Frontline: The Holocaust’s Last Living Survivors

In the most recent of his critically-lauded autobiographical films, Never Forget to Lie,  Marian Marzynski explores for the first time his own wartime childhood and the experiences of other child survivors.  The filmmaker teases out their feelings about Poland, the Catholic Church, and the ramifications of identities forged under circumstances where survival began with the directive “never forget to lie.”

Airing on WGBY on Tuesday, May 14 at 10:00pm, Never Forget to Lie chronicles the poignant, painful recollections of other child survivors. The film rescues haunting pieces of the past while exploring the conflicting feelings about national, cultural, and religious identity that mark many survivors.

Watch a preview, where you can also learn the latest about Marzynski’s documentary.  At the Frontline Teacher Center you’ll find new classroom activities with streaming video, downloadable lesson plans, and web-exclusive resources to accompany FRONTLINE programs in the classroom.

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Venom: Nature’s Killer from NOVA

From Emily Dickinson’s poem “Narrow fellow in the grass” to the story of Adam and Eve, snakes are likely to get our attention as they will this Wednesday, May 8, at 9:00pm when WGBY airs NOVA’s Venom:  Nature’s Killer. 

Over the millennia, thousands of creatures have developed that most sophisticated of biological and chemical weapons: venom. These complex chemicals can scramble our brain signals, paralyze muscles, puncture blood cells, even begin digesting us from within. But nature’s most potent toxins might also contain the keys to a new generation of advanced drugs to help doctors treat serious illnesses such as heart attacks, cancer and diabetes.

Follow NOVA crews as they join scientists on a dangerous quest to track down and capture the world’s most venomous animals—to find out both how they can kill us, and how they can save us. Watch a preview.

You can find classroom resources on venom and snakes at NOVA’s Beta site for teachers and at PBS LearningMedia.

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Lesson Plan Feature: Mathematics x 2

Here are two mathematics lessons from PBS LearningMedia for grades 5 – 8.  The first, Multiplying Fractions of the Form a/b of c is from Cyberchase, the PBS Kids program that shows kids that math is everywhere and everyone can be good at it!  Students study fractions and practice writing arithmetic sentences using multiplication and specific proportions.  In the Cyberchase activity, Harry gets a job in a candy store. Customers request boxes containing different types of truffles in differing proportions. This activity extends the problem into the case where there are a variety of numbers of candies in each box and students learn to multiply the fractional part times the number of candies per box to produce the number of candies of each type.

The second lesson, Percentage of Population with Diabetics, is from TV411, the Emmy Award-winning program that focuses on parenting, money matters and health, employing subjects like practical mathematics.  Students learn about percentages in relation to the study of diabetes and look at a nutrition label and apply various skills to answering questions about the label. The video clip in this activity explores how to tally the amount of carbohydrates one consumes each day. Students then learn to calculate the percentages of people who have diabetes.

Both lessons provide Quick Time videos, handouts, assessments and support materials.

 

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Teaching Environmental Health with PBS LearningMedia

With Earth Day starting off our week, here are fresh new ways to teach students about environmental health from PBS LearningMedia.  Enhance your  curriculum with engaging and inspiring content from PBS and trusted producers like KQED and WGBH. To search, save, and share your favorite resources, create an account for free.

Taking Root
Grades 9-12 | Video | Environmentalism in Africa
Meet Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist – and first African woman – to win the Nobel Peace Prize and illustrate the connection between the environment and other social issues.

Waste Deep
Grades 7-13 | Video | Human Impact on Environment
Examine the state of food waste in America with host Yul Kwon and get an in-depth look at the a landfill’s inner workings.

Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Headed
Grades 6-13 | Video | Environmental Stewardship
See the environmental stewardship of everyday people who transformed the polluted Bay Area.

Scientist Profile: Renewable Energy Scientist
Grades 4-6 | Video | Scientist Profile
Use this career profile to illustrate the practical application of solar and wind power and invite students to assess the viability of other renewable energy sources.

Nowhere to Hide
Grades K-8 | Interactive | Effects of Pollution
Enhance your health, science, and environmental studies curriculum with this clever interactive resource from Kinetic City.

NEW: Prompt debate among your students using this new resource from ITVS that explores the global politics of climate change.

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Real-World Political and Environmental Drama From Independent Lens

On Monday, April 22, at 10:00pm Independent Lens:  The Island President airs on WGBY.  Mohamed Nasheed, former president of the Maldives, confronts a problem greater than any world leader has ever faced — the literal survival of his country and everyone in it due to global warming.  As one of the most low-lying countries in the world, a rise of three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives to make them uninhabitable.

The Island President captures Nasheed’s first year of office, culminating in his trip to the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009 when he makes a stirring speech that salvages agreement on a written accord.  Then in February 2012, military and police oust him as leader.  After his efforts to lead protests and campaign for an upcoming election, a Maldives court bans him from travel abroad and he is later imprisoned.  Watch a preview.

