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KLRN Educator Resources | January 2025

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by
Ian Cruz
• Published on
Fireworks pop above against a blue sky
KLRN Education

Dear Friends,

Happy new year! We hope that you had time to rest and relax with your loved ones. Below, you will find recommendations for PBS Kids shows and supplemental educational resources that you can use at school and at home. We are here for you! We appreciate you!

We invite you to check out FREE, fun professional development from PBS KIDS! From PBS KIDS, this self-paced professional development for PK3-2nd grade teachers highlights new tools to engage young minds. A fun chance to expand your toolkit, the training provides a certificate that may fulfill required hours for continuing education!

Here are some of the many fantastic PBS Kids shows to enjoy this month, and with the free, downloadable Teach Your Way with PBS KIDS, you can explore flexible and engaging content and discover how you can integrate media in creative and developmentally appropriate ways, all year long! 

  • Cyberchase (6:00 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1)
  • Wild Kratts (6:30 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1)
  • Lyla in the Loop (7:00 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1)
  • Carl the Collector (7:30 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1)
  • Elinor Wonders Why (11:00 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1)
  • Alma’s Way (11:30 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1)
  • Molly of Denali (9:00 am - weekdays on KLRN 9.1) - New episodes coming January 21!

These and more of the amazing shows you love are available on KLRN 9.3, KLRN’s 24/7 PBS KIDS channel. 

Please see the KLRN Schedule for details on these and even more great shows for the whole family!

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Terra Verde

KLRN's digital series Terra Verde highlights efforts of conservation and sustainability in South Central Texas. This area is the fastest growing region of the United States, and as the population explodes from San Antonio to Austin, the hard questions are being asked:  Will we have enough water?  How do we protect our natural resources?  How do we maintain the quality of life this area has had for generations? Terra Verde looks at people, companies and communities doing what they can to protect our unique and beautiful environment. Offering videos and educational support materials, Terra Verde is also available on PBS LearningMedia.

Our friends at Texas PBS have built a collection of resources about conservation for Texas teachers.Check out the collection of Texas Conservation Lesson Plans on PBS LearningMedia. Texas is home to some of the most unique wildlife, people and places in the nation. A new partnership between Texas PBS stations and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) showcases what we can all do to Take Care of Texas. Teachers are invited to take the pledge to make our state's unique resources available to the next generation. Texas PBS and TCEQ are teaming up to build more awareness of important ways we can all protect and conserve what’s unique about Texas. This new collection of free lesson plans and student worksheets designed to spark activities, lessons and discussions about conservation. Topics include air, water, and waste conservation tactics and strategies. The collection will use insights and data from TCEQ researchers and science experts. The Texas environmental collection is intended for K-12 classroom teachers, informal educators, and parents who are looking for science-based educational learning materials.

KLRN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS

We invite you to join us for our virtual educator sessions which, as always, are free of charge and offer continuing education credit. 

 

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VIRTUAL: Thursday, 01/09 from 6pm-8pm: KLRN Educator Session: The Healthy Kids Project: Healthy Habits for the New Year and Beyond  Join KLRN for a Healthy Kids Project session where we will work on establishing healthy habits to start the new year.  This session is geared toward early childhood and elementary educators, but all are welcome to attend. Thank you to the San Antonio Medical Foundation and Firstmark for supporting this event. 2 hours of continuing education credit will be awarded upon completion of the session and accompanying post survey.

 

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VIRTUAL: Tuesday, 1/14 from 6pm - 7 pm: KLRN Educator Session: How to Stay Healthy for the New Year with Sesame Workshop Resources Join KLRN to learn about staying healthy for the new year. This session is geared toward early childhood, but all are welcome to attend.Thank you to Firstmark for supporting this event. 1 hour of continuing education credit will be awarded upon completion of the session and accompanying post survey.

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VIRTUAL: Thursday, 01/16 from 6pm-7pm: KLRN Educator Session: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Teaching Resources with PBS Learning Media Join KLRN to learn about teaching resources for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This session is open to educators of all grade levels. Thank you to Firstmark for supporting this event. 1 hour of continuing education credit will be awarded upon completion of the session and accompanying post survey.

 

 

 

 

Please visit https://www.klrn.org/events/ to learn more and to register for any (or all!) of these sessions. Thank you to the San Antonio Medical Foundation and Firstmark Credit Union for generously supporting KLRN’s Educator Sessions. 

FREE RESOURCES FROM PBS LEARNINGMEDIA

On PBS LearningMedia, 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 highlighted PBS Learning Media collections and resources we recommend this month are: 

Cyberchase: Math (Grades K-8) This collection features a variety of resources designed to spark curiosity and boost math & problem-solving skills. Each resource integrates the fun and adventure of the animated series Cyberchase with practical math strategies for elementary and middle school students. Students will join the CyberSquad in exploring mathematical concepts, from basic numbers and operations to more complex topics like algebra and data analysis. Along with segments from the animated portion of the show, resources also include live action “Cyberchase: For Real” segments, which explore math concepts in everyday life that can be replicated at home and in the community. Cyberchase is the Emmy-winning animated series full of math and environmental adventures. It features three kids, known as The CyberSquad, who use brain power and problem-solving skills to outwit and outsmart the villain Hacker in their quest to save Cyberspace. Along the way, the CyberSquad perseveres over challenges to show how math is everywhere! For fun, educational activities focused on taking care of our planet, Cyberchase: Environment is also on PBS Kids.

Wild Kratts (Grades PreK-5) Wild Kratts joins the adventures of Chris and Martin Kratt as they encounter incredible wild animals, combining science education with fun and adventure as the duo travels to animal habitats around the globe. Each adventure explores an age-appropriate science concept central to an animal's life and showcases a rarely seen wildlife moment, all wrapped up in engaging stories of adventure, mystery, rescue, and the Kratt brothers' brand of laugh-out-loud-comedy that kids love. The educational goals of Wild Kratts are to: 1) Teach six to eight-year-old viewers natural history and age-appropriate science by building on their natural interest in animals. 2) Develop and strengthen basic skills of observation and investigation that children will use increasingly as they continue their study of science. 3) Build excitement in science that will remain with them throughout their lives. Visit PBS Kids and PBS Parents to extend the learning with Wild Kratts educational games and parent-child activities.

Lyla in the Loop (Grades K-2) Lyla in the Loop is a PBS KIDS animated series for kids ages 4-8. The show stars Lyla, a dynamic 7-year-old girl, her close-knit family, fantastical blue sidekick Stu, and a host of relatable and quirky characters living in her city community, who together spotlight creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills while working collaboratively with others. In every adventure, Lyla collaborates with family and friends to help others in her community while introducing the audience to foundational computational thinking concepts. The series supports a wide range of learners, modeling creative expression and flexible step-by-step approaches to problem-solving.

Carl the Collector (Grades PreK-5) Carl the Collector follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. The show focuses on social and emotional learning, emphasizing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. It also explores self-identity through Carl’s perspective. Carl and his friends work and play together to discover what makes each of us who we are—and just as importantly, what makes each person unique. The show celebrates and illustrates that, while we all have something in common, we are each unique and have something special to offer.

Elinor Wonders Why (PreK-2) Be curious with Elinor and her friends, Ari and Olive, in the PBS KIDS series Elinor Wonders Why. In this show, Elinor, an observant and curious bunny rabbit, Ari, a funny and imaginative bat, and Olive, a perceptive and warm elephant, follow their natural curiosity and seek out answers using their science inquiry skills. Find an array of resources—including interactive lessons, playlists, viewing guides, and printable activities—to encourage your students to ask questions, make observations, and bask in the wonderment of nature’s amazing answers!

Alma's Way (PreK-2) ALMA’S WAY follows 6-year-old Alma Rivera, a proud, confident Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx with her family among a diverse group of close-knit friends and community members. In every episode, ALMA’S WAY aims to model self-awareness, self-advocacy, social awareness, cultural competency and responsible decision-making—encouraging kids to generate and value their own ideas and questions. ALMA’S WAY celebrates and explores the thinking process—Alma’s “way” is to think things through! As she shares her observations and feelings and works through challenges, she speaks directly to young viewers, offering them a window into her everyday life.

Molly of Denali (Grades K-2) Informational text and Alaska Native culture form the basis of the groundbreaking MOLLY OF DENALI™ series and its educational resources. The MOLLY OF DENALI™ collection offers videos, digital games, lessons, teaching tips, and activities so that educators can utilize the series in the classroom. Set in a rural Alaskan village, and featuring the adventures of Molly, her family, and friends, MOLLY OF DENALI™ models the many ways that children can access and create informational text in their daily lives. At the same time, the stories are infused with Alaska Native values, history, traditions, language, as well as contemporary life. Ready to Learn | Molly of Denali

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