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
Monday, May 4 at 4 PM
The Airplane: Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly. From Leonardo da Vinci's "flying machines" to the modern commercial plane, without these inventions, we may have never left the ground.
Grades 4-6
Meet two model stunt plane pilots: Alex and Ryan. There are many models available and they want to know which plane features allow for the best stunts. Their question is: How does wing shape affect the plane's performance?
Grades 6-12
Airplanes: Designing for Stealth
This interactive activity from NOVA details some of the considerations aeronautical engineers make when designing an aircraft to avoid both human and electronic detection. It illustrates performance tradeoffs that may be required in the engineering design process to achieve stealth. For example, the ability to evade enemy radar detection and missile defense systems is more valuable than speed.
Native America: From Caves to Cosmos
Tuesday, May 5 at 4 PM
Combine ancient wisdom and modern science to answer a 15,000-year-old question: who were America's First Peoples? The answer hides in Amazonian cave paintings, Mexican burial chambers, New Mexico's Chaco Canyon and waves off California's coast.
Grades 4-12
Why Teach Native American History? | Wyoming's Native Americans
In the accompanying lessons plans (found in the Support Materials), contributions of Washakie and Sacajawea will be highlighted, and stress the importance of teaching and learning about the unique history, culture, and contemporary contributions of Wyoming’s tribes on the Wind River Reservation in a culturally responsive manner.
Kingdoms of the Sky: The Rockies
Wednesday, May 6 at 4 PM
Experience the amazing wildlife and remarkable people who inhabit this 3,000-mile mountain range, home to cougars, wolverines, wolves and grizzlies. Daredevil wingsuit fliers jump from high peaks and Native Americans compete in breakneck horse races.
Grades 1-4
Rocky Mountain Roundup: Photo Scavenger Hunt
Players are challenged to complete a series of missions to photograph mountain plants and animals in the Canadian Rockies, in this interactive game from PLUM LANDING. Through the clues that Plum provides, players learn about mountain ecosystems, the plants and animals living there, and how they are adapted to mountain life.
Grades 6-12
Learn how abandoned mines have been contaminating water supplies in the Rocky Mountains in this video from NOVA: Poison in the Rockies. Beginning in the 1850s, prospectors dug deep mines in the Colorado Rockies in search of precious metals. Today, more than 15,000 abandoned metal mines have filled with acidic water that carries away heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and zinc into mountain streams. In small quantities, some metals are essential to life, but in larger quantities they are toxic. Some newer mines include safeguards to make them more environmentally sound.
History Detectives: Space Exploration
Thursday, May 7 at 4 PM
The HISTORY DETECTIVES season premiere launches into space for an exhilarating hour exploring the excitement, promise and ingenuity that fueled America's foray into space exploration. First, detective Tukufu Zuberi tracks a scrap of metallic Mylar that could be one of America's early satellites - balloons - in the segment "Satelloon." Then, in the segment "Moon Museum," Gwendolyn Wright investigates the audacious notion that Andy Warhol's art may be on the moon. Finally, in the "Space Boot" segment, Elyse Luray tries on a jury-rigged ski boot with a magnetic metal brick bolted to the bottom that may be one of the first prototypes for a NASA space boot.
Grades 4-12
Launch Party - The New Age of Space Exploration
The glory days of Cocoa Beach and the new dawn of space exploration marks the historical importance of the global space race.
Little Women on Masterpiece
Friday, May 8 at 4 PM
With their father away at war, sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March come to terms with their new life, alongside their mother, Marmee. The girls make friends with Laurie, the new boy next door.
Grades 6-12
Louisa May Alcott: Transcendentalism
Explore the impact of transcendentalism on the life of Louisa May Alcott and American society in this video from the American Masters film Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind 'Little Women.' Emphasizing self-reliance, civil disobedience, intuition, the importance of nature, and knowing oneself, transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau left a permanent mark on American identity and values. Alcott spent much of her life surrounded by deep thinkers like Emerson and Thoreau and echoes of their influence can be found in her writing and the way she lived her life. Engage students with discussion questions, a close reading of quotes from Emerson and Thoreau, and connections to the movement in popular culture today.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed The World
Monday, May 11 at 4 PM
The Robot
Learn how robots were first conceptualized in ancient Rome and see how their use has evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba. Then, take a sneak peek at what future robots will be able to do.
Grades 3-12
Creating a robot capable of safely navigating its environment without human intervention has been a goal of engineers ever since they first conceived of robots nearly 50 years ago. Despite rapid advancements in technology, however, engineers did not succeed in the task of designing autonomous robots until recently. This video segment adapted from NOVA follows two teams as they push their engineering design skills to the limit to develop systems that allow cars to drive themselves in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge.
Grade 6-12
Rise of the Robots | The Ethics of Robotics
What social problems may robotic advances bring? In addition, there are ethical concerns related to the development of autonomous robots. For example, should a robot be able to decide who lives and who dies in an emergency situation? This resource is part of the NOVA Collection.
Native America: Nature to Nations
Tuesday, May 12 at 4 PM
Explore the rise of great American nations. Investigate lost cities in Mexico, a temple in Peru, a potlatch ceremony in the Pacific Northwest and a tapestry of shell beads in upstate New York whose story inspired our own democracy.
Grade 3-12
Little Deer and Mother Earth | Native American Culture
In this video Marilou Awiakta, of Cherokee/Appalachian heritage, tells a traditional Cherokee story in which humans are killing too many of their animal relatives, threatening the delicate balance of nature. Little Deer leads the animals in taking action, teaching the lesson that people should take “only what you need with respect and gratitude.”
NOVA: Meteor Strike
Wednesday, May 13 at 4 PM
A blinding streak of light screaming across the Russian sky, followed by a shuddering blast strong enough to damage buildings and send more than 1000 people to the hospital. On the morning of February 15th, a 7000 ton asteroid crashed into the Earth's atmosphere, exploded and fell to earth across a wide swath near the Ural mountains. To understand how lucky we were this time, we explore even greater explosions in the past, from Tunguska to the asteroid that extinguished the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. "Russian Meteor Strike" puts it all together and asks: Is our solar system a deadly celestial shooting gallery - with Earth in the cross-hairs? What are the chances that another, even more massive asteroid is heading straight for us? Are we just years, months or days away from a total global reboot of civilization, or worse?
Grade K-6
Asteroids & Comets: Science Trek
Asteroids are small, rocky objects left over from the formation of our solar system. Comets are leftovers too, made of dust, rock and ice. These small worlds can tell us what the early solar system was like. On this Science Trek, host Joan Cartan-Hansen and her guests, Brian Jackson and Camille Eddy of Boise State University, will answer students’ questions about asteroids and comets.
Grade 6-12
Embark on a journey back in time and across the Solar System, following the paths of asteroids and comets that have collided with Earth—and those that roam far from home. These ancient objects travel billions of years before reaching Earth, and their impact can be so powerful that just one collision can change the course of life on our planet.
History Detectives 912
Thursday, May 14 at 4 PM
A one-of-a-kind photograph poses a jarring question: Is the African American wearing a Confederate uniform slave or free? And, did Hollywood treat the Native Americans listed in this payment ledger fairly? Then, an ornate stock certificate unlocks secrets to the earliest days of Harlem.
Grade 4-12
History Detectives goes in search of a Native American legend. More than a hundred and twenty five years after his death, the name Crazy Horse still echoes in the black hills of South Dakota. In his life, the Lakota warrior and spiritual man vowed to protect these sacred hunting grounds from encroaching settlers and gold miners. Despite his fame, Crazy Horse refused to be photographed, shunning technology. For years rumors of Crazy Horse photographs have tantalized collectors. More than a hundred and twenty five years after the warrior’s death, History Detectives discovers if a framed image is in fact the only photographic image of this legend. Lesson support materials include a guide to identifying photographs by the era and type: Daguerreotype: 1839-1860 Ambrotype: 1854-1865; Tintype: 1856-1920
Little Women on Masterpiece Part 2
Friday, May 15 at 4 PM
The March family fears the worst when Mr. March falls ill. As circumstances change for Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, the family must come together to face their most difficult challenge yet.
Grade 6-10
Primary Source Set: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
This collection uses primary sources to explore Louisa May Alcott's novel, Little Women. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.
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!