health risks, environmental politics, civic pride and old racial tensions between Indian and white society. This program explores the human response to an environmental disaster and the complex connection between people and place. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/creekrunsred/
Frontline: On Our Watch
On-Air & Online | Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 9:00 - 10:00 PM
Grade Range: 9-12

The world said "never again!" after the Holocaust, yet Cambodia, Srebrenica and Rwanda would follow. "Frontline" asks why the genocide in Darfur was allowed to unfold. It has been meticulously chronicled, mapped by satellite, endlessly debated at the UN and allowed to proceed unabated for four years. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darfur/
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal
On-Air & Online, 8:30 - 9:00 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-Air & Online | Friday, November 23, 2007
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, November 23, 2007, 9:00 - 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
Do You Speak American?: Hour Three
On-Air & Online | Friday, November 23, 2007
Grade Range: 9-12

On the left coast, the series spotlights Spanglish -- a hybrid of Spanish and English -- and explores Chicano -- the thriving, distinct street talk of the Los Angeles Latino community. Robin MacNeil visits classrooms in which young students learn to translate Ebonics into the classroom English they will need to succeed in the workforce. MacNeil gets a lesson in surfer-, skateboarder- and skater-speak. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/speak/
Online NewsHour EXTRA: Pakistan's President Promises Elections
Online
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Violent clashes last week in Pakistan between anti-government protesters and police renewed pressure on Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to steer the country toward a true democracy.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec07/pakistan_11-12.html
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PBS BLOGS

Media Infusion: Connecting Students with History
Online
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

In this month's Media Infusion, American History teacher Eric Langhorst writes about the importance of making history matter to your students by giving them more than just facts and figures. Langhorst was a 2005 Global Microsoft Innovative Teacher and teaches eighth grade in Liberty, Missouri. He offers tips for bringing history - and World War II in particular - to life through personal stories.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion/
Learning.now with Andy Carvin: Students Weigh in on Media Literacy
Online
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Andy Carvin stands on the sidelines as a group of students in Georgia duke it out over the need for teaching media literacy. Their comments offer tantalizing insight on how students perceive what they’re being taught, their own media consumption and their role as media producers.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/11/students_weigh_in_on_media_lit.html
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PBS PARENTS

PBS Parents: Ask WordGirl!
Online
Grade Range: PreK, K-3, 3-5

Meet Dorothea Gillim, the former fifth grade teacher and creator of WordGirl. She explains the genesis of the the young superhero who uses her eloquence to defeat a variety of villains. Want to make learning vocabulary fun? Ask her how.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts.html
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GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
Online

The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program supports efforts to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians and the faculty who will prepare them. It also supports grants for research related to library education and library staffing needs, curriculum development and continuing education and training. Maximum Award: $1,000,000. Deadline: December 17, 2007.
http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/21centuryLibrarian.shtm
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Copyright 2007 PBS Online.

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Many terrorists come to America legally and hang around on expired visas (some for as long as 10-15 years). Now take Blockbuster, for example: you're two days late with a video rental and those people are all over you. I think we should put Blockbuster in charge of US immigration!

Ed Helper - http://www.edhelpernet.com/
Leader Lobby - http://www.neighborhood13-1.com/Leader_Lobby.html