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PBS Educator Resources | April 2023

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by
Ian Cruz
• Published on
KLRN Education

Dear Friends,

This month we celebrate our amazing planet Earth. Using our monthly Educator Blog Posts, you can find free, accessible, and engaging resources for all grade levels, which are aligned to state standards and complement PBS programs. 

In celebration of Earth Month, MakeWater invites students of all ages to join the 2023 World Water Day Story Challenge. This challenge encourages participants to tell a story about water using any medium they prefer - an essay, poem, song, video, etc. Submissions will be collected from World Water Day (March 22nd) until Earth Day (April 22nd). Students can either share their submissions through https://makewater.org/ or on social media using the hashtag #makewaterstory. 

All students who submit a story will receive a MakeWater Intro Kit. All participants will also receive an NFT POAP badge, a digital proof of participation badge (based on the blockchain system) that can serve as an exciting intro to Web3 for students. There are two main prizes for stand-out entries; a 3D printer and a short film created as a development of the initial story submitted. Share your story today through https://makewater.org/ or on social media using the hashtag #makewaterstory.

We invite you to join us for our April educator sessions which, as always, are free of charge and offer continuing education credit. Please know that if you are not a classroom educator, but would like to join the educator sessions, you are more than welcome to join us. Here are the upcoming virtual sessions and links to register: 

  • Tuesday, 04/04 from 6pm-8pm: KLRN Educator Session: The Healthy Kids Project: Health and Fitness 
    Register here
  • Wednesday, 04/05 from 12pm-12:30pm: Go Public Session: Navigating the Education Timelin
    Register here 
  • Thursday, 04/06: (from 6pm-7pm): KLRN Educator and Family Session: We all are Amazing! 
    Register here
  • Wednesday, 04/18 (from 6pm - 7pm) KLRN Educator Session: Learning Through Play - Using Sesame Street in Communities Resources
    Register here
  • Wednesday, 04/19: (from 6pm-8pm): KLRN Educator Session: STEM & Earth Day Resources with Watt Watchers: 
    Register here


Thank you to Firstmark Credit Union for their sponsorship of educator training sessions. Please learn more about these upcoming sessions and more events at klrn.org/events.

TEDxYouth@SanAntonio invites youth and the San Antonio community to explore our theme of Climate Action, hear from 6 live speakers, and connect with organizations actively working on climate issues. Educators and students of middle school and high school are invited to join us on Saturday, April 15, 2023 for this exciting event! The event will be held at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s beautiful Buena Vista Theatre on the downtown campus. A livestream option will also be available. Discover opportunities to make a difference on Climate Change. Students middle-school age and up are especially welcome — but anyone interested in exploring Climate Action is welcome to attend. You don’t have to live in San Antonio to take part and make a difference!  Learn more here.

As we move closer to summertime, you may be thinking about the upcoming school year. Go Public has created an Education Timeline with tips for Pre-K through 12th grade - it even includes helpful tips for planning for college. Please visit Go Public’s page to learn more and to watch a helpful video on how to navigate the timeline. There will be a special 30-minute virtual session on April 5 where you can learn more about this fantastic free tool!

On PBS Learning Media, you can find thousands of high-quality educational resources for all grade levels for free! Setting up an account is easy to do (and completely free!) Visit https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/ to sign up today to get access to any of the over 30,000 state standards-aligned educational resources for free! Here is a short video tutorial that explains how in a few quick steps, you can create an account and create class rosters, too. Some of the outstanding PBS shows featured this month, along with engaging PBS Learning Media collections and resources we recommend are: 

American Experience: The Sun Queen For nearly 50 years, chemical engineer and inventor Maria Telkes applied her prodigious intellect to harnessing the power of the sun. She designed and built the world's first successfully solar-heated modern residence and identified a promising new chemical that, for the first time, could store solar heat like a battery. And yet, along the way, she was undercut and thwarted by her boss and colleagues - all men - at MIT. Despite these obstacles, Telkes persevered and, upon her death in 1995, held more than 20 patents. She is now recognized as a visionary pioneer in the field of sustainable energy. An unexpected and largely forgotten heroine, Telkes was remarkable in her vision and tenacity - a scientist and a woman in every way ahead of her time. Her research and innovations from the 1930s through the '70s continue to shape how we power our lives today. Find more resources about solar energy on PBS Learning Media: Solar Car (Grades 3-8), Scientist Profile: Renewable Energy Scientist Sandra Begay-Campbell (Grades 3-8), Solar House (Grades 3-12)

 

Changing Planet Join conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan for a global environmental health check of seven of Earth's bellwether biomes. From the Arctic to the Amazon, these vulnerable habitats are changing,revealing surprising animal behaviors as species adapt. Find more resources about biomes on PBS Learning Media: Biomes (Grades 3-12), Biome in a Baggie (Grades K-8), Virtual Field Trip Video: Wild Biomes | Nature Works Everywhere (Grades 3-12) 

 

Climate Change: The Facts Scientists explore the impact of climate change and what could happen if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees. Discover how the latest innovations and technology are posing potential solutions and what individuals can do to prevent further damage. Find more resources about climate change on PBS Learning Media: Climate Change is Changing When Plants Grow (Grades 3-12), Major U.S. Climate Zones (Grades 3-5), Earth’s Water Movements (Grades 9-12), Climate Change is Increasing the Urban Temperature Divide (Grades 3-12), Energy and Water Conservation | Resourcefulness (Grades 6-12)

 

Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of what makes Texas unique — its diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife behavior that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Told through the eyes of wildlife species ranging from the mysterious blind catfish to the elusive mountain lion, the story follows our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and showcases our ability to destroy, conserve, and recover wildlife and the habitat we mutually depend on. Narrated by Matthew McConaughey and featuring state-of-the-art cinematography, this family-friendly film journeys from the highest peaks in West Texas, through our aquifers, rivers, and bays, and deep into the Gulf of Mexico. Deep in the Heart aims to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale. Find more resources about Texas wildlife on PBS Learning Media: Texas Our Texas (Grades 3-8), Managing Carbon Dioxide: The Geologic Solution - More Oil From West Texas (Grades 3-12), Carnivorous Plants of Texas (All Grades), Big Bend's Hummingbirds | Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas (Grades 3-12)

 

KLRN’s The Healthy Kids Project (Grades PreK-2): The Healthy Kids Project uses song, movement, and animation in ten engaging lessons that support healthy choices and attitudes--teaching not only successful actions (limiting refined sugar, choosing water as a beverage, choosing fresh foods over processed foods), but also successful strategies (valuing the body, not letting past mistakes impede future success, taking one step at a time toward a goal, helping others to make good choices.) Each lesson contains a 60-second video and is accompanied by an overview, lesson plan and student activity. It’s a turnkey kit for teachers to impart critical life lessons about health, without taking time away from core subjects.

Watt Watchers (All Grades): Watt Watchers is a state-sponsored STEM program to help boost energy literacy for K-12 students and help schools save money by saving energy. Through the program, students, teachers, and families will have access to energy saving tips, activities, and lessons. Launched in 1985, Watt Watchers is an updated resource that builds upon the original beloved program and provides a modern look at energy, sustainability and conservation.

As always, at the bottom of this post, you will find a list of links of organizations, both local and nationally, that provide mental health resources. Please know that you are important and you make the world a nicer place. Thank you for being you. Reach out to us anytime at education@klrn.org.

With appreciation,

KLRN Education Team

 

Mental Health Resources

If you or someone you know is hurting or in crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline