Educators here are some great ways to incorporate PBS Programming into your classroom. Whether you are exploring Nature, National Park or Social Justice these lesson plans and activities will provide you supplemental activities to add to your classroom learning. For a full list of the KLRN schedule click here.
Don’t forget each month KLRN provides FREE Teacher training. For a full list of upcoming trainings check out the KLRN events page.
Arthur: Blabbermouth / All Grown Up
Friday, April 1 at 4:30 pm on channel 9.1
Link to PBS Kids Videos: https://pbskids.org/arthur
Arthur's Park Game | ARTHUR (Grades PreK-2) Practice taking action to improve your world by playing Arthur's Park, a digital game from the PBS KIDS series ARTHUR. In order to create a new park in an empty lot, Arthur has to make a speech to raise awareness, hold a bake sale to make money, and then equip the park. As children play each round, set in a board game format, they accumulate stars that they use to “buy” what they need for a new park. They also recognize the importance of making a plan to achieve one’s goals.
Connected: A Search for Unity: The Sea
Tuesday, April 5 at 2pm on channel 9.2
Link to PBS Learning Media Video: https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/aaffe295-19ff-4993-a2d4-bfcc9c228790/saving-a-species-sea-turtles/
- DragonflyTV | Sea Turtles (Grades 3-5) Anytime you're in the water, there's a chance you'll see one of the most incredible animals: the sea turtle. Zach and Devin know that it is important to leave the sea turtle alone in the wild because their population is shrinking. They went to the Maui Ocean Center to learn more about the sea turtle and to find out how quickly they grow.
- Secrets of the Sea (Grades 3-5) Navigate the hidden treasures of a coral reef in the “Secrets of the Sea” online interactive. You'll learn about what coral is, how groups of them can grow into a reef, and what threats they face with climate changing the ocean temperatures. You'll also meet Smithsonian experts in the field, using cutting-edge technology to combat climate change, including marine biologist Nancy Knowlton. In this interactive, she offers a glimpse of her career that has spanned decades studying changes in the oceans and introduces the next generation of scientists and researchers using cutting edge technology to understand the impact of humans on the oceans.
- Here Comes The Sea (Grades 6-12) There are still a lot of questions to be answered, but the sea level is rising and communities along the coast are working to understand just what that means and how to prepare for it. In 2016 North Carolina will become the first state to publicly release a comprehensive forecast showing that sea levels along the state’s coastline are not only rising, but doing so at unequal rates.
- Sea of Plastic | QUEST (Grades 6-12) Learn about the North Pacific Gyre, an expanse of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. Find out why some California cities and counties are looking to limit the amount of plastic waste they produce, in this audio report from QUEST produced by KQED.
This audio is available in both English and Spanish audio, along with corresponding closed captions.
Cyberchase: Journey of a Thousand Food Miles
Friday, April 8 at 4pm on channel 9.1
Link to PBS Learning Media Video: https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/cyb12-ugly-food-video/ugly-food-and-food-waste-cyberchase/
- "Ugly" Food and Food Waste | Cyberchase (Grades K-2) Jackie wants to make her perfect pumpkin pie for Giving Thanks Day, but all the “perfect” pumpkins are gone! All that’s left on the farm are dented pumpkins and lots of "ugly” produce that no one wanted to buy. This video from Cyberchase teaches students that “ugly” looking produce tastes the same and is just as healthy as produce that looks “perfect.” Support materials include fruit and vegetable cards, discussion questions, vocabulary, and a blind taste test activity.
- Food | Watt Watchers (All Grades) We all need food to keep our bodies running and healthy, but there is far more to food than simply eating. From learning about the agricultural industry and transportation of goods to non-recyclable food containers and FDA requirements for food labels, these activities and lessons show students where their food comes from and where food waste goes once they’re done with it. The "At Home Master Chef" activity encourages culinary creativity and highlights the importance of avoiding wasting food. The "Food Desert Maps" activity explores what food deserts are and where they are located throughout the United States. The "How Much Food Do You Waste?" activity encourages students and their families to record how much food is wasted at home over the course of two weeks in order to eliminate the wasting of food as much as possible.
Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange: She Had a Dream
Tuesday, April 12 at 8am on channel 9.2
Link to PBS Learning Media Video: https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/politics-on-point/
- Politics on Point Collection (Grades 3-8) Politics on Point is a collection of short videos teaching students about the government and its process.
The segments are originally produced to be included in NewsDepth, a digital and instructional product designed for Ohio's classrooms. The purpose is to connect current events to Ohio's Learning Standards, and to present the opportunity for students to reflect on the world around them. Each episode includes news, vocabulary, background information, a poll and the opportunity to respond to a question based upon content presented. Poll results and student letters are featured each week.
Nature: American Arctic
Wednesday, April 13 at 7pm on channel 9.1
Link to PBS Learning Media Video: https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/2e6515ff-fe4a-41d3-a193-5f07b09f5393/2e6515ff-fe4a-41d3-a193-5f07b09f5393/
- Arctic Wolf Cubs Learn Pack Behavior (Grades K-5) Learn about pack behavior in this video from the NATURE mini-series Spy in the Wild. Part of the episode “Bad Behavior,” this video shows how young cubs must learn the rules of their pack and submit to older group members in order to survive. Support materials ask students to keep a spy journal to record their observations and to think about how the spy wolf is able to witness pack behavior closer up than a human scientist. Students are also encouraged to think about how the structure of a wolf’s body —specifically its jaw—determines how it interacts with other wolves.
- Adaptations of Arctic Animals (Grades 3-12) Learn what animals live in the arctic region and how they have adapted to this inhospitable environment, in this excerpt from NATURE: Invasion of the Killer Whales. Students use video, text-dependent questions, teaching tips, and handouts to gain a thorough understanding of arctic animal adaptations.
Finding Your Roots: Where Did We Come From?
Tuesday, April 19 at 7pm on channel 9.1
Link to PBS Learning Media Video and Resources Collection: https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/finding-your-roots-the-seedlings/
Inspired by the popular PBS series "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." and shot on the campus of Penn State University, "Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings" follows 13 young people in a genetics and genealogy camp as they explore their family history and DNA ancestry with techniques never before used in an educational setting. Teachers, we encourage you to download and customize the curriculum used in our Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings Genetics & Genealogy Camp! Simply fill out the form at fyrclassroom.org/curriculum/ and you will be forwarded to a Box folder where you can download the full curriculum.
Greta Thunberg: A Year to Save the Planet: Episode 1
Thursday, April 21 at 1pm on channel 9.2
Link to PBS Learning Media Video: https://klrn.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nasa09.sci.life.eco.witness/witnessing-environmental-changes/
- Why Does Climate Change Matter? (Grades 3-8) Hear young Native Americans talk about climate change. Listen as they respond to the question, "Why does climate change matter?" They share their opinions about the importance of climate; their thoughts on how climate change is affecting weather, oceans, and ice; and their fears about the impacts for future generations.
- Arctic Climate Perspectives (Grades 6-12) This video, adapted from material provided by the ECHO partners, shows the changes that have been observed in Barrow, Alaska, due to a warming climate. The Iñupiaq people who live in Barrow present their observations of these changes based on their centuries-old knowledge of their environment, and describe how these changes are already affecting their lives. Scientists who have come to Barrow to study climate change also offer their perspective. This video is available in English and Spanish.
Wild Kratts
Tuesday, April 26 at 2:30pm on channel 9.1
Link to PBS Kids Videos: https://pbskids.org/wildkratts/videos/
- Activity Starters | Wild Kratts (Grades PreK-2) Be deliberate when inviting your student to watch a PBS KIDS show. These resources can help by adding meaningful conversation and easy activities to their experience. This collection of activities includes Conversation Cards for Home, Conversation Cards for School, Storytelling Set, and Puppet Theater, with resources in English and Spanish.
- Kickin' It With the Roos | Wild Kratts (Grades K-2) Join Chris and Martin as they meet up with a mob of Red Kangaroos, get their car keys stolen by a joey and then have to figure out how to get them back from the tricky little guy! In this full episode and accompanying clips, the Kratt brothers jump into the life of kangaroos, and quickly discover the physical and social differences between kangaroos and humans. Viewers learn just how high and far a kangaroo can jump, the role that kick-boxing can play in determining the alpha male and other important behaviors that kangaroos use to keep their social groups together and safe.
Let’s Go Luna!
Friday, April29 at 1:30pm on channel 9.1
Link to PBS Kids Videos: https://pbskids.org/luna/videos
- A Visit from Luna | Let's Go Luna! (Grades K-2) Circus Fabuloso travels around the world to learn about cultures, customs, and traditions. If Circus Fabuloso visited your neighborhood and spent time with your family, what tradition would you want to share? / ¿Qué tradición te gustaría compartir? These resources are available in English and Spanish.
- Postcards | Let's Go Luna! (Grades K-2) Write a message and send a postcard to a family member or friend./ Escriba un mensaje y envíe una postal a un familiar o amigo. These resources are available in English and Spanish.
- Recipe Cards | Let's Go Luna! (Grades K-2) What foods does your family eat when you get together?/ ¿Qué alimentos come su familia cuando se reúnen? These resources are available in English and Spanish.