Tag: WVPB Education

Explore the Outdoors with Nature Cat

PBS KIDS’ ALL-NEW ONE-HOUR NATURE CAT SPECIAL TO PREMIERE ON WVPB

Grounded in a Natural Science Curriculum, NATURE CAT, PBS KIDS’ Newest Series Debuts Monday, January 18,  at 8 am and again at 3:30 pm.

Join us for a sneak peek of the new show at a WVPB Family Fun Morning on Saturday, January 9 from 10 am to 12:30 pm at the West Virginia Wesleyan Performing Arts Center in Buckhannon, WV.  The event is free and there will be lots of family nature themed activities.

The special will will be available free on both pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App. New related games, clips and full episodes will also be available on PBS KIDS’ digital platforms throughout the month.

Grounded in a natural science curriculum, NATURE CAT is designed to encourage children ages 3-8 to go outside and explore the outdoors, while learning about a variety of scientific topics along the way. The NATURE CAT special will include four 11-minute stories with Nature Cat (voiced by Saturday Night Live’s Taran Killam), along with his pals Squeeks the mouse (Kate McKinnon), Hal the dog (Bobby Moynihan) and Daisy, a pet rabbit (Kate Micucci, The Big Bang Theory), as they embark on action-packed adventures, perilous missions, nature investigations and “a-ha” discovery moments. In each story, the characters model age-appropriate reasoning skills and explore natural science concepts, such as the role seeds play in plants’ life cycles and the types of wildlife found in various environments.

New digital content from NATURE CAT will include “Racing Rapids,” an online game in which kids will use systems thinking skills to build a boat racer, then go on a water-based adventure with Nature Cat and his friends. The one- to two-player game lets kids race their favorite NATURE CAT character and earn boat parts to unlock new races. From a stream to a river, players will learn how to create the best boat for each level’s environment. As they play the game, watch water-related clips and complete a “Build a Sailboat” DIY activity, kids will also have the opportunity to earn a new badge called “Ahoy Matey!” on pbskids.org/naturecat.

NATURE CAT is co-created by brothers David Rudman (SESAME STREET, The Muppets) and Adam Rudman (Tom & Jerry, SESAME STREET, CYBERCHASE). The series is a co-production of Spiffy Pictures and WTTW Chicago. Major funding for the series is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Van Eekeren Family, founders of Land O’Frost.

Teachers: Check out PBS LearningMedia

Teachers are taking a well deserved rest over the winter break.  However, somehow it is difficult to leave the classroom and students behind. Every experience is translated into how that can be a teachable moment in the classroom.  While taking a few moments to troll the internet, check out West Virginia PBS LearningMedia, a free digital platform with over 100 thousand media resources.  The site is searchable by grade level, preK to adult development, subject area, media type.  It has a student portal and even better, has been curated so students are able to search freely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqml0PtUWtA

So, