Media Menu for May 14, 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, May 14, 2011,
5-7- p.m. E/P
History Channel
World and U.S. History
Middle and High School

” Secret Access: The Vatican ”

This documentary uncovers the surprising connections between the United States and the Vatican, from America in its infancy to the Cold War and beyond. This is also the first time that American audiences get an intimate and revealing look on how Pope Benedict XVI lives, works and functions in his papal role. With specially granted permission, viewers experience a world rarely seen as we reveal Secret Access: The Vatican. TV-PG

Saturday, May 14, 2011,
9-11- p.m. E/P
TLC Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

” Off the Rez ”

Shoni Schimmel is a Umatilla Indian and one of the best high school basketball players in the country. This documentary follows Schimmel as she pursues her dream of being the first from her tribe to get a college basketball scholarship. She and her mother, who is also her coach, battle together to redeem generations of struggle for their family and their people. Rated TV-PG
Log on http://www.hockfilms.com/off_the_rez.html

Sunday, May 15, 2011
8-9- p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

”X-Ray Earth”

Similar to the way doctors use X-rays to diagnose unseen medical problems, scientists are using an army of sensors located underground, in the sky, the ocean and our cities to monitor the Earth more than at any other time in our history. From the undisturbed far reaches of the planet to the busiest cities on the globe, this documentary uses technology and CGI to give us a new view of our world.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/x-ray-earth-5102/Overview

Sunday, May 15, 2011,
10 p.m. – midnight E/P
PBS
World and U.S. History
Middle and High School

”The Storm That Swept Mexico”

This documentary tells the epic story of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Fueled by the Mexican people’s growing dissatisfaction with an elitist ruling regime, the revolution was led by two of the most intriguing and mythic figures in 20th-century history — Emiliano Zapata and Francisco “Pancho” Villa. TV-PG

Monday, May 16, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High School

” AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Freedom Riders ”

From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives — and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment — for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. At that time segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government, under the Kennedy administration, remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students — many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university — decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the American president and the entire American public face to face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation. This is veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s inspirational documentary, the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil-rights activists. Rated TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/

Tuesday, May 17, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High School

” Radioactive Paradise”

In this documentary a team of scientists, historians and divers embark on a scientific journey to Bikini Atoll to see the effects of 23 atmospheric atomic test blasts. With the help of a high-tech submersible, the Pagoo, they explore Bikini's underwater ship graveyard.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
World History
Elementary, Middle and High School

” NOVA: Riddles of the Sphinx”

For 45 centuries, the Great Sphinx has cast its enigmatic gaze over Egypt's Giza plateau. The biggest and oldest statue in a land of colossal ancient monuments, its scale is staggering: the mighty head towers as tall as the White House, while its body is nearly the length of a football field. This strange half-human, half-lion image has inspired countless fantastic theories about its origins. How was it built, and who or what does it represent? Surprisingly, the scribes of the period when it was built — during Egypt's Old Kingdom — passed over it in silence. Adding to the mystery, archeologists found that its creators abruptly discarded their tools and abandoned the structure when it was nearly complete. Searching for clues, this documentary an expert team of archeologists, including Mark Lehner (director, Ancient Egypt Research Associates), carries out eye-opening experiments that reveal the techniques and incredible labor invested in the carving of this gigantic sculpture. The team also unearths new discoveries about the people who built the Sphinx and why they created such a haunting and stupendous image. Rated TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/riddles-sphinx.html

Thursday, May 19, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science
High School

” Living in a Parallel Universe”

Parallel universes, strange hidden worlds, where an alternative reality exists have haunted science fiction for decades. Parallel universes sound like a myth, but a surprising number of leading scientists believe they are real. This documentary delves into the mysterious science of other universes and discovers that many of physics most cherished theories actually predict that there are other universes beside our own. But what are they like? Could we ever visit them? And if we did, who or what would we meet?
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/5145/Overview

Friday, May 20, 2011,
5:30-6 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High School

”How Do They Do It? ”

This is an episode in a the popular documentary series about technology (and also about types of jobs in industry). This episode covers the making of launching-rockets, binocular lenses, and windshield wiper blades .
Log on http://science.discovery.com/tv/how-do-they-do-it

Saturday, May 21, 2011,
6-7 p.m. ET. 3-4 p.m. PT
National Geographic Channel
Science and Technology
High School

”Fight Science: Ultimate Soldiers”

Special operations forces are an elite breed of soldiers with the ultimate military training, superior physicality and extraordinary mental ability, especially under stress. In this episode of the National Geographic’s “Fight Science’’ documentary series a team of scientists push these legendary fighters past their breaking point. A sniper is challenged to shoot between heartbeats while enduring temperature extremes inside a glass box. An Air Force pilot and an Army Ranger are spun in a gyroscope to test their ability to fight spatial disorientation.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/fight-science/4234/Overview