Teachers

NEW SERIES PREMIERS LABOR DAY!!

The Jim Henson Company’s newest series, DINOSAUR TRAIN, is roaring down the tracks, set for a Labor Day premiere September 7, 2009 as part of the PBS KIDS ® preschool destination block.

Each of the 40 half-hour episodes features Buddy, an adorable preschool-age Tyrannosaurus Rex who, along with his adoptive Pteranodon family, ride the Dinosaur Train on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans to have adventures with all kinds of dinosaurs, creatures and reptiles. Young viewers join the travelers as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology.

Filmed over a period of two years, FLIGHT OF THE ELEPHANTS is the incredible account of eight Asian elephants as they journey from rural Thailand to their new homes in Australia's Sydney and Melbourne Zoos. The documentary chronicles the elephants' long trek to the zoos a trip plagued with court battles, protests, plane trips, and months of quarantine and examines the complex problems the endangered Asiatic elephants face in today's world. FLIGHT OF THE ELEPHANTS explores the lengthy and complex process needed to bring the elephants to Australia. As the elephants are prepared for the trip, an army of workers, veterinarians, court officials, politicians, keepers, scientists, horticulturists, cargo experts and countless others became involved. (CC)

GREAT MUSEUMS THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO: WILD THING! is a window to the animal kingdoms of the world, showcasing the global leadership role of our nation's zoo in preserving endangered species on the edge of extinction. Interviews with scientists, curators, animal keepers, veterinarians and volunteers at this living museum reveal the National Zoo's mighty mission: the preservation of all life on earth. Beautifully shot and showcased in high definition, the stars of the program are the animals themselves, each representing a worldwide conservation effort that stretches from Bolivia to Namibia. (CC)

New Episodes this Month!

Episode #136: MARTHA'S WORST BEST DAY/TRUMAN'S BROTHER (CC)
Martha's Worst Best Day - Why is Martha so grumpy? She's offended just about everybody with her insults. Truman figures out that she's saying the exact reverse of what she means to say. But can they figure out the cure before she ruins Grandpa Bernie's birthday party?
Truman's Brother - Truman and TD both wish they had a brother. If Skits and Martha can be sort of siblings, why can't the two of them? Helen and Alice bet the boys that they can't keep the brother thing up for a week, because they don't exactly have a lot in common.

Episode #137: HERE'S MARTHA!/DOG FIGHT (CC)
Here's Martha! - Martha hosts a TV show where she helps people understand their animals better by explaining what they're saying. Unfortunately, the only viewers are Martha and her friends, so the producers try a new format, Crime Scene Doggie.
Dog Fight - Martha and Skits don't want to share their newest, coolest dog toy. Their bickering is driving Helen nuts, and now TD and Alice have taken sides. Can't they all just get along?

Episode #138: THERAPY DOG/MARTHA'S DUCK TROUBLE (CC)
Therapy Dog - Martha becomes a hospital therapy dog, spreading cheer among the patients. But trouble brews when Mrs. Demson, who claims a horrible allergy to dogs, is admitted for an invisible rash. Can Martha sneak in to help the other patients without Mrs. Demson knowing? Martha's Duck Trouble - Ralph, the wounded duck from the lake, has settled in at Martha's house to convalesce. Pretty soon, it feels like the duck is taking over. How long does it take for a duck's wing to heal anyway? Is it possible that Ralph has gotten a little too comfortable?

Episode #139: TRUMAN'S SECRET/SKITS MONKEYS AROUND (CC)
Truman's Secret - Where has Truman been and why is he acting so weird? He's hiding in the garage, lurking in the shadows. He finally agrees to tell the whole gruesome story, but will it be too horrible for them to bear?
Skits Monkeys Around - Skits loves to watch Malcolm, the blue monkey on TV. In fact, he loves Malcolm so much he wants to be Malcolm, and he starts wearing a polka dot bowtie. Martha is mortified to be seen with him in public. How long is this phase going to last or could it be permanent?

Episode #140: WHAT'S BOTHERING BOB?/MARTHA SPINS A TALE (CC)
What's Bothering Bob? - What's gotten into Bob? He's off his chain and he's chasing Truman all over town. Soon Truman, Helen, Alice, TD, Kazuo the dog officer, the pizza guy, and Bob's owner are all up a tree, imprisoned by a barking Bob. Can Martha figure out what's bothering Bob? Martha Spins a Tale - It's sweltering hot and everybody is miserable. To distract Jake from the heat, Martha tells him about Goldi-Martha and the Skits Hatter and Little Red Riding Helen and their adventures among giants, queens, and a very familiar fire - breathing cat.

NATURE Online, the award-winning Web companion to PBS' broadcast series is now offering educators more than 40 free downloadable video segments that can be shared with students and colleagues in any kind of free, educational presentation. NATURE's video segments, ranging in length from approximately 30 seconds to 5 minutes, are incorporated into standards based lesson plans. The segments can be downloaded to personal computers or compatible viewing devices; usage is restricted to the United States only. In addition to video segments, there are hundreds of still images that are shareable, printable and saveable.

For more information, including accompanying NATURE's teachers' guides, visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/

Episode #2312: THE VANISHING LIONS (CC) [content flag]
As the largest predator in Africa, the lion should have nothing to fear. But the king of the savannah is facing an uncertain future. While concentrating on the dwindling number of elephants and rhinos, nobody suspected the biggest of big cats was in trouble. When the number of lions turned out to be fewer than 30,000 and not 100,000 as previously estimated, it was clear that the great lion had become vulnerable. We hear from lion experts, farmers and Masai herdsmen as they explore solutions to the problems of saving lions and living with them.

Episode #2508: ARCTIC BEARS (CC) [content flag]
Polar bears are living on borrowed time. They are the descendents of grizzlies, long-ago evolved to live and hunt on the frozen ice of the Arctic, eating a specialized diet of seal meat. But the winters have become increasingly warmer, the ice is disappearing and raising a family becomes a much more difficult proposition when hunting time is short and food is scarce. Grizzlies, on the other hand, are masters at living off the land, making a meal from a wide variety of foods -- meats, seeds, berries, insects, fruit and honey. Their world is bountiful and expanding northward, converging with what once was the icy domain of the polar bear. As the two worlds meet, are the polar bears fated to become grizzlies once again?

Episode #2512: SUPERFISH (CC) [content flag]
They slice through the water's surface with explosive power, sail, spear and a half ton of muscle flashing in the sun. Their journeys through the open ocean are epic, their life cycle, bizarre. They are the billfish -- marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish -- the largest and most highly prized of all gamefish. Emmy award-winning filmmaker and biologist Rick Rosenthal brings these incredible sea creatures to the screen as he observes tiny billfish nurseries in the wild, dives deep into secret undersea canyons, films incredible color-changing behavior and embarks on a quest for an elusive thousand-pound "grander."

Episode #2501: SILENCE OF THE BEES (CC) [content flag]
Honeybees first appeared on earth around 80 million years ago, and from the beginning have played a key role in our survival. Most fruit trees and vegetable species are entirely dependent on bees to produce, and there is no artificial replacement for natural pollination. But the bees are disappearing. Massive die-offs, first reported in November of 2006, are now the subject of international emergency research, as scientists race to discover the cause of this ecological disaster. Could it be a disease? Or is it caused by pesticides, genetically modified foods or the radiation from cell phone towers? Whatever is happening, we must solve the mystery soon and correct the problem or face unimaginable consequences.

Episode #3412: SECRETS OF THE SAMURAI SWORD (CC)
For more than a thousand years the samurai sword has dominated the battlefields of Japan, instilled fear and terror into every enemy it faced and evoked a spiritual way of life that continues even today. With unparalleled access, NOVA travels deep into Japan's ancient foundries, follows the craft of the traditional swordsmiths and attends samurai fighting school to reveal the art and science behind making what many call the perfect sword.

Episode #3503: SECRETS OF THE PARTHENON (CC)
Erected by the ancient Greeks as a temple to Athena, the Parthenon has served as a church, a fortress, an ammunition dump and the model for countless banks, courthouses and museums across the world. It has been shot at, exploded, set on fire, rocked by earthquakes, looted for its magnificent sculptures and subjected to restorations that have been termed "catastrophic." Despite so much abuse and renown as an icon of Western civilization, the question of how the Parthenon was built has been largely ignored until recently. Now, thanks to the Greek government's $10 billion restoration program, scholars are finally probing the enigmas of its planning and construction. With unprecedented access, NOVA presents the inside story of the official restoration, which reaches far beyond the challenges and controversies of conserving one of the world's best-known buildings. The researchers are confronting some truly monumental riddles: How did the ancient Athenians build their great temple with incredible precision in a mere eight years? How did they manage to incorporate subtle, eye-pleasing distortions into the Parthenon's layout, such that there are few straight lines or right angles to be seen? And, most baffling of all, how did they accomplish all this without an overall building plan or blueprint, which would be indispensable to a modern architect?

Episode #3402: KINGS OF CAMOUFLAGE (CC)
Cuttlefish are one of the strangest animals on our planet. These shape-shifting creatures can hypnotize their prey, impersonate the opposite sex and even kill with lightening fast speed. More accomplished masters of disguise than any chameleon, they have an incredible ability to morph their skin color -- even their shape -- to blend into most any background. They have the largest brain-to-body ratio of all the invertebrates. But are they capable of learning and remembering complex tasks? With beautiful underwater footage and in-depth expert interviews, NOVA gets up close and personal with these bizarre and amazing animals.

Episode #3501: ASTROSPIES (CC)
While NASA astronauts were captivating the world with the Apollo lunar landings, the U.S. was engaged in a top-secret military manned space program. Investigative author Jim Bamford probes the untold story of the elite corps of clandestine astronauts who were never told of the true purpose of their training program. Bamford will travel to Russia to reveal the secrets of the Soviet response -- the prototypes of the "Almaz" military space stations that, if deployed, might have led to a Cold War showdown in outer space.

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PBS presents a preview of the new Ken Burns film The National Parks: America's Best Idea. The 12-hour, six-part documentary series is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.

July's Family Choice

On December 2, 1999, a polar bear named Peace was born at Japan's Tobe Zoological Park. After his mother rejected the cub, zoo keeper Atsuhiro Takaichi took on the task of parenting and subsequently succeeded in hand-raising a polar bear for the first time ever in Japan and just the third time in the world. PEACE: THE HANDRAISED POLAR BEAR chronicles five years in the life of the young cub and the caring zoo keeper. (CC)

PBS KIDS and Super WHY turn up the heat on reading with
the Super WHY Right On, Read-A-Thon, through July 2009!

“Super” online content will help parents and caregivers keep their children engaged in reading this summer by offering useful and fun materials, including a suggested book list, reading progress chart and customizable certificate to celebrate the child’s summer reading!

PBS KIDS is partnering with libraries across the country to distribute special Super WHY “Reading Packs” for beginner readers!

The WordGirl Summer Road Trip airs in July and
features two brand-new episodes.

Have fun with these activities on your road trip!
-- BINGO -- TRAVEL GAMES -- ACTIVITY SHEETS --

Episode #211: ROBO-CAMPING/THE STEW, THE PROUD... (CC)
Robo-Camping - It’s off to the woods for a serene camping trip with Becky, Violet, Tobey…and Tobey’s giant robot. While the others attempt to rough it, Tobey commands his robot to do his tasks and create a luxurious work-free weekend. But can the hulking metal monster survive an unexpected thunderstorm? Vocabulary Words: independent; serene
The Stew, The Proud... - Time is running out for Becky to return her library books and maintain her perfect record when Raul Demiglasse and the Butcher go head-to-head in a culinary showdown. Vocabulary Words: Overdue, Superior.

Episode #212: WHO WANTS CANDY?/CHUCK'S BROTHER (CC)
Who Wants Candy? - On a field trip to the local candy factory, The Birthday Girl goes on a candy eating spree. WordGirl must find a way to save the city's candy and win back her best friend and field trip buddy, Violet. Vocabulary Words: Awestruck, Mastermind.
Chuck's Brother - Chuck's successful brother, Brent is in town and being honored for his latest invention... crustless bread! As the city prepares for the celebration, Chuck's envy gets the better of him. Can WordGirl stop Chuck from destroying the precious Golden Sandwich Award? Vocabulary Words: Sibling, Envious.