August 2000: Back To School Check out these interdisciplinary activity ideas, TV programs, and online resources. Be sure to check back in September for Hispanic Heritage content! Teaching Ideas: Gearing up for the new year! How can you connect learning theory and new technologies to enhance instruction this year? Consider these ideas: Everybody Wants To Know About The Paleolithic Era, Right? Building On Students' Prior Knowledge and Emotional Involvement Research tells us that learning is more meaningful and long-lasting when it builds off of prior knowledge, and when it involves emotional response. Look at how your lesson begins. Does it invite students to share their existing knowledge on the subject? Does it ask students to express their opinions, preconceptions, or feelings? Try a five-minute opening discussion or activity that offers this opportunity to "meet students where they are." Examples: The New Americans: Immigrant Contributions or Hemingway Adventure: Spain and Bullfighting. Technology applications that might support this: showing a brief video clip from a videotape (or streamed over the Internet) and assessing student reaction; participating in online surveys or polls; creating a graphic organizer of students' prior knowledge using an application like Inspiration®. Increasing Students' Metacognition One of the most critical factors in becoming a successful, lifelong learner is metacognition: the ability to assess your own progress, and identify your own strengths and weaknesses. When developing or selecting online activities for the classroom, select ones that offer students a chance to examine and reflect on the answers.   For example, activities should encourage student reflection rather than random guessing. For example, if you use an online game or quiz for kids, avoid at all costs those that employ the "Wrong. Try Again" screen. Online quizzes or other games should offer more constructive information: "This couldn't be right because... What other decade is closer to the present?" etc. Build in time for student reflection, self assessment, and peer assessment. As much as possible, direct students to participate in framing the activity (identifying central questions, designing an experimental setup) and determining evaluation measures. Online Examples include: POV: Blink "Hate Crimes," Not For Ourselves Alone: A Day In The Life Living Edens: Canyonland Erosion Scientific American Frontiers: Hidden Depths. Project management software, spreadsheets, databases, and multimedia authoring tools can all encourage students to plan and track projects, store and synthesize information in different ways, and design creative, detailed work products. PBS Online Resources: Sites to See Digital Divide http://www.pbs.org/digitaldivide/ Computers are increasingly conditioning the kind of country we live in. This site shines a light on the role computers play in widening social gaps throughout our society, particularly among young people. The site includes online forums, timelines, articles, and classroom activities. Frontline: Secrets of the SAT http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/ This site includes a historical look at the SAT, analysis of the test's fairness and effectivenss as a predictive tool, interviews, "insider" video of a college admissions screening session, and a chance to rate five college applicants and compare your picks with the experts. Frontline: The Lost Children of Rockdale County http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/georgia/ When a syphilis outbreak occured in an affluent Georgia community, residents were forced to take a hard look at the activities of the town's teenagers. The site includes discussion forums, interviews and analysis, teen health statistics, film excerpts, and links to related resources. Frontline: The Killer At Thurston High http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/ What led a 15 year-old Oregon boy to shoot and kill his parents and two classmates, and injure 25 others? The site includes biographical information, court records of Kinkel's trial, an exploration of the "predictors" of teen violence, an analysis of violence in the media, discussion areas, and information on where troubled teens can get help. Frontline: The Battle Over School Choice http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/vouchers/ The site includes a historical analysis of the current "crisis" in public schooling; information and critiques on vouchers, charter schools and for-profit academies; political analysis of Bush's and Gore's education platforms; and state-by-state information listings. In The Mix http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/ In the Mix, the national award-winning TV series for teens and by teens, brings you all of it...and gets everyone talking. Site features include installments on cliques, dating violence, teen immigrants, sports, media literacy, internships, and more. Independent Lens: Wannabe—Life and Death in a Small Town Gang http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/wannabe.html In "Wannabe," producer/director John Whitehead returns to his home town of Appleton, Wisconsin to investigate the rise and fall of a teen gang called the D-Mac Crew, which ended in a series of murder/suicides in 1995. Internet Literacy for Instructors http://www.pbs.org/adultlearning/als/netliteracy/index.html Internet Literacy is a fee-based, one-term integrated multimedia learning package from PBS's Adult Learning Service that uses the Internet to deliver a course about the Internet. Learning Adventures In Citizenship http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/ This site offers dozens of lesson plans built around inquiry pedagogy and a curriculum of historical and present-day local community study, for grades 4-6. The site also includes a teacher discussion forum, a primer on inquiry in the social studies classroom, information on local volunteerism, and online publishing opportunities for students. PBS LiteracyLink http://www.pbs.org/literacylink/ LiteracyLink is creating an integrated instructional system of video and online computer