KLRN strives to provide valuable educational content to every family in our viewing area, from great drama, world-class music, in-depth news, fascinating "how-to" programs and, best of all — non-violent educational programs for your children.
During these uncertain times, KLRN is adapting and creating educational resources in an easy-to-follow format. We aim to provide educational content and resources that support every family in our community.
We have added a new 4 PM time slot that aims at providing educational content for older school age students. You will find resources tied to each of these programs aired daily with lessons from our PBS LearningMedia site. With this weekly blog we hope that getting a sneak peak of what is airing the following week will help you as you plan lessons. We are also including Lesson plan ideas for you to use!!
We hope that this will help you as you plan your lessons for your students to Learn at Home.
All the best,
KLRN’s Education Team
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed The World: The Rocket
Monday, May 25 at 4 PM
Learn the explosive history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China, to its use as a weapon of war, to how adding hydrogen allowed it to carry astronauts all the way to the moon.
Grades 3-8
Rocket Launch: Live Exploration
Relive the celebrations of Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary with this special trip to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, GA. This virtual exploration offers viewers an inside look into the museum as they learn about Georgia’s unique ties to space exploration. This program was recorded live at the Museum of Aviation on July 16, 2019.
Grades 6-8
Straw Rocket Engineering Design Challenge
Students use the engineering design process to create a straw rocket in this lesson plan created by teacher Nicolette Forde-Mason
Grades 7-12
Students build virtual rockets to explore the physics concepts of forces (thrust, drag, lift, weight) and Newton's Three Laws of Motion: Inertia, Acceleration and Interaction.
Native America: New Worlds Rising
Tuesday, May 26 at 4 PM
Discover how resistance, survival and revival are revealed through an empire of horse-mounted Comanche warriors, secret messages encoded in Aztec manuscript and a grass bridge in the Andes that spans mountains and centuries of time.
Grades 4-12
Hispanic Exploration in America
Spain’s explorations were driven by the desire to expand its knowledge of the world, to discover spices and riches, and to spread Christianity. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus, on a journey funded by Spain, took a westerly course across the Atlantic Ocean searching for an alternative route to the Indies, he inadvertently “discovered” a new continent. This set of primary resources from the Library of Congress provides a window into this time period, as well as a Teacher's Guide with historical context and teaching suggestions.
NOVA: Rise of the Superstorms
Wednesday, May 27 at 4 PM
Dive into the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. How can scientists better predict these storms, and what does the 2017 season tell us about the likelihood of similar storms in the future?
Grades K-4
Explore what happened during Hurricane Katrina and how people came together to help each other in the aftermath, with this song from Postcards from Buster.
Grades 6-12
Meteorologists have gone to great lengths to identify the atmospheric conditions that trigger hurricanes. The list of ingredients is fairly short: warm ocean temperatures, lots of moisture in the middle and upper atmosphere, and light winds in the upper atmosphere. In this animation from NASA, learn about the conditions necessary for the creation of a hurricane.
History Detectives
Thursday, May 28 at 4 PM
What does the evocative symbol of a bird dropping a bomb mean? Did two patches with the symbol belong to a World War II unit? Then, Gwen Wright connects a tiny swatch of tattered red fabric to a pivotal moment in U.S. Civil War history. Did a neckpiece and leggings once belong to Chief Black Kettle, known as a Cheyenne Peace Chief? Finally, did President Lincoln actually sign this note?
Grades K-12
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, documentarian Ken Burns, along with numerous partners, has launched a national effort to encourage everyone in America to video record themselves reading or reciting the speech. The collection of recordings housed on this site will continue to grow as more and more people are inspired by the power of history and take the challenge to LEARN THE ADDRESS.
Great American Read
Friday, May 29 at 4 PM
Join host Meredith Vieira in the search for America's best-loved novel. The voting is underway, and the competition is heating up any book could win.
Grades K-12
Storybook: Media Arts Toolkit
Storybook is an illuminated diorama that invites us to remember that opening a book is like stepping through a magical portal into another world. Created for the BLINK art and light festival in Cincinnati, the piece combines glowing light and layers of simple, white silhouetted shapes.
Breakthrough: Episode 6
Monday, June 1 at 4 PM
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse Code to 2007, when Apple unveiled the first-ever iPhone. Plus, see how the next generation of smartphones will allow us to communicate through them just by thinking.
Grades 6-12
Turn Your Smartphone Into a Science Lab
In this video from Inside Science, see how researchers at the University of Washington turn your smartphone into a microscope.
Grades 6-12
Science Spotlight: How Your Smartphone Knows Where You Are
Quantum physics, Einstein’s theory of relativity and atomic clocks that are accurate to one billionth of a second—all of these are crucial in allowing your smartphone to pinpoint your precise location almost anywhere on Earth. Learn how GPS receivers use trilateration to track your location, even though atmospheric disturbances might occasionally cause accuracy problems.
Magical Land of Oz: Land
Tuesday, June 2 at 4 PM
An exploration of one of the most magical lands on the planet. Its unique wildlife includes a tree-dwelling kangaroo, a spider that survives underwater and a bird that spreads fire.
Grades K-4
Animal Adaptations: Polar Bear Paws
Polar bear cubs learn how-to walk-through snow and over ice in this video from NATURE “Snow Bears.” In the accompanying classroom activity, students use the engineering design process to design a slip stopper, mimicking the adult polar bear adaptation of footpads that prevent sliding on ice. Additional support materials are available, including discussion questions and vocabulary.
Grades K-12
Learn all about camels and the adaptations they have made in order to survive in harsh desert c onditions.
Grades 3-8
Animal Adaptations: Brush Turkey Mounds
In this video from NATURE: Animal Homes, explore the brush turkeys’ unique nest building practices on the forest floor.
Grade 1
Wild Kratts: Animal Adaptations: Teaching Tips
Lessons using informational texts, and digital games and video clips from Wild Kratts help children build concept knowledge about animal adaptations and how these adaptations help animals meet their needs and survive. Children also learn about ways in which humans can improve their performance and solve problems by mimicking the ways animals use their physical characteristics to meet their needs. Throughout the lessons, children use the creative coding app PBS KIDS ScratchJr to report and share what they learned about animal adaptations. All lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
H2O: The Molecule that Made Us
Wednesday, June 3 at 4 PM
How did water arrive on Earth? How did it come to underpin every aspect of existence from dragonflies to deserts in bloom to human life? Dive in!
Grades K-5
Every day, we encounter water in its three different forms: liquid water, solid ice, and water vapor, an invisible gas. Most other substances can exist in these three phases as well, but water is unique because it is the only substance that can exist in all three phases at Earth's ordinary temperature conditions. This collection of still images produced for Teachers' Domain depicts water in each of its three phases: liquid water, solid ice, and water vapor.
Grades K-5
Watt Watchers: Water Conservation at Home
Saving water at home is easier than you think. By making small, intentional changes, you can save water at home.
Grades 6-12
Water, Water, Everywhere?
Where can water be found in the universe? For many years scientists believed that water could only exist in the "Goldilocks Zone"--an area where water can exist in liquid form. But there may be another way water can exist beyond this zone--and maybe alien life as well.
Grades 6-12
Life's Little Essential: Liquid Water
Without liquid water, terrestrial life could not exist. All living organisms on Earth depend on water and its unique chemical and physical properties. In the search for life beyond Earth, scientists have focused their efforts on looking for signs of liquid water. This essay from NOVA Online explores why liquid water is considered an essential ingredient for life as we know it.
History Detectives: Episode 1006
Thursday, June 4 at 4 PM
Can HISTORY DETECTIVES return the diary of a fallen North Vietnamese soldier to that veteran's family? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta takes part in the exchange. A notebook with recipes for large volumes of liquor makes an Indiana man wonder if his rich uncle earned money bootlegging during Prohibition. What can a ledger tell us about Hollywood's treatment of Native-American actors? How did they earn their pay? Did producers treat them fairly?
Grades K-12
In this Building Block video, the camera tilts down to show a black granite panel engraved with the names of fallen soldiers.
Grades 6-12
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: An Alabama Bicentennial
Students come face-to-face with the Vietnam War when they meet veterans and visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. The war is revealed through compelling stories grounded in the personal experiences of Alabama veterans and others who were touched by the Vietnam War. Student reporters conduct interviews, experience a virtual draft, visit the Memorial with a veteran, and consider the lasting effects of the war.
Pomp Under the Circumstances
Friday, June 5 at 4 PM
With the cancellation of Graduation Ceremonies and the tradition of the inspirational commencement address, millions of students are being deprived of a rite of passage. Pomp Under the Circumstances: A Virtual Commencement will feature excerpts from commencement speeches and messages to the class of 2020 from a variety of public figures – journalists, philanthropists, sports figures, historians, writers and performers – and from the students themselves, offering graduating high school and college students insight, inspiration, and some wisdom about how to navigate their lives in these next few crucial years.
Grades K-3
Learn about Graduation Day. Whether it's from college, high school, or kindergarten, graduation is an important day for every student!
Grades 7-12
What's Driving Gains in High School Graduation Rates?
Increasing graduation rates have long been a goal in the field of education. Let your students weigh in on the subject with this PBS NewsHour video and educational resources from April 29, 2014. The graduation rates for American high schools have reached eighty percent, according to statistics from the Department of Education. For further background and materials to support student understanding of the issue see the Teacher’s Guide, Student Handout, and Informational Text in Support Materials.
Training Opportunity for Teachers
At PBS, we are gathering FREE resources on PBS Learning Media to help the learning continue at home. You can choose from videos, interactive games, activities and TEKS-aligned lesson plans to teach your child from home. You can also use it with the Remind app, Google classroom, and you can even create folders for your own reference and to share with your students, colleagues, and families! To help navigate PBS Learning Media and this transition to digital learning, KLRN will be holding 1-hour online training sessions. Check our Event Page for a list of upcoming trainings!
Also, stay tuned for KLRN's Summer Virtual Plans for students!