Media Menu for September 3, 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, September 3 2011,
4-5 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
U.S. and World History
Middle and High School

National Geographic Explorer: Camp Leatherneck

In January 2009 it was a patch of lawless Afghan desert, riddled with Taliban fighters. Today, Camp Leatherneck is home to more than 10,000 troops. This documentary goes inside the epicenter of the war in Afghanistan and meets the men and women who work in and pass through the camp. Learn what daily life is like for the people who find themselves in this place. How violence, boredom, excessive heat, separation from family and cultural differences affect the mind-set of the warriors
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/4832/Overview

Sunday, September 4. 2011,
8-10 p.m. ET, 5-7 p.m. PT
TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel
Science and U.S. History
Middle and High School

The Miracle Worker

This Oscar-winning movie is the true story of the determined teacher who helped Helen Keller overcome deafness and blindness to learn to communicate. In 1887 Annie Sullivan arrives in Tuscumbia, Alabama, to undertake the seemingly impossible task of teaching deaf, blind, 7-year-old Helen Keller "language" through the sense of touch. Blind herself as a child and hardened by both her early years in institutions and the death of her younger, crippled brother, Annie realizes that if Helen is to be helped she must be removed from the pampering influence of her mother and the shouting domination of her father. Though Annie succeeds in getting the family to allow her 2 weeks alone with Helen in a small garden house on the Keller property, the high-spirited and strong-willed child opposes her at every turn. At the end of the 2 weeks, however, Helen has learned to dress herself, eat with a fork, and understand the alphabet of touch. She is still unable, however, to comprehend that the words she spells are names for the objects she touches. Annie asks for another week alone with Helen, but the parents, seeing the progress that has been made, insist on bringing the child back into the household. There, she attempts to revert to her former willful savagery, but Annie again opposes her. Following an outburst at the dining room table, Annie drags the child to the pump on the front lawn and forces her to refill a pitcher from which she spilled the water. As the water pours over her hands, the sudden realization that what she feels is w-a-t-e-r dawns on the child, and she grasps Annie's hand and spells out the word. Wildly excited, Helen races about spelling the name of everything she touches--pump, tree, porch, bell, mother, father. Finally, Annie identifies herself by spelling out "teacher."
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19300/The-Miracle-Worker/articles.html

Monday, September 5, 2011,
10-11 p.m. E/P
NBC
U.S. and World History
Elementary, Middle and High School

Children of 9/11

This documentary gives a voice to the young people directly affected by the tragic events ten years ago. On September 11, 2001, over 3000 children lost a father or a mother. They come from many different walks of life, but are united by a terrifying shared experience. The program follows a year in the lives of some of these children, watching them overcome the loss and turn their lives around, by achieving ambitions that would make their parents proud.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011,
7-8 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and World History
Elementary,
Middle and High School

What the Ancients Knew: The Chinese

This is a documentary about ancient Chinese researchers who harnessed the power of the earth, wind, water and fire to provide emperors practical solutions for ruling empires. Many inventions such as movable type and the multistage rocket are creations of ancient Chinese scientists. From AD 600 to 1500, China was the most technologically advanced society on Earth. Early discoveries put China in the vanguard of science and technology in the ancient world and light years ahead of Western cultures for a very long time. But Chinese researchers shared something with those in the West: ancient Chinese alchemists and inventors were trying to solve problems. Building on thousands of years of observation and experimentation, ancient Chinese researchers sought to harness the power of the classic elements--earth, wind, water, and fire. To provide the emperors with everything from practical tools to find their way on a dark night to battlefield advantages and eternal life solutions, the Chinese created historic technological breakthroughs, including movable type, the multistage rocket, and the blast furnace. TV-G
Log on http://videos.howstuffworks.com/history/what-the-ancients-knew-videos-playlist.htm?page=2#video-29776

Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Technology
Middle and High School

NOVA: Engineering Ground Zero

This documentary follows the five-year construction of One World Trade Center (1 WTC) and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the program covers the engineering, innovation and the perseverance of the human spirit. With extraordinary access granted by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it follows he behind-the-scenes struggle of architects and engineers to make the buildings safe and secure under the pressures of a tight schedule, the demands of practical office space and efficient “green” architecture, and the public's expectations of a fitting site for national remembrance. The program features interviews with 1 WTC architect David Childs; Chris Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chairman of the 9-11 Memorial Foundation; and Michael Arad, the man behind the breakthrough concept for the 9-11 Memorial.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/engineering-ground-zero.html

Thursday, September 8, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Technology
Middle and High School

FRONTLINE: Top Secret America

For this documentary the FRONTLINE teams up with Pultizer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest to investigate the dramatic changes that have reshaped America in the last decade. Over one hour, the film examines the history of the dark side of America’s “war on terror.” From the creation of black site prisons abroad and super-secret facilities here in America, to targeted killings and covert wars waged by special forces, to a multibillion-dollar terrorism industrial complex, FRONTLINE and Dana Priest ask how a decade of fighting terrorism has reshaped the country and whether it has made us any safer.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/topsecretamerica

Friday, September 9, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
World History and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High School

Unlocking the Great Pyramid

This a documentary about the Great Pyramid at Giza , the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing and no one knows how it was built. For centuries archaeologists have been trying to figure out how ancient Egyptians moved huge stones to the top of the Pyramid.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/unlocking-the-great-pyramid-3283/Overview

Saturday, September 10, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
CNN
U.S. History
Middle and High School

Beyond 911: Portraits of Resilience

This documentary presents untold stories of men and women who sacrificed so much for America after the attacks of 9/11. A special presentation on CNN from TIME Magazine in association with HBO, it captures in words and moving images, stories drawn from 40 women and men who led and sacrificed for America in the hours, days, and months that followed the attacks. Working with the editors of TIME, award-winning photographer Marco Grob produced a set of portraits which are coupled with dramatic recollections from government leaders, survivors of the towers, and first responders.
Log on for related subject http://www.history.com/topics/new-york-city/interactives/witness-to-911