technology which will help adult students advance their GED and workplace skills. LiteracyLink also seeks to improve the quality of instruction provided to adult students by offering professional development resources and training to literacy educators. In addition, LiteracyLink offers a Web site to provide general information to the public about literacy. The Merrow Report http://www.pbs.org/merrow/index.htm The Merrow Report has been called "America's premier series on youth and education." John Merrow host a series of discussions with leading figures in the area of education and learning. On this Web site visitors can find schedules of the shows for radio and television broadcast, discussion groups, archives of past shows, and even live broadcasts of the show every Tuesday. Online NewsHour: Extra http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/ The Online NewsHour's "Extra" is special feature for teens. In tune with young people across America, this section of NewsHour is dedicated to getting students involved with events of the day. Ready to Learn http://www.pbs.org/kids/rtl/ Ready to Learn is PBS's community-based outreach to parents and childcare providers. RTL provides workshops in "smart" TV watching with children, administers a First Book reading program, and provides information about parenting skills and child development to interested people in the community. Understanding and Using the Internet http://www.pbs.org/uti/ Understanding and Using the Internet is a comprehensive two part documentary series on PBS. This companion Web site is a beginner's guide to using the Internet and has several reference links and resources for visitors. The Whole Child http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/ Get the scoop on child development from birth through age five, with a quick reference timeline, in-depth articles, activity ideas, video clips, and forum areas to share your thoughts. IdahoPTV & PBS Programs Don't miss these programs airing this Fall for use in the classroom! September: Clifford the Big Red Dog Airs M-F at 7:30/6:30 a.m. MT/PT and at 4:30 p.m. PT on KUID/KCDT beginning September 4 The popular Scholastic Book series by Norman Bridwell comes to television in a new contemporary animated series. A lovable oversized canine with his head in the clouds, but four paws planted firmly on the ground, Clifford presents a larger-than-life view of the world. Clifford will delight three-to-seven-year-old viewers with his hilarious adventures, while his "every dog" emotions will touch their hearts. DIALOGUE FOR KIDS - GOES WILD THIS MONTH! Airing the Second Tuesday of the Month at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT Due to the success of Dialogue For Kids this past year we are back for a second year with a new episode every month! We will be partnering with the Department of Fish & Game and the Bureau of Land Management this year to bring the top scientists into your classroom to answer student questions. This month, Joan Cartan-Hansen and her guests will answer your questions about salmon! Call in your questions LIVE during the show to 1-800-973-9800 or send questions in advance by e-mail to Joan_Cartan-Hansen@idptv.pbs.org or FAX them in to 1-208-373-7245. Many thanks to John Gahl and the folks at Project Wild for the use of the WILD ABOUT SALMON materials! Check out the WILD ABOUT SALMON resource guide now available on the web as part of the Dialogue For Kids site. FOREIGN LANGUAGES Incorporating a foreign language into your curriculum couldn't be easier! In September on the overnight block-feeds we are featuring programs designed to help you and your students learn Spanish, French and Japanese! The block-feeds air from 1:00 a.m./12:00 midnight - 3:00/2:00 a.m. MT/PT. First Steps En Espanol & Francais are designed to assist schools and teachers by providing students with instruction in a second language during the primary grades. These introductory courses for young students makes learning Spanish or French fun. First Steps En Espanol episodes 1-8 air Wednesday, September 6 and episodes 9-10 air Thursday September 7 First Steps En Francais episodes 1-8 air Wednesday, September 13 and episodes 9-10 air Wednesday September 20 Next Steps En Espanol & Francais are continuations of the First Step series, building and expanding on the vocabulary learned in the first series to include verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Next Steps En Espanol episodes 1-4 air Thursday, September 7, and episodes 5-10 air Thursday, September 14 Next Steps En Francais episodes 7-10 air Thursday September 21 Lyric Language teaches foreign languages to children through music and delightful bilingual lyrics. Takes the viewer on a series of real-life adventures while effortlessly teaching the foreign language. · Spanish Lyric Language airs Thursday, September 28 French Lyric Language airs Wednesday, September 27 Japanese Lyric Language airs Wednesday, September 27 NEWTON'S APPLE Tuesday mornings in September from 1:00 a.m /12:00 midnight - 3:00/2:00 a.m. MT/PT Back by popular demand! Newton's Apple returns to the ITV schedule this year! Each episode in this series contains several short segments, each on a different science subject. The segments' activities involve the host and guest scientists in the discovery of basic scientific facts and principles. The series covers a broad spectrum of subjects including Life Science, Earth Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Technology, Health and Medicine, Animal Science and Sports Science. Episode Highlights this month include: September 5 - Spelunking, The Human eye, Felines, Sharks, Tattoos, Body fat, Nicotine, Hypercoasters. September 12 - Avalanche, Prosthetic limbs, The Andes, Bee stings, Rain Forest. September 19 - Olympic Solar energy, Earthquakes, Ethanol, Coyotes, Bones. September 26 - H20, Wetlands, Glaucoma, The Bends, Fool's Gold. LEARN & LIVE Wednesday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m. MT/PT LEARN & LIVE showcases innovative schools and programs around the country, many of which are integrating technology to dramatically change teaching