Media Menu for July 2, 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, July 2, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

Ben Franklin’s Pirate Fleet

A lost piece of American history may have been uncovered deep in the sea a shipwreck thought to have belonged to a fleet of American privateers. In the late 18th century, the Irish Sea was a cauldron of kidnapping, thievery and unrepentant skullduggery. Governments, including the nascent U.S., hired sea raiders, or privateers, to pillage and steal from merchant vessels. This documentary asks whether it is possible that this ship was on a mission from Benjamin Franklin.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/5380/Overview

Sunday, July 3, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High School

Secret World Of Fireworks

How do fireworks burst into spectacular colors and patterns in perfect unison? This documentary visits "America's First Family of Fireworks," to learn how the century-old pyrotechnics company handcrafts thousands of fireworks in a dazzling array of colors, shapes and sizes. We go inside their laboratory to discover the closely held scientific secrets, recipes and techniques they use to transform the most basic of materials - paper, string and gunpowder -- into their awe-inspiring million-dollar displays.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4283/Overview

Monday, July 4, 2011,
8:00-9:30 p.m. E/P , repeating 9:30-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Arts
Elementary, Middle and High School

A CAPITOL FOURTH 2011

Celebrating America’s biggest birthday party, this broadcast features musical performances by some of the country’s best known and award-winning musicians in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The program also captures the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation, capped off with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” Hosted by Jimmy Smith with live performances from Steve Martin, Josh Groban, Jordin Sparks and more. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/

Tuesday, July 5, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History
Middle and High School

History Detectives

In this edition of PBS’ weekly historical newsmagazine, detective Wes Cowan asks, “Did rebels use this spear, or pike, in abolitionist John Brown’s raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry?” The word “Siberia” etched into this bullet makes Eduardo Pagán wonder why U.S. troops were in Siberia during World War I. And Elyse Luray sizes up a Ronald McDonald costume. Was it part of the first national Ronald McDonald ad campaign? TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/

Tuesday, July 5, 2011,
10-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History and Geography
Middle and High School

How The States Got Their Shapes: Culture Clash

The map of the United States is a jigsaw puzzle of crooked lines, right angles and odd shapes. Some pieces are outsized; others are minuscule. The reason for our jagged geography? American history. In this report, journalist Brian Unger criss-crosses the nation in search of the stories behind our boundaries. Will rivalries within our states break them into pieces? Cultures compete against each other all over the map. In extreme cases, they can divide states in two. How did World War II preserve the shape of California? Will part of Maine break off and become Northern Massachusetts? And as new cultures move into Florida, will the state’s cowboy tradition get pushed off the map? Why does Montana look like it took a bite out of Idaho? Why is Georgia plotting to re-draw its border with Tennessee? Why does Florida have a panhandle? Why isn’t Chicago in Wisconsin?
Log on http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-states-got-their-shapes

Wednesday, July 6, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

The Lost Kennedy Home Movies

Gathered from archives and attics and now seen for the first time, these extremely-rare home movies shown in this documentary tell the story of the children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, as they grew up in the 1930s and 40s through November 1963, and include scenes of the last weekend Jack and Jackie Kennedy spent with Caroline and John, Jr., just two weeks before Dallas. Also featured are home movies filmed by Robert and Ethel Kennedy in the early 1950s. These home movies allow viewers to experience the forces and personalities that shaped their lives as never before. Interviews with family members of Kennedy friends provide fresh anecdotes and colorful stories, and distinguished historians contribute new insights.
Log on http://www.historychannel.com.au/tv-shows/show-details.aspx?id=898

Wednesday, July 6, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Middle and High School

NOVA: Ape Genius

The great apes - which include chimps, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos - seem to have rich emotional lives similar to our own. But just how smart are these animals? As shown in this documentary, a new generation of investigators is revealing the secret mental lives of great apes; our evolutionary next-of-kin are turning out to be far smarter than most experts ever imagined. But just as clever experiments are exposing the extraordinary abilities of great apes, new research is redefining the mental talents of our own species. Scientists are at last zeroing in on what separates us from our closest living relatives. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/apegenius/

Thursday, July 7, 2011,
8-10 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

The Great Dinosaur Escape

It was one of the greatest mass migrations in the history of the Earth. Millions of years ago, dinosaurs spent their summers at the North Pole and then migrated 1,000 miles across hostile terrain to escape the winter. This documentary brings their epic odyssey to life using the latest scientific research and a computer-generated format. The dramatic story is told through the eyes of a young and vulnerable Edmontosaurus named Scar. Viewers can experience the challenges Scar faced — including blizzards, landslides, droughts, volcanic floods and, of course, deadly predators.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-great-dinosaur-escape-4607/Overview

Friday, July 8, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions -Landing the Eagle

In this documentary NASA’s Apollo program achieves the ultimate prize of the Space Race, landing men on the moon. But a fire broke out in the pressurized capsule of Apollo 1, resulting in the deaths of three beloved astronauts. However, NASA rebounded, launching men into deep space and landing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
Log on http://store.discovery.com/detail.php?p=84943&v=discovery

Saturday, July 9, 2011,
3:45-5:30 p.m. ET, 1:45-3:15 p.m. PT
TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel
English
Elementary, Middle and High School

Tom Sawyer

In this Oscar nominated movie musical based on Mark Twain's classic novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" , Tom and his pal Huckleberry Finn have great adventures on the Mississippi River, pretending to be pirates, attending their own funeral, and witnessing a murder.
For information on this movie log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070814/synopsis
For information on the novel log on http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/tomsawye/tomhompg.html