Media Menu for March 19, 2011

Here are home viewing suggestions for the week, selected from online advanced TV program listings and aligned with the state and national K-12 academic standards available online. Please consult local listings also, since actual broadcast times may vary. The Websites cited in the “Log on“ box below the TV listing provide further details about the show’s topic and may contain links to video clips from the show or a complete streaming video version of the show.

Saturday, March 19, 2011,
2-4 p.m. ET, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. PT
TCM- Turner Classic Movie Channel
U. S. History and Literature
Middle and High School

“Moby Dick“ ( film version of the great American novel)

This movie is an adaptation of Herman Melville's classic about a vengeful sea captain out to catch the whale that maimed him. Cast: Gregory Peck, Orson Welles. Dir: John Huston. TV-PG
Info about the movie at http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=17660
Info about the novel at http://www.online-literature.com/melville/mobydick

Sunday, March 20, 2011,
10 p.m. – Midnight E/P
History Channel
Earth Science
Middle and High School

“Underwater Universe: Killer Shockwaves / Tides and Currents of Death “ (dangerous waters)

This is a broadcast of two earth science documentaries. “Killer Shockwaves” -The Underwater Universe generates three types of deadly waves, each bigger and more destructive than the last: Rogue, Monster and Tsunami. This episode will progress from bigger to bigger waves and explore how these killers are born and what makes each unique. We end the hour with the biggest recorded impact wave in Earth's history: a mega Tsunami over a hundred feet high destroying everything in its path. How did it happen? How did the planet survive? And could we be hit by a wave that big again? “Tides and Currents of Death” - The pull of the moon and spin of the earth generates mighty forces in the oceans that sweep relentlessly around the planet. Four of the Underwater Universe's most powerful tides and currents pose the greatest potential threat to mankind: the Gulf Stream, the extreme tides of England's Morecambe Bay, the killer rip currents of Kauai and finally--biggest of all, one that helped wipe out over 80 percent of all species some 251 million years ago, the Great Ocean Conveyor. How did an ocean current trigger the planet's most devastating mass extinction event? And could it happen again? TV-PG
http://www.history.com/shows/underwater-universe

Monday, March 21, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High School

“ AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: A Class Apart” (Latino civil rights victory)

In the tiny town of Edna, Texas, in 1951, a field hand named Pete Hernandez murdered his employer after exchanging heated words in a gritty cantina. From this small-town murder case emerged a landmark civil rights case that would forever change the lives and legal standing of tens of millions of Americans. This documentary tells the little-known story of a band of underdog Mexican-American lawyers who took their case, Hernandez v. Texas, all the way to the Supreme Court, where they successfully challenged Jim Crow-style discrimination against Mexican Americans. In the landmark legal case, prosecution lawyers forged a daring legal strategy, arguing that Mexican Americans were "a class apart" and did not neatly fit into a legal structure that recognized only blacks and whites. As legal skirmishes unfolded, the lawyers emerged as brilliant, dedicated, humorous and at times terribly flawed men. This film dramatically weaves the story of its central characters - activists and lawyers, returning veterans and ordinary citizens, murderer and victim - into the broader history of Latinos in America during a time of extraordinary change. TV-PG
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/class

Monday, March 21, 2011,
10-11p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High School

“Way Of The Warrior” (Native Americans serving in U.S. Military )

This documentary examines the bravery of Native-American veterans who served in the United States military during the wars of the 20th century and explores the paradox of these veterans who chose to fight for a country that considered them outside the American mainstream. Their stories are told against the backdrop of positive and negative themes familiar to Native Americans - the warrior ethic, prejudice, forced assimilation, poverty, cultural pride, redemptive acts and healing - through the prism of what it means to be "ogichidaa," or one who protects and follows the ways of the warrior.
Log on http://pressroom.pbs.org/Programs/w/WAY-OF-THE-WARRIOR.aspx

Tuesday, March 22, 2011,
5-6 p.m. ET. 2-3 p.m. PT
Ovation Channel
Arts and World History
High School

“The Secret of Marcel Duchamp” (modern art pioneer)

Duchamp (1887-1968) was one of the most provocative and influential artists of the twentieth century. From 1923 onwards, he ceased to produce new work. Only after his death was the Etant Donna's revealed - an elaborate peepshow put together over twenty years. Including archive footage of the enigmatic artist himself, this documentary explores the life and work of Duchamp, telling the story of a late love affair which affected him profoundly and inspired his final creation.
Log on http://www.understandingduchamp.com/

Wednesday, March 23, 2011,
8-9p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Middle and High School

“400 Years of the Telescope” (astronomy through the ages)

This documentary chronicles a saga, from 1609, when Galileo revealed mankind's place in the galaxy, to today's quests to discover new worlds in the universe. Narrated by NOVA's Neil deGrasse Tyson, the compelling program takes viewers on an adventure through the heavens and around the globe, visiting the world's leading astronomers, cosmologists and observatories. TV-PG
Log on www.400years.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Earth Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

“Journey To The Earth’s Core” (inside the earth)

Humans have mapped every corner of the globe – from jungles and deserts to the depths of space. Yet we’ve gone only seven miles below the Earth’s surface – just one five hundredth of the way to the Core. This documentary goes deeper: 4,000 miles down to the heart of our planet. Along the way, scientists, engineers, explorers and adventurers encounter an underground world where: strange life forms inhabit deadly environments over a mile down; trees force their way through 400 feet of rock to find water; 1500-foot tall skyscrapers are built on sand; mines are the size of cities; and prospectors give the Earth electric shocks to help find oil. It also a place where people run marathons, make parachute jumps and scuba divers edge their way to the base of the world’s deepest caves. Finally, find out how our very existence depends on the mysterious underground forces that shape the Earth.

Thursday, March 24, 2011,
8-9p.m. E/P
Planet Green Channel
Geography and World History
Middle and High School

“Wild Russia: Siberia” ( a huge, dangerous place)

Siberia is vast and covers most of Northern Asia. Encompassing roughly ten percent of our planet's landmass and sparsely populated, its name has become synonymous with the harsh environment, where bitter and relentless cold rules for much of the year. This is what an Alaska Governor would actually see when looking west from a very, very tall ladder. TV-PG
Log on http://natgeotv.com/uk/wild-russia/about

Friday, March 25, 2011,
3:45-8 p.m. ET 1:45-5 p.m. PT
TCM- Turner Classic Movie Channel
World History and Literature
Middle and High School

“Doctor Zhivago” (romantic Russian revolutionaries )

This is a movie adaptation of Nobel Prize- winning author Boris Pasternak’s Russian novel. It stars Omar Sharif as the Russian doctor and writer branded an enemy of the state after the 1917 Revolution. Winner of five Academy Awards, this blend of drama and romance also stars Julie Christie, Alec Guinness, Rod Steiger, and Geraldine Chaplin. Movie Rated PG-13. Available on DVD
Info about the film at http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/129/Doctor-Zhivago/full-synopsis.html
Info about the book and author at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1958/pasternak-bio.html

Saturday, March 26, 2011,
8-9p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
U.S History and Science
Middle and High School

“Moonshine ” (the science and history of illegal whiskey)

This documentary covers the history of the illegal liquor that sparked a war between bootleggers and the law during the era of U.S. Prohibition and launched NASCAR as a nationwide sensation. Reporters travel to Appalachia to uncover the secrets of this unlawful substance.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/moonshine-2912/Overview