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Greetings, TV viewers!
Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included in the public
school curriculum and on standardized examinations. Here are home viewing suggestions
for February 7-February 13, 2005.
The topic of the week is the environment. Check out Monday's show on PBS, take a few notes and you may get on stage during the Media Hour!
What do you think of the new format for
the Media Menu? We're continuing to make improvements, so if you have ideas about
what would make it easier to use, read, etc, let us know in the BBS below.
Remember to come to Saturday's Media Hour prepared! Watch the shows and really
read the related websites, so you can help us focus our discussion. Explor what
everyone thinks and remind us to think about what was in the shows and
on the websites. Come to the Media Hour prepared and you will be invited down
on stage, and you may earn clams, too!
What's the Media Hour? Watch the show(s)-of-the-week, jot down some ideas, then
come and talk about them with me and other citizens (including other City Workers,
if they're available). We get together at the Greek Theater (next to
City Hall), every Saturday morning at 9 a.m., Whyville Time. You'll find that
discussions are easier in the Theater, since everyone's chat bubbles overlap
a little less than in other rooms, and City Workers are able to direct people's
movement and behavior, when we need to.
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Monday, February 7
9-10 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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Technology and American History
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Middle and High School
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"American Experience: Building the American Highway"
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May 1942, across the sub-Arctic wilderness of Alaska, British
Columbia and Yukon Territory, thousands of American soldiers began one
of the biggest construction projects ever undertaken, building a 1,520-mile
road across one of the world's harshest landscapes. This documentary explains
that major part of a North American effort to defend against Japanese
attack during World War II.
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For further information, including as an on-line debate
whether drilling for oil and natural gas in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge should be allowed, log on to http://www.pbs.org/amex/alaska.
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Tuesday, February 8
7-8:45 p.m. E/P
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SUND (Sundance Channel)
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American History and Social Studies
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High School
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"With God On Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America"
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Since the 1950s, elected officials in the U.S. have increasingly
come to acknowledge the power of evangelical Christian voters. This documentary
reports on the presidency of George W. Bush in this context with a brief
history of the religious right's journey from isolation to influence.
Interviews with leading evangelists and rare film clips provide a glimpse
into recent American history and the personal story of the 43rd President
of the U.S.
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Tuesday, February 8
9-10 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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World History and Social Studies
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High School
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"Frontline: House of Saud"
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The House of Saud has controlled every aspect of Saudi life and
politics since the kingdom was established in 1932. But outside the Desert
Kingdom, little is known about Saudi Arabia's secretive royal family.
This program explains how the Al Saud family maintains its hold on power
in the face of growing tensions between Islam and modernity.
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For further information browse the online family tree that
includes profiles of recent al-Saud kings. Plus, read online interviews
with key members of the al-Saud monarchy: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saud
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Wednesday, February 9
9-11 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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American History
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Middle and High School
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"Slavery and the Making of America -- Part I"
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This documentary mini-series, narrated by Morgan Freeman, chronicles the institution of American slavery from its origins in 1619 through Reconstruction after the Civil War. It presents new perspectives on and facts about slavery.
These new perspectives challenge many long-held notions -- such as the idea that slavery was strictly a southern institution; it was, in fact, a national institution. Part II airs in this time slot February 16.
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Log on for study
resources. including historical fiction readings for grades 3-12, primary
historical document sources, a virtual museum with contributions from
museums across the country and exhibits curated by students: http://www.pbs.org/slavery. Further
excellent resources at http://www.inmotionaame.org/home.cfm, which connects to the Schomberg
Center For Research In Black Culture.
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Thursday, February 10
9-10 p.m. E/P
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DISC (Discovery Channel)
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Science And History
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Middle and High School
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"Unsolved History: The Hope Diamond"
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This program starts in the backroom labs of the Smithsonian Institution, where
The Hope Diamond, one of the most valuable diamonds in the world, has
been removed from its setting so scientists can???for the first time???take
exact measurements to determine the stone's true linage and solve one
of the greatest gemological mysteries of all history. The program also
describes how, in our time, rough diamonds are mined, cut and polished,
and shipped to New York City. It follows the current search for new diamond
mines in northern Canada. Cameras follow a newly engaged couple as they
shop for the perfect ring; and, finally, shows how artificial diamonds
are put to a test to see if cultured stones can fool a trained eye.
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Friday, February 11
9:30-10 p.m. E/P (Check local listings)
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PBS
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Social Studies
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Middle and High School
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"NOW"
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The edition of PBS' news magazine, examines how, faced with an
overstretched military, the Pentagon has resorted to some controversial
tactics to keep people on the front lines, including forcing soldiers
to stay in the military beyond the end of their enlistment period. Critics
call this a 'back door draft'. What are its effects on these soldiers'
families and communities?
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Log on for details at http://www.pbs.org/now
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Saturday, February 12
3-4 p.m. E/P
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ANML (Animal Planet Channel)
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Natural History and Social Studies
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Elementary, Middle and High School
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"Animals Of The Chinese Zodiac"
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Did the ancient Chinese astrologers get it right when they labeled various
heavenly constellations with the names of animals those clusters of stars
seemed to resemble? This program compares the zodiac predictions of each
of the animals' signs against the twelve living, breathing animals.
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Saturday, February 12
8-9 p.m. E/P
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HIST (History Channel)
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American History and Social Studies
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High School
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"Save Our History: Voices Of Civil Rights"
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This program looks at a defining social movements in
America's history -- the Civil Rights Movement -- told through the small,
personal stories of men, women, and children who lived through this turbulent
time. To collect these hundreds of personal narratives, a group of journalists,
photographers, and videographers embarked on a 70-day bus trip around
the country. The trove of material they collected makes up the country's
largest archive of oral histories of the Civil Rights Movement and will
be housed in the Library of Congress. What emerges as people tell us their
stories is not a textbook history lesson, but a series of intimate themes
that define and humanize the movement's growth and trajectory. We also
provide a "big picture" of what was going on in the country
during each period in the movement, from the landmark Brown v. Board of
Education decision to the assassination of Martin Luther King. Rated TV-PG-L
(for strong language).
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Sunday, February 13
9-10:30 p.m.
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HIST (History Channel)
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American History
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High School
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"POW's of the American Revolution"
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This program is a news report that's taken a few centuries to
reach the public. But it sound a lot like reports about things that happened
just weeks age. So here it is: Thousands of Americans died in horrific
conditions aboard British prison ships moored in New York's harbor during
the American Revolution. They had been arrested for opposing the British
occupation of their country. The victims' bones are still being found,
their shallow graves exposed on modern-day Brooklyn shores. Drawing on
memoirs and letters written by these prison-ship martyrs, we recount the
appalling conditions of everyday life in the men's words. The daily mortality
rate ran as high as 80% in the sub-zero winter temperatures or stifling
heat of summer. Leading U.S. and British naval historians have helped
in interpreting documents that somehow survived from that era and in the
program they explain why this humanitarian disaster happened. A surgical
historian provides a medical perspective; a nutritionist sheds light on
the gross inadequacies of the daily diet; and rare archive material and
evocative reenactments bring to life this tragic episode in American history.
TVPG
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