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Posts Tagged ‘american experience’

Creator and co-producer of “MAKERS: Women Who Make America” Dyllan McGee said she wanted to make a film about women’s rights pioneer and Ms. Magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem, but Steinem “said her story was part of a collective of stories.”  From that inception, MAKERS aims to become the largest and most dynamic collection of women’s stories ever assembled.

The three-hour documentary, which airs on WGBY tonight at 8pm, originated from a very clear premise:  Over the last half century, the work of millions of women has altered virtually every aspect of American culture.  MAKERS tells the story of these exceptional women — both famous and heretofore unknown individuals — whose pioneering contributions continue to shape the world.  See a preview and visit MAKERS.com for stories about women such as Judy Blume, Katie Couric, Geraldine Ferraro, Billie Jean King, Maya Lin, Condoleezza Rice and Faith Ringgold .

You can find resources on the subject of women at PBS sites such as NewsHourEXTRA for Teachers:  Lesson Plans on WomenPBS LearningMediaAmerican Experience and its  teachers’ area

With Women’s History Month coming in March, watch for more great resources to motivate and inspire you and  students!

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abolitionists_film_large_thumb_2Explore the story of this anti-slavery movement through American Experience’s Abolitionist Map of America. This interactive map allows users to pin archival images, documents, and videos related to abolition in America.  Primary source materials and related media have been contributed by museums, historical societies and PBS stations.  For educators, this map is an exciting resource for teaching place-based history, primary source analysis, local history and other social studies topics all while engaging students in technology. Classrooms can do their own original research and contribute content as well.

Abolitionist allies Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown and Angelina Grimké turned a despised fringe movement against chattel slavery into a force that literally changed the nation.  The Abolitionists is a 3 hour film presented by American Experience that will premiere January 8th at 9pm on WGBY.

Start exploring now at The Abolitionist Map of America.   To learn more about contributing resources, check out this easy to follow How-To Guide for Educators.  

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At least one critic noted that the new American Experience documentary by Ric Burns’, Death and the Civil War, which recently premiered on WGBY, is neither morbid nor solemn.  Based on Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust’s 2008 book, “This Republic of Suffering,” the film is divided into sections: “Dying,” “Burying,” “Naming,” “Honoring,” “Believing and Doubting,” “Accounting,” and “Remembering.”  (If you missed the film or want another look, you should soon find it on the American Experience website along with many other recent broadcasts.)

You’ll definitely want to explore American Experience‘s vast educator resources, among them a Teacher’s Guide and innumerable lesson plans under units such as the following:

Life in the North and South 1847-1861: Before Brother Fought Brother

The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America: A House Dividing

The American Civil War: A “Terrible Swift Sword”

The American Civil War: A “Terrible Swift Sword”

Abraham Lincoln on the American Union: “A Word Fitly Spoken”

From Courage to Freedom: Frederick Douglass’s 1845 Autobiography

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With the administration today calling for congress to approve  “shovel ready” projects to give people jobs, it’s a good idea to look at a similar situation during the Great Depression, when the largest dam project in the world was undertaken. The project did indeed create jobs, and it changed the northwest forever in ways both good and bad. We could learn from history. Borrow “Grand Coulee Dam” (I.D. 2253) for a month by clicking here.

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Triangle FireComplaints that Federal regulations should be relaxed ignore history. The tragic fire in 1911 at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York took a huge toll of human life because factory owners ignored the safety of its workers. The legislation that eventually followed gave workers in New York city the most comprehensive workplace safety laws in the country.  The DVD, The Triangle Fire, from the American Experience series, runs 60 minutes and should spark lively classroom discussion.  It is available now from our Video Lending Library (ID 2148).

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American Esperience’s Freedom Riders has recently been nominated for 3 Emmys for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking, Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming, and Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.   Working with Teachers’ Domain, the PBS series has created a Freedom Riders Special Edition of digital resources for middle and high school students and educators that will enhance the use of Freedom Riders in the classroom.  Among video segments from the documentary appropriate for grades 6-12:

The Inspirationdescribing the influence of India’s Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent tactics on the struggle to end illegal discrimination against African Americans in the United States

The Young Witness, showing the response of a young Alabama girl who witnessed an attack on the Freedom Riders

Freedom Riders Create Change, highlighting the impact of the 1961 Freedom Rides on the efforts to end racial segregation and discrimination in the United States

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For  powerful themes like tolerance, dignity and courage, the Freedom Riders website continues to be a valuable interdisciplinary resource.  Due to web design based on a combination of superior aesthetics, technical expertise, functionality, and overall site experience, the Freedom Riders site  is Communication Arts’ Webpick of the Week .

With 945,000 page views since its late October launch, the Freedom Riders website  supports the documentary film that premiered on 16 May 2011 and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides and the group’s historic role in the American Civil Rights movement.

Working within PBS guidelines, the site presents massive data in a comprehensive and easy-to-digest way.  In addition to the main film, the site has 12  short films, more than 30 video interviews and commentaries, over 500 searchable historical photos and includes the only complete online roster of all 400 freedom riders.  Also available are clips not included in the final film, interactives (an animation of the riders and a timeline of events surrounding the rides), short films and the blog from the 2011 Student Freedom Ride.

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Freedom Riders

Friday, May 6, marks the start of the 2011 Student Freedom Ride, an experiential learning opportunity for college students in conjunction with the American Experience broadcast and the 50th anniversary of the original May 1961 Freedom Rides. Monday, May 16, marks the highly-anticipated premiere of American Experience: Freedom Riders.  Over a ten-day journey from May 6 – 16, the Ride will be a moving classroom in which 40 college students — including Hampshire College student Zilong Wang — will retrace the route of the original Freedom Rides. You can meet Zilong at the Freedom Riders website and follow the Ride on Facebook. Then tune in on Monday, May 16 at 9pm, for a gripping documentary – PBS programming at its best!

And, as we shared in an earlier blog post, American Experience has partnered with Facing History and Ourselves to develop a full study guide as a companion to Freedom Riders. You can download this resource here to use in your classroom along with the film.

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What was our first president really like?  This biographical portrayal goes beyond the standard textbook portrait to reveal the real George Washington: social climber, land-hungry surveyor, self-conscious military officer who often blamed others for his own mistakes.  However he gradually built a reputation as a gentleman by educating himself in the classics and sciences, entering politics, and marrying one of the wealthiest women in Virginia. Using impressionistic photography and rare paintings, etchings and prints from museums, libraries and private collections, this American Experience production gives us a rare glimpse at “The Father of our Country.” George Washington – The Man Who Wouldn’t be King. ID 2068 DVD format, 60 minutes running time.

Make borrowing requests from the WGBY Video Lending Library.

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Writer, scientist and humanitarian, Rachel Carson is celebrated as one of our country’s greatest nature writers and a woman who spoke out about concerns she felt strongly about, even in the face of harsh criticism.

In a lesson from PBS’ American Experience history series, students discover who Rachel Carson was and why she felt compelled to write Silent Spring by analyzing the fable — a beautifully written cautionary tale — in the first chapter of her book.  Students examine the impact of her fable, discuss these issues, learn about DDT, and better understand Carson’s impact on the environmental movement in this lesson aligned to  National Education Standards from the National Council Teachers of English and the National Science Education Standards.

Among many resources, you’ll find  background information, starter questions, enriching vocabulary and media resources such as:

This comprehensive lesson for grades 5-8  in language arts and science also provides hands-on activities, a wrap-up exercise and an extension that connects students to other literary and historic figures, allows them to graft current data on birds of prey, and more.

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