Dear Educators,
As the school year begins with many uncertainties we want you to know that KLRN is here for you. We welcome your input at education@klrn.org regarding ways that KLRN can offer the resources that you need for your classroom. For this school year KLRN will continue to provide free teacher trainings that will highlight our PBS LearningMedia site which has a wealth of TEKS aligned lesson plans and resources to use in your in person or virtual classroom. We also have our monthly educator e-newsletter where we will feature resources for each grade level along with our bi-monthly blog post with links to streaming videos and lesson plans.
We look forward to working with you this year as we all navigate through a very different school year.
With Appreciation,
The KLRN Education Team
Vote: American Experience
Air date on 9.1: Tuesday, September 8 at 7pm
Learn about the first generation of leaders in the decades-long battle to win the vote for women. In the 19th century, a time woman had few legal rights, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton galvanized thousands to demand equal citizenship.
*Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
For Grades 5-12
Suffragists Persuade Male Lawmakers to Support Their Cause: Carrie Chapman Catt
Carrie Chapman Catt believed suffrage was a means to end the humiliation of women, to restore their dignity as human beings equal to men. Ironically, she and other women had to persuade male lawmakers to support their cause, even as big business saw women’s right to vote as bad for business. Carrie Chapman Catt devoted most of her life to the expansion of women’s rights nationwide and around the world, and is recognized as one of the key leaders of the American women’s suffrage movement. Her political strategies and organizational skills contributed to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 18, 1920.
Native America: Cities of the Sky
Air date on 9.2: Wednesday, September 9 at 2pm
Discover the cosmological secrets behind America's ancient cities. Scientists explore some of the world's largest pyramids and 3D-scan a lost city of monumental mounds on the Mississippi River; native elders reveal ancient powers of the sky.
For Grades 6-12
The Sun Ceremonies of Teotihuacan: Native America in the Classroom
Teotihuacan, located just outside Mexico City, is the ultimate celestial city, though the names of its builders are no longer known. The Aztecs discovered the city as ruins, and built it into an empire. At Teotihuacan's height, between the first and fifth centuries, 125,000 people lived in the city, which was larger than the walled city of Rome. The Sun Pyramid, at Teotihuacan's center, is one of the largest structures of the ancient world — bigger than Giza! Featured archaeologists describe the human activity and sun ceremonies conducted by the Aztecs, who created their calendar around the different positions of the sun at different times of the year. The structure of the cities and their relationship with Aztec religious beliefs are based on this cosmic calendar.
Madagascar: Islands of Wonder
Air date on 9.1: Wednesday, September 16 at 7pm
Journey to three of the most exotic, mysterious and remote islands on the planet: Madagascar, Borneo and Hawaii. Isolated from the rest of the world, they harbor remarkable wildlife and pioneering human communities found nowhere else on Earth.
For Grades PreK-3
Chris encounters a pair of fossas as they hunt after lemurs in the jungle, in this clip from Wild Kratts. The fossa's lean agile body, powerful legs, and long tail allows it to chase after the lemurs through the dense woods.
For Grades K-12
Learn about the diverse habitat of the wildlands of Madagascar by taking a look at the plants and animals of this ecosystem including the Baobab Tree.
For Grades 3-6
The Living Edens:Madagascar: A World Apart
The Living Edens companion website for "Madagascar: A World Apart" includes a listing of resources that enhance content provided in the program. Classroom activities and guides are provided for each lesson.
For Grades 9-12
The Secret Life of Scientists: Mireya Mayor
Meet primatologist Mireya Mayor in this video profile from NOVA’s “The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers.” From a young age, Mireya was an adventurous kid who loved to explore. Now, she studies lemurs in Madagascar. Using conservation genetics, she studies how we can better manage the most endangered primates in the world. Before becoming “the female Indiana Jones,” she was an NFL cheerleader.
NOVA: The Secret Mind of Slime
Air date on 9.1: Wednesday, September 16 at 8pm
Scientists investigate the bizarre "intelligence" of slime molds, which appear to learn and make decisions -- without a brain. These cunning, single-celled blobs can navigate mazes and create efficient networks. Can they also redefine cognition?
For Grades PreK-3
Nature Cat Cook Up Some Edible Slime
Explore the properties of different ingredients with Nature Cat. See how different ingredients can transform while creating tasty (and safe!) edible slime.
For Grades 6-12
Slime molds don’t look like much. Amorphous and gloppy, they spread across the forest floor in a mindless quest to consume whatever lies in their path. But research scientists are now learning that the routes slime molds take through their environment are anything but random. What these single-celled, gelatinous blobs lack in brain power, they make up for with surprisingly complex decision-making.
For Grades 6-12
Learn about the potential for a new type of fiber that is stronger than nylon and made from a renewable resource in this video from NOVA: “Making Stuff Wilder.” Host and technology columnist David Pogue meet with scientists at the University of Guelph to investigate how hagfish are inspiring the development of new materials. Hagfish are eel-like animals that protect themselves from predators by releasing mucin and thread cells to create a slime. The threads are very strong; researchers are seeking a way to synthesize hagfish proteins to artificially produce similar threads.