Sunday, February 12
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Nature: True Adventures of the Ultimate Spider-Hunter"

Mild-mannered water treatment engineer by day, tarantula obsessive and arachnid guru by night, Martin Nicholas is the "real" Spiderman. In this documentary, he's out to find the most amazing spiders in the world. He regularly travels the globe in pursuit of exotic spiders, including the goliath bird-eater of Venezuela and a small South American spider that creates the biggest web in the world - up to 30 feet long. TV-G

Log on: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature

Monday, February 13
7-8 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Magnets"

Even though we play with them as children, magnets aren't kid's stuff. Magnets are everywhere ??? the underpinning for much of modern technology, as this documentary demonstrates - in computers, cars, phones, VCRs, TVs, vacuum cleaners, the washer and dryer, the ubiquitous refrigerator magnet, and even in an electric guitar! On the cutting edge of technology, scientists experiment with a variety of magnets. Magnets' amazing forces of attraction and repulsion may some day take us to the far reaches of outer space.??TVP

Monday, February 13
9-10:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"American Experience: Reconstruction: The Second Civil War"

This is the initial episode of a documentary miniseries covering the troubled years after the Civil War. In 1863-77 America grappled with how to rebuild itself, how to successfully bring the South back into the Union and how to bring former slaves into the life of the country. This episode, entitled "Revolution," describes the chaos following the war when a revolution took shape in the South. Former slaves moved to take control of their lives, setting up their own communities, churches and schools. Southern whites, deeply threatened, resisted - often violently. Congress finally acted to stem the violence and safeguard blacks' rights, and passes Radical Reconstruction, imposed military rule on the South and gave black men (but not women) the vote.?? Episode 2 airs February 20 in this timeslot. TV-PG

Log on: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex

Tuesday, February 14
5-7 p.m. E/P

HBO

Subjects: Classic Literature

High School

"Les Miserables"

This is the 1998 movie version of a classic novel of justice, goodness and revenge. The New York Times review said, "With a first-rate cast and a venerable storytelling style, it fluently condenses Victor Hugo's epic novel and retrieves some of its suspenseful momentum." Liam Neeson plays the hero Jean Valjean, forced into theft by poverty, who learns the value of forgiveness and decency. His personal redemption takes place against an historical backdrop of changing values and ideas; revolution is in the air. But Valjean himself can never be free as long as Javert (Geoffrey Rush), a police detective who has discovered the "reborn" convict, is alive. Cast also includes Uma Thurman and Clare Danes. Available on video. Rated PG 13 for adult content and violence.

Further information about the novel, and full text are available at http://www.online-literature.com/victor_hugo/les_miserables/Log on

Tuesday, February 14
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"NOVA: Jewel Of The Earth"

In the movie Jurassic Park, Richard Attenborough played the role of a businessman who extracted dinosaur DNA from the blood of mosquitoes trapped in ancient amber. Now his real brother, the host of this documentary, Sir David Attenborough, explores that intriguing fossil possibility and other secrets suspended in time millions of years ago. Sir David was given a piece of amber as a child and was fascinated to discover contained ancient insects buried within it. These bits of resin serve as a time machine, transporting scientists back 40 million years and yielding insights into life on Earth at that time. TV-PG.

Log on: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova

Wednesday, February 15
9-10:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: World History

Middle and High School

"The Blitz: London???s Longest Night"

On the evening of December 29, 1940, the German luftwaffe (airforce) dropped tens of thousands of incendiary bombs on the heart of London. This was the night Hitler hoped would break the spirit of the British people and leave them begging for peace. As firemen and workers fought all night to control the burning, many risking their lives, Londoners fled to shelters, uncertain if their homes would survive the bombing. The following morning they emerged after a terrifying and sleepless night to face the smoking ruins of the city. Based on more than two years research uncovering eyewitness accounts, this program transforms true stories into emotional drama. The film innovatively mixes CGI and archival footage to create spectacular scenes that bring the scary night to life. TV-PG

Wednesday, February 16
10-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: World History

Middle and High School

"National Geographic Special: Dawn Of The Maya"

New discoveries by archaeologists deep in the jungles of Guatemala are uncovering secrets of the Preclassic Maya - a far more dynamic and sophisticated culture than previously believed - who flourished a thousand years before the Classic Maya's rise to greatness. This documentary examines some of the exciting discoveries that show the sophisticated achievements of the Preclassic era. At the ancient city of Cival, archaeologists have uncovered the massive carved face mask of a sun god, believed to have been part of a backdrop for elaborate kingly rituals. At the huge Preclassic city of El Mirador, they have found clues of a previously unknown dynasty from the dawn of Mayan time and has uncovered engravings on a pyramid that he hopes will lead him to a lavish royal tomb. And 60 miles from El Mirador a magnificent colored mural, was discovered, by far the earliest. TV-G

Thursday, February 16
8-9 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Black Sky: Winning the X-Prize"

Last fall aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan built a personal space vehicle, Space Ship One. His goal was to win the X-Prize - a $10 million award for the first privately funded group to build a spacecraft capable of carrying three adults to space twice in two weeks. This documentary shows how he did it.

Further information http://www.space.com/news/051208_xprize_hov.html

Friday, February 17
7-8 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Future Tech"

A paper-thin, wall-sized holographic television . . . a car that runs on processed seawater . . . an army of robotic soldiers . . . outer-space luxury resorts and a cleaning droid controlled by your mind? This is a documentary about the near future -- where fantasy becomes fact. There have always been visionaries, futurists, and dreamers predicting the world of tomorrow -- flying cars, space-station colonies, and android personal assistants. But time has proven the fallacy of many of their predictions. So what future technology can we realistically expect? With the help of 3D animation, some far-out predictions are presented and research labs are shown where working prototypes of these technologies are in their infancy.

Friday, February 17
8-9 p.m. E/P

Travel Channel

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"America's Most Haunted Places ??? Savannah"

This documentary provides an unusual way to learn about the history of the southern U.S. A history of conflict and mysterious deaths, including events during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, devastating fires, and three yellow fever epidemics, have earned this city the title of "America's Most Haunted". TV Rated PG

Friday, February 17
9-9:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Scientific American Frontiers: Hot Planet ??? Cold Comfort"

Host Alan Alda asks, "So you think global warming won't affect you?" Wait until the great Atlantic Conveyor shuts down. And find out what's already happening in Alaska.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/saf

Saturday, February 18
9-10 p.m. E/P

Animal Planet Channel

Subjects: History

Middle and High School

"The Most Extreme: Speed"

At 60 mph, the cheetah is fast, but just watch these other speedy creatures fly! The basilisk lizard runs so fast that it can walk on water and the ostrich is just about the fastest animal on two legs. This documentary reports on the most extreme of the animal speedsters.

Sunday, February 19
7-9 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science and Geography

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Engineering the Impossible"

This is a broadcast of both parts of a documentary miniseries about pushing the limits of science and engineering. The extraordinary projects shown include the planned construction of a Europe-to-Africa Bridge and a tunnel across the Straits of Gibraltar. High-end graphics and technology offer a glimpse into advances that will realize these engineering dreams.