In addition to exposing students to this real-world political and environmental drama, you’ll find pages of resources on global warming and political dissent at PBS LearningMedia, where you can search by content, grade level, standards and more.

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Compelling Classroom Film Modules & More from Independent Lens

The Emmy-winning Independent Lens series on PBS features independent documentary films from around the country and the world.  Here are several examples of powerful classroom modules from recent films that you can integrate into your own lessons:

• Human Dignity – Waste Land (9.32 mins.) portrays the lives of two women working in the world’s largest landfill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• First Day of School (5.45 mins.) – Pushing the Elephant follows Congolese refuge Nanzabire as she attends her first day of school in the U. S.
• First Woman Leader of a Muslim Nation  (6.59 mins.) focuses on Benazir Bhutto, the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan.

As well as film modules such as these, the Independent Lens educator site also offers lesson plans with standards-based curricula to accompany documentaries on a broad range of topics: immigration, civil rights, women’s rights, religion, the environment and more.

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Shakespeare Uncovered: O This Learning, What A Thing It Is!

Shakespeare Uncovered explores the complete plays of William Shakespeare. The PBS series looks at the stories that have shaped our cultural history: seeking out each play’s inspiration, finding the moments and places that set every scene, as well as  examining the words that gave life to Shakespeare’s world both past and present.

This PBS LearningMedia thematic collection — which adheres to national learning standards — contains video segments from the series, informational texts, discussion questions, and suggestions for extension activities to enhance your students’ reading, viewing, and appreciation of Shakespeare’s works.

Here’s a sampling of the series of videos available for grades 8-12:

The Use of Soliloquy helps students learn what a soliloquy is and how it is used to reveal character and advance plot in stories.

The Globe Theater reveals the origins, unique characteristics and specific challenges of the famous theater.

Gender Roles in Shakespeare examines how gender impacts the characters in Macbeth and The Tempest.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Side of Shakespeare’s Characters explores how characters struggle with moral and ethical dilemmas and includes examples from The Tempest, Hamlet, Macbeth and Henry IV, Part One.

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The Wisdom of Fred Rogers During Times of Tragedy

Just as adults struggle to understand the devastating explosions at the Boston Marathon, children also need help to deal with the frightening news they see and hear from various sources.  Fred Rogers long ago understood the best ways to nurture healthy young people during good times and bad , and he left a legacy that supports educators and parents today.   Thanks in part to the assistance of UNC-TV, North Carolina’s public television network, and public television station WTVI Charlotte, a  booklet entitled  Helping Children Deal with Tragic Events in the News:  Timeless wisdom from Fred Rogers for parents, caregivers and teachers is available to you.

In it you’ll find information about what children fear at times such as these, how to make them feel more secure, how to talk and listen to them as well as other helpful hints.  The booklet also shares the story Fred Rogers often told about his mother’s words to him as a boy when he watched frightening news:  “My mother would say to me, ’Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’  Teachers have always been among the world’s helpers, and we hope you’ll find this wisdom from Fred Rogers helpful.

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Lesson Plan Feature: Women on the Rise in Afghanistan

For International Peace Month here’s a powerful lesson for grades 9-12 using videos from the PBS documentary series Women, War & Peace. Students learn about the life of women in Afghanistan, including progress they have made and obstacles and dangers they face. The lesson highlights Afghan women’s efforts to play an active role in Afghanistan’s peace process and to empower other women in their country.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Explain what the Taliban is and how the lives of women were restricted under its rule;
• Describe progress women have made since Taliban rule;
• Describe dangers women currently face in Afghanistan;
• Discuss steps individual Afghan women are taking to empower other women in their country;
• Describe why Afghan women felt it was critical to be involved in Afghanistan’s peace process and steps they took to make sure they would be part of the process;
• Explain ways in which the United States has supported the efforts of the women of Afghanistan;
• Describe efforts by women in other countries to advocate for human rights.

This comprehensive lesson includes media resources and websites for each detailed section of activities as well as related resources.

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Program Feature: 180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School

180 Days:  A Year Inside an American High School

WGBY airs 180 Days:  A Year Inside an American High School tonight, March 25,  at 9pm.  Following the day-to-day stories of students, parents, teachers and staff at the Washington Metropolitan High School (also known as DC Met), this documentary is an intimate portrait of a public school that attempts to make a difference in the lives of students each and every day.

Whether they are preparing for college or becoming teen moms, the students at DC Met face many challenges with spirit and resilience and welcome us to challenge many of our own assumptions as we travel with the first graduating class to commencement. Led by a charismatic and outspoken young principal, DC Met invites us in for an unprecedented first-hand account of life inside of the school reform movement. Watch a preview.

As an educator, you may identify with what you see in this story of a principal who remains optimistic that her students can succeed despite the personal and academic obstacles they face.   We’d appreciate hearing what you think about this film or about your own obstacles or triumphs during the 180 days you spend inside an American school.

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