and learning. A true believer in the education system, George Lucas profiles success stories by highlighting the pioneering efforts underway to change school governance, involve parents, businesses and community partners, and use computers and the Internet to open new and exciting worlds for students and teachers. Visit the Web site at www.glef.org/ which inspires by focusing on the good things that are happening in education today. TEACHING THE NOVEL Airs Friday September 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 1:00 a.m./12:00 midnight -3:00/2:00 a.m. Taking classes couldn't be easier! Throughout the school year we will be offering Professional Development Workshops from CPB/ANNENBERG. The workshops we will offer this year have graduate credit available and come highly recommended from educators across the nation. This month we will be offering IN SEARCH OF THE NOVEL. For middle and high school educators, this collection of eight one-hour workshops feature innovative classroom activities and interviews with the authors of ten of the most popular novels on school reading lists. Best of all, the series reminds us that teaching the novel can be just plain fun! Colorado State University is offering two graduate credits for only $98. Visit the Web site at www.learner.org/channel/workshops/isonovel/ or call 1-800-228-8030 x2, for additional information on how you can participate and earn graduate credit! MATH IN THE MIDDLE Airs on the overnight block-feeds from 1:00 a.m./12:00 midnight Featuring pre-algebra concepts, this series provides a basis for achieving the NCTM goal of teaching math concepts as part of an integrated curriculum. The real world math examples enhance a problem-based approach to middle school math. September 11 - Math in the Middle of Music episodes 1-6 September 18 - Math in the Middle of Music episodes 7-12 September 25 - Math in the Middle of Oceans episodes 1-6 October 2 - Math in the Middle of Oceans episodes 7-12 The Merrow Report: The Toughest Job in America Airs Saturday, September 16 at 7:00/6:00 a.m. MT/PT This program chronicles David Hornbeck's six tumultuous years as head of Philadelphia's public school system, the fifth largest in the nation. Cities routinely chew up and spit out school superintendents. Typically, an urban superintendent lasts less than three years. Right now, 13 of the country's biggest urban districts are looking for new leaders. Los Angeles currently has an acting interim superintendent, and New York recently hired its third superintendent in six years. "Toughest Job in America" is an unprecedented historical record of school reform, valuable for its insights into the problems facing urban schools everywhere, primed for an uncertain outcome. Charter Schools That Work Airs Friday, September 29 at 8:00 p.m. This documentary explores trend-setting examples of a new type of public school rising from the charter school movement. Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune, hosts this examination of the emergence, perspective and practice of this relatively young education reform movement. Bookworm Bunch Airs Saturday mornings at 7:00/6:00 a.m. MT/PT beginning September 30 PBS' newest contribution to the enhancement of literacy, the PBS KIDS Bookworm Bunch, is a three-hour block of seven different segments, each based on a popular children's book series. Each episode features an engaging variety of entertaining animation and live action, built around various curricula of knowledge, learning and values. Children's books in the reading series include Corduroy, Elliot Moose, George Shrinks, Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse, Seven Little Monsters and Timothy. October: Check back for exact dates and times! Frontline: The Drug War In 1968, the United States federal drug enforcement budget was $60 million. By the end of fiscal year 1999, that same budget had exploded to more than $17 billion. Despite the United States' vast efforts during the past three decades to stop the flow of illegal drugs, the use of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs remains essentially unchanged. Building Big Tuesdays, October 3-31 Think big! Engineers have been doing just that for thousands of years, as renowned author-illustrator David Macaulay (Castle, Cathedral, and Pyramid) proves in this five-part miniseries on the planet's most spectacular structures. The programs cover bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes and dams—past and present. Along the way, Macaulay highlights the engineering principles and human stories behind the most remarkable achievements in the history of building. Masterpiece Theater: Oliver Twist A young orphan escapes from the workhouse and falls in with a gang of thieves, in Charles Dickens' classic tale. The three-part adaptation opens with a prequel dramatizing the background to the elaborate plot. Masterpiece Theater's American Collection: Langston Hughes's "Cora Unashamed" Langston Hughes' haunting story of an African-American woman's confrontation with death, abortion and loneliness is set in rural Iowa in the early 1900s. Working as a domestic, she lives only for her daughter and the neglected child of her employers. Regina Taylor ("Strange Justice," "I'll Fly Away") and Cherry Jones (A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Cradle Will Rock) star.   November: Check back for exact dates and times! Napoleon From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the barren island of St. Helena, Napoleon: An Empires Special brings this extraordinary figure to life. The series bears passionate witness to a man whose charisma swayed an empire and sparked his exalted belief in his own destiny. Scientific American Frontiers: Changing Your Mind Alda meets two young women whose brains have remodeled themselves—one temporarily in response to a week of being blindfolded, the other permanently after a devastating brain injury before birth. They are dramatic examples of "neuroplasticity" — today's hot topic in brain research. Alda also joins researchers who have overthrown the conventional wisdom that adults can't grow new brain cells.