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Week of April 6 | Grades 9–12

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At-Home Learning: PBS SoCal and KCET, in partnership with LAUSD and in collaboration with California PBS stations, are offering broadcast programming with digital resources that adhere to California’s state curriculum. Download this week's schedule.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG0kco9uqFg&feature=youtu.be

 

Programming Highlights

Ancient Skies, Episodes 1 thru 3
Monday thru Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. PST on KCET 
What do you see when you look at the night sky? Some stars if you’re lucky, perhaps. If you were doing that same thing a few hundred years ago, you probably would have believed those stars were writings of gods trying to tell you something. Travel back in time with top scientists to learn about when we first started diving into astronomy to try and understand the skies.

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, Episodes 1 and 2 Monday and Tuesday at 11:oo a.m. PST on KCET 
Pop quiz! When were African Americans able to finally start reaching their educational goals, exercising their right to vote and running for public office? Reconstruction. Explore the transformative twelve year-long “brief moment in the sun” following the Civil War that witnessed a seismic shift in the meaning and makeup of our democracy, with millions of former slaves and free Black people seeking out their rightful place as equal citizens under the law. Tune in or watch now.

Reconstruction| Extended Trailer

Animal Babies: First Year on Earth, Episodes 1 thru 3
Monday thru Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. PST on KCET 
This isn’t your typical kitten or puppy video. Meet Safina, Fela, Jazir, Nyakabara, Bisque, Chowder and Limpet. Over the next few days, you’ll get to follow them along (and maybe even help do a little bit of parenting) and see them grow and learn the skills they will need to survive, from learning to walk with Safina, finding shelter with Fela, foraging with Nyakabara and her mother, working in teams with Chowder and Bisque, climbing with Jazir, and even learning the difference between plastic and shellfish with Limpet.

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Baby Safina says hi to another calf | Still from "Animal Babies: First Year on Earth."

Letters from Baghdad
Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. PST on KLCS
Meet Gertrude Bell, the influential and incredibly curious explorer, spy, archaeologist and diplomat who helped shape the Middle East after World War I and established the Iraq Museum, infamously ransacked in 2003. Tune in or watch now.

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Gertrude Bell on a horse in the desert | Still from "Letters from Baghdad"

 

Related Content

Expanding Knowledge, Expanding Universe: How Mount Wilson Observatory and Hubble Changed Our View of the Universe
Did you know the Milky Way is just one of trillions of galaxies in the universe? Read (and watch) to find out how thanks to Mount Wilson Observatory, Edwin Hubble and calculations provided by Henrietta Swan Leavitt we finally realized how vast the universe really is.

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Transporting the 100-inch mirror to Mount Wilson Observatory | Image courtesy of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science Collection at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California

One Hundred and Fifty Years On: African American Military Portraits from the American Civil War
Take a look at this California African American Museum exhibit to get a peek into the diversity of the mid-nineteenth century African American experience, specifically, what it was like to be a Black Civil War Solider.

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"Union Army Officer," 1863-1865 Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs | Courtesy of the Library of Congress. | Library of Congress

This L.A. Wildlife Rescue Center is a Haven for Injured Sea Lions and Baby Song Birds
Tucked in a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains is a wildlife rescue center where they care for 4,300 animals annually — from sea lions to baby song birds.  This is the California Wildlife Center. They’re located on 3.5 acres of state park and have been a haven for injured and displaced native animals for nearly two decades. See some of the animals they've helped.

Season in Review: Heartwarming Animal Stories
Watch to see an adorable tortoise adoption and the release of two young elephant seals after rehabilitation as well as to meet a man who has dedicated his life to saving wild donkeys.

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Wild donkeys | Still from "SoCal Connected," "DonkeyLand: Protecting and Rescuing Wild Burros"

 

Activities

The Black Codes - Activity 1
Discuss the significance of the 13, 14 and 15th Amendments and write a diary essay from the perspective of a former slave as you consider their likely reaction to the passing of one of the amendments and what that could have meant for the future.

Explore Live Cams
Take an instant trip to see some of your favorite animals around the world with Explore's live cams. We're partial to the baby panda cam,the African watering hole cam and the bison cam because of the animals and the soothing nature sounds, but there are live cams for any animal fan.

 

Lesson Plans

The Beginnings of the Telescope - Discussion Questions
This animated essay from NOVA details the design and workings of Galileo's refracting telescope and Newton's reflecting telescope. Learn why Newton used mirrors in place of lenses to overcome flaws in the refracting telescope's design.

Breaking Barriers: Reconstruction
Explore the Smithsonian’s collections of photographs, primary source documents, portraits, lesson plans and articles to get a greater sense of what African Americans had to do to overcome racial, economic, and political barriers during Reconstruction.

Survival of the Moose: Nutrition in the first year
Watch as a Moose cow teaches her calf the skills needed to survive her first year of life in the Canadian Rockies as you examine her lessons in nutrition, bonding and eventually leaving the nest.

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A baby moose pauses during mealtime | Still from "Survival of the Moose: Nutrition in the first year" from PBS Learning Media

Gertrude Bell: PBS Explorers - Video
Keep learning about Gertrude Bell and how she eventually played a key role in establishing the borders of Iraq after World War I.

At-Home Learning Tips

How to Find Good Apps Your Children Can Use Now more than ever, it becomes even more important to see what apps your children can benefit the most from. Does the app promote values you want to share with your child? Does it go beyond rote learning? Here are some questions to ask yourself before logging on.

Read More

Join Our Virtual Story Time of 'The Animals Would Not Sleep!'

Practice early math skills, like sorting, with this fun, interactive virtual readaloud and workshop!

Hora de Cuentos Virtual de ¡Los animales no se dormían!

¡Practiquen habilidades de matemáticas tempranas, como agrupar y clasificar, en esta hora de cuentos y taller virtual interactivo!
From left: A woman, toddler boy, young girl and a man engage with a tabletop building block activity at an outdoor education event.

PBS SoCal’s Early Learning Programs

An overview of our primary initiatives and the impact they are having on our communities.