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Friday, July 22, 2011

Media Menu for July 23, 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 23, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High School

Geologic Journey: The Rockies

In this documentary viewers will see how the Rocky Mountains were formed and how people fought to carve out a living in the mountain townships and the vast prairies beyond. TV-G
Log on http://www.cbc.ca/geologic/eg_rockies.html

Sunday, July 24, 2011,
10-11 p.m. E/P
CNBC
Economics and Arts
Elementary, Middle and High School

Titans: Quincy Jones

This is a documentary about jazz musician, arranger, the first black executive of a major record company, producer, entrepreneur, and social activist, Quincy Jones. He is a one- person history of the entertainment industry over the past 60 years, going from be-bop to hip-hop. With more Grammy nominations and awards than anyone else alive, he produced the biggest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and the landmark We Are The World. As a film and TV producer, he introduced the world to Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple and Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Jones’ life—many of his greatest accomplishments happened after recovering from a near fatal brain aneurism—is one of the great African-American success stories.
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/43740425

Monday, July 25, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

Unlocking the Universe The Hidden Order

This documentary looks at the 19th century chemists who struggled to impose an order on the apparently random world of the elements. Ultimately, the quest would lead to one of chemistry's most beautiful intellectual creations - the periodic table of the elements. The host of this program British professor Jim Al-Khalili who obtained his PhD in theoretical nuclear physics.TV-G
Log on http://www.surrey.ac.uk/physics/people/jim_al-khalili/

Tuesday, July 26, 2011
4-6 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History
Elementary, Middle and High School

First Invasion: The War of 1812

The events in this documentary happened just thirty years after American independence from Great Britain was won. Tension between the United States and England persisted in the years after the revolution. A complex set of concerns, including the impressments of American citizens into the British navy and the ongoing efforts of the British to control commerce on the high seas, thrust the two nations into war. What has been termed America’s “second war of independence” was authorized by Congress in June of 1812 in response to the pleas of a reluctant yet determined President James Madison. In what would become a three-year odyssey fought on many fronts, these two nations challenged each other in Canada, at sea, and in the heart of the nation’s capital.
Log on http://www.history.com/images/media/interactives/warof1812SG.pdf

Wednesday, July 27, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Economics and U.S.. History
Elementary, Middle and High School

Meat America

The host of this documentary, Jamie Stachowski, looks into his version of the American melting pot to see what’s cooking. Beef, Pork and Chicken, the meats Jamie calls the “Usual Suspects” are definitely in the mix, but these animals weren’t even on the continent before Columbus discovered the New World. Like just about everyone in America today, the “Usual Suspects” hail from the Old World. Jamie travels across the country to try and unravel how these meats made it to America, and why. Along the way he visits the mid-west and discovers that the roots of the Hot Dog are in “Old World” Sausage brought over by the millions of Eastern Europeans who made America home in the late 1800’s. He takes a trip to Chicago’s Union stock yards, a memorial to America’s Beef industry worth over 70 billion dollars today, an industry that helped spark America’s own industrial revolution and inspired the production line techniques perfected by Henry Ford. He dons his ten-gallon hat and travels to Texas to wrap his mouth around some Long Horn beef. Louisiana’s never been the same since Stachowski turned up at Lafayette’s annual Black Pot cook off, a carnivore’s delight where everything that moves is on the menu - gator, coon, squirrel and even snapping turtle.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011,
10-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Dinosaur Wars

This is a documentary about the history of science. In the summer of 1868, paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh boarded a Union Pacific train for a sightseeing excursion through the heart of the newly opened American West. While most passengers simply saw magnificent landscapes, Marsh soon realized he was traveling through the greatest dinosaur burial ground of all time. Ruthless, jealous and insanely competitive, Marsh would wrestle over the discovery with the other leading paleontologist of his generation, Edward Drinker Cope. Over time, the two rivals would uncover the remains of dozens of prehistoric animals, including 130 species of dinosaur; collect thousands of specimens; provide ample evidence to prove Charles Darwin’s hotly disputed theory of evolution; and put American science on the world stage. But their professional rivalry eventually spiraled out of control. What began with denigrating comments in scientific publications led to espionage, the destruction of fossils and political maneuvering that ultimately left both men alone and almost penniless. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/dinosaur/

Thursday, July 28, 2011,
10-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
Geography and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High School

THE THIS OLD HOUSE HOUR: This Old House Los Angeles Project

This episode of PBS’s popular technology documentary series s goes Hollywood with the first ever renovation project in the Los Angeles area. After seeing some of the local sights, master carpenter Norm Abram and host Kevin O’Connor arrive at the 1933 Spanish Colonial Revival project house in the hillside neighborhood of Silver Lake. Homeowners Kurt Albrecht and Mary Blee plan to expand and renovate the 1,500-sq.-ft. house, while keeping and extending the character of the existing house into the small addition. Changes include a major kitchen renovation, a second floor addition and reconfiguration of the back half of the first floor. Norm ventures up into the Hollywood Hills to meet general contractor Steve Pallrand at a job he’s been working on that showcases the unique challenges of building in Los Angeles. Back at the house, site supervisor Angel Leon gets to work salvaging finish materials for later reuse. Project manager Joe Luttrell begins preparations to replicate the plaster “cake decorating” details on the walls, and takes some time to show Norm their salvage yard. Angel and Kevin review the plans and outline the scope of work for adding a second floor on the back of the house to gain a full master suite. In order to do that, they need to remove the roof, so roofing contractor John Dybas arrives to harvest the valuable antique clay roof tiles for future use. In the second half of the hour, landscape contractor Roger Cook shows Kevin a few ways to deal with rainwater from gutters and downspouts. Then, up in the workshop, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey talks “All About” pliers. Then Roger, Kevin, Richard and general contractor Tom Silva ask, “What is it?” Afterward, Tom and Kevin insulate an attic floor using fiberglass batts and blown-in insulation.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/thisoldhouse/home/

Friday, July 29, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
NBC
U.S. History
Middle and High School

Who Do You Think You Are?

In this episode of NBC’s genealogy documentary series actor Steve Buscemi travels through New York, Philadelphia and the battlefields of Virginia and discovers a questionable character among his ancestors. One of the most prolific actors of his generation (in addition to being a writer and director), Steve was born in Brooklyn, but spent most of his childhood on Long Island. In his 30s he returned to Brooklyn, where he now lives with his wife and son. He's embarking on a journey into his ancestral past in hopes of finding really interesting characters with compelling stories. The first stop is his parents' home in Valley Stream, Long Island, to ask his mother anything she knows about her side of the family - the side he knows least about. Steve's maternal grandmother Amanda Van Dine committed suicide when his mother was three, and his family doesn't talk much about this painful subject. TV-PG
Log on http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/episode-guide/season-2/282228/steve-buscemi/episode-206/296241/

Saturday, July 30, 2011,
8- 10:30 p.m. ET, 5-7:30 p.m. PT
TCM - Turner Classic Movie Channel
World History and Literature
Middle and High School

All Quiet On The Western Front

This Oscar-winning 1930’s movie, based on Eric Maria Remarque’s classic novel, follows a young German soldier’s try to adjust to the horrors of World War I. Paul Baumer, as young German schoolboy, along with his friends, is inspired by his schoolmaster to "save the Fatherland" and joins the Kaiser's forces. Their illusions are soon dispelled, however, by the cruel realities of battle, relieved only by a brief romantic interlude with some French farm girls. When Paul, the only survivor of the group, returns home, he finds the professor still haranguing his young scholars to join the conflict; and when Paul denounces this attitude, he is proclaimed a coward by the youths. Tiring of the false impression of war at home, he returns to the front to instruct his new comrades in warfare. As the sole survivor of this group also, Paul reaches over the top of a trench to catch a butterfly and is killed by an enemy sniper. That day the official war news report is ‘All quiet on the western front”.
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020629/

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Media Menu for July 16, 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 16, 2011,
2-3 p.m. Eastern Time, 5-6- p.m. Pacific Time
HBO
U.S. History and Government
Middle and High School

Citizen USA

This is a documentary about new citizens produced, filmed and directed by Alexandra Pelosi, who is former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter. This patriotic, upbeat and pro-immigrant piece argues that immigrants who become citizens are like blood transfusions for a country, giving it fresh energy and helping keep alive some of the ideals that long-time-citizens take for granted. Many of Pelosi's subjects talk about freedom. A gay man from the Middle East talks about how he can now walk down the street without fearing for his physical safety. A straight man from Afghanistan can hardly contain his joy that he could kiss a woman on the street, in public, without facing censure or arrest. A man from Canada immigrated here largely because he can now legally collect guns. Perhaps because so much of the immigration discussion in recent years has focused on Hispanics, Pelosi seems almost deliberately to focus on Asians, Europeans and Middle Easterners. The film deals very little with the immigration debate, though it has some scenes of immigration protests in Arizona. Rather, it focuses on why someone would leave his or her native country to pledge allegiance to another. Her conclusion is that the personal affection and motivation must be strong. Two of her celebrity citizens, former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, are here because their families were driven out of Europe by the World War II Nazi war machine.
Log on http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/citizen-usa-a-50-state-road-trip/synopsis.html#/documentaries/citizen-usa-a-50-state-road-trip/synopsis.html

Sunday, July 17, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
History Channel
Economics and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High School

Candy

Americans consume about 7 billion tons of candy it every year to the tune of 25 billion dollars in sales. Helping to understand what ingredients make up chocolate and other confections, short but interesting segments are shown in this documentary on the history, harvesting methods, and preparation of cocoa beans and sugar cane. Automation plays a significant role in manufacturing processes, explored here are elements such as robotics and computerization and how they help to produce enormous amounts of candy at their factory each day. On the other side of the spectrum, some candy making is still considered to be an art form and Schimpff's Confectionary store in Indiana is a good example of this. Beginning with a stop at the Hershey Chocolate plant in Pennsylvania, here is a fascinating look and history of one of the most prolific and renowned candy makers in the world today. Also using a more manual approach to making candy, the See's company shows some methods they use in their preparation, cooking, and inspecting of their products.
Then : jelly beans, a short history of their beginnings and the production processes. The Jelly Belly Company itself makes over fifty different types of beans and they are unique in that some of their more bizarre flavors include dirt, earwax, sardine, soap, earthworm and rotten egg. Closing out this program, final segments look at licorice, gourmet candy, and even real insects that are cooked into items such as lollipops and assorted hard candies and how this is accomplished.

Monday, July 18, 2011,
8- 9 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science
Middle and High School
Time: Daytime

This is a documentary about time. It's the most inescapable force we feel. But do we experience time from within our minds and bodies or from the outside? TV-G

Tuesday, July 19, 2011,
8-10:15 p.m. ET, 5-7:15 p.m. PT
TCM-Turner Classic Movie Channel
English and World History
Middle and High School

Caesar And Cleopatra

In this philosophical coming-of-age movie, aging Julius Caesar takes possession of the Egyptian capital city of Alexandria, and tries to resolve a feud between young Princess Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy. During the resulting sometimes-murderous court-intrigues, Caesar develops a special relationship with Cleopatra, and teaches her how to use her royal power. This Oscar-nominated movie is based on George Bernard Shaw’s stage play and omits out some historical details ( see commentary posted on link below). TV-G
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038390/

Tuesday, July 19, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Science
Middle and High School

HISTORY DETECTIVES

This multi-story documentary asks questions about three historical objects: Could this propeller be from a World War II drone, the prototype for the assault drones the U.S. uses today in Afghanistan and Iraq? An inscribed, wooden club appears to be a gift to Teddy Roosevelt. Who gave him this club, and why? If Clara Barton wrote this letter, why was she concerned about the life of the soldier she mentions? TV-PG
Log http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives

Wednesday, July 20, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
World History and Geography
Middle and High School

NOVA: The Great Inca Rebellion

In this documentary experts seek to determine if ancient Inca remains are those of victims of a battle that pitted club-wielding Inca warriors against Spanish cavalry. Forensic evidence may be a decisive clue that helps explain a long-standing mystery about the Spanish conquest of Peru. How, in 1532, did a tiny band of Spanish soldiers crush the mighty Inca Empire, then the most powerful civilization in the Americas? Were the conquistadors' obvious advantages - steel arms, gunpowder and horses - the key to their success, as is generally supposed? Or were disease and civil war more significant factors that were downplayed by the invaders? By uncovering new evidence from a Lima cemetery, the program reveals the untold final chapter of the conquest: not the Spanish walkover familiar from well-known accounts, but rather a protracted and complex war of astonishing brutality that almost led to the Spanish losing their precarious foothold in the Andes. TVPG
Log http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/inca/

Thursday, July 21, 2011,
7-8 p.m. E/P
Planet Green Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

Planet Earth: Fresh Water

As shown in this documentary water has shaped planet Earth - it has carved out the world's most impressive gorges and makes all life possible. Incredibly only three percent of all water on our planet is fresh - it is as precious as it is vital -and it is full of life. TV-G
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/planet-earth-freshwater

Thursday, July 21, 2011,
8-10 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
World History and technology
Elementary, Middle and High School

The Egyptian Job

It was one of the greatest heists of ancient history: A group of thieves back then broke into the treasure-rich tomb of King Amenemhat III who was buried in one of the most complex pyramid vaults ever designed and made away with a fortune. Pulling a job of this scale would have taken the expertise and manpower seen in Hollywood blockbusters, so how did these looters get past the security defenses of a pyramid known as the Fort Knox of ancient Egypt?
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-egyptian-job-5116/Overview

Friday, July 22, 2011,
8-11 p.m. ET, 5-8 p.m. PT
AMC Channel
U.S. History and Athletics
Elementary, Middle and High School

A League Of Their Own

This a movie, based on fact, about the WWII-era phenomenon of women’s professional baseball. As America's stock of athletic young men is depleted during the war, an all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker. In the story, competitive sisters spar with each other, a baseball talent scout and a grumpy has-been coach – all on their way to national fame. Madonna, Geena Davis and Rosie O'Donnell co-star. Penny Marshall directs. TV-PG
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/

Saturday, July 23, 2011,
6-7 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High School

Geologic Journey: The Rockies

In this documentary viewers will see how the Rocky Mountains were formed and how people fought to carve out a living in the mountain townships and the vast prairies beyond. TV-G
Log on http://www.cbc.ca/geologic/eg_rockies.html

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Media Menu for July 9, 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 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

Sunday, July 10, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
CNN
Science and Economics
Elementary, Middle and High School

Beyond Atlantis: The Next Frontier

CNN correspondent John Zarrella delivers a l report on the end of the Space Shuttle program and the future for NASA, as the glorious and sometimes tragic era comes to end. Zarrella talks with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden about the Space Shuttle program and NASA’s future, and takes viewers for a tour inside the Space Shuttle Discovery, exclusively, with former Commander Robert Cabana. The report examines the commercialization of space, through the eyes of visionaries like Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic, and Elon Musk of SpaceX, as they strive to make space travel more affordable, and dare to do what only governments could afford to do previously. Zarrella travels to Promontory, Utah, to visit the site where the space shuttle boosters were built, talks to people who have spent most of their adult life working on the Shuttle program, and he takes viewers on the train ride carrying the last set of boosters to Kennedy Space Center for the final Space Shuttle mission.
Log on http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/30/beyond-atlantis-the-next-frontier-airs-sunday-at-8-p-m/?iref=allsearch

Monday, July 11, 2011,
8-9 p.m. E/P
CNBC Channel
U.S. History Economics
Elementary, Middle and High School

Ford: Rebuilding an American Icon

This documentary goes behind the scenes at the Ford Motor Company to tell the inside story of its comeback just a few short years after nearly collapsing. Viewers will meet CEO, Alan Mulally, who bet nearly everything the company had in his quest to steer it back from the brink. Ford rescued itself without a government bailout, unlike rivals General Motors and Chrysler. Today, Ford appears to be a company with a bright future, but one shadowed by a mountain of debt. CNBC reporter Phil LeBeau was granted access to the company’s inner workings, introducing viewers to a pair of engineers charged with breathing new life into a legendary but tarnished Ford nameplate, the Explorer. The program also profiles the Ford family, who unlike many other famous American business clans, have never given up their hold on the family firm.
Viewers will also visit front lines of the brutally competitive automotive industry, the rapidly expanding car markets of South Asia. Ford’s toehold in India, where it is investing heavily, is small, but tenacious, and the blue Ford oval is becoming increasingly commonplace on the crowded and exotic streets of the world’s fastest growing auto market.
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/39759908

Tuesday, July 12, 2011,
10-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History and Geography
Elementary, Middle and High School

How The States Got Their Names: Mouthing Off

We all live in the same country, so why do we sound do different? It’s a matter of where you are on the map. Why didn’t the southern accent exist until after the Civil War? How did California athletes end up coining so many new words? Why do we have so many different words for the same things -- like pop versus soda? Will one particularly strong accent cause New York to break up and create a 51st state? Find out by watching – and listening to - this documentary.
Log on http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-states-got-their-shapes

Wednesday, July 13, 2011,
5:15–8:00 p.m. ET, 2:15–5 p.m. PT
TCM – Turner Classic Movie Channel
English and Arts
Middle and High School

Richard III

In 1955, Laurence Olivier brought to the screen what most critics consider his greatest Shakespearean role, the hunchbacked nobleman who murders his way to the throne, and won his fifth Oscar® nomination. The film is considered by many to be the best of his three Shakespeare films. TV-PG

For information on the film log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/88184/Richard-III
For information on the play log on http://absoluteshakespeare.com/plays/richard_III/richard_III.htm

Thursday, July 14, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Economics and Technology
Elementary, Middle and High School

Ultimate Factories: Coca Cola

Coca-Cola reaches more countries than there are in the United Nations, and it takes a power factory to provide a beverage with a famously secret formula consumed in over 99 percent of the populated world. As shown in this documentary, machines in a bottling plant pump out almost 800 bottles per minute, utilizing specialized air-veyor belts to maximize efficiency.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/ultimate-factories/5151/Overview

Friday, July 15, 2011,
9:30- p.m. - midnight E/P
PBS
Arts and Geography
Middle and High School

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Rigoletto from Mantua

This is a telecast of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto – transmitted in high definition from the Renaissance splendor of Mantua, Italy, set in the actual places and hours of the day specified in the libretto. Andrea Andermann, producer of the acclaimed on-location productions of Tosca From Rome and La Traviata From Paris, created this visually and musically spectacular production starring tenor Placido Domingo.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/rigoletto-from-mantua/about-the-operatic-film/1148/

Saturday, July 16, 2011,
2-3 p.m. Eastern Time, 5-6- p.m. Pacific Time
HBO
U.S. History and Government
Middle and High School

Citizen USA

This is a documentary about new citizens produced, filmed and directed by Alexandra Pelosi, who is former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter. This patriotic, upbeat and pro-immigrant piece argues that immigrants who become citizens are like blood transfusions for a country, giving it fresh energy and helping keep alive some of the ideals that long-time-citizens take for granted. Many of Pelosi's subjects talk about freedom. A gay man from the Middle East talks about how he can now walk down the street without fearing for his physical safety. A straight man from Afghanistan can hardly contain his joy that he could kiss a woman on the street, in public, without facing censure or arrest. A man from Canada immigrated here largely because he can now legally collect guns. Perhaps because so much of the immigration discussion in recent years has focused on Hispanics, Pelosi seems almost deliberately to focus on Asians, Europeans and Middle Easterners. The film deals very little with the immigration debate, though it has some scenes of immigration protests in Arizona. Rather, it focuses on why someone would leave his or her native country to pledge allegiance to another. Her conclusion is that the personal affection and motivation must be strong. Two of her celebrity citizens, former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, are here because their families were driven out of Europe by the World War II Nazi war machine.
Log on http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/citizen-usa-a-50-state-road-trip/synopsis.html#/documentaries/citizen-usa-a-50-state-road-trip/synopsis.html

Friday, July 1, 2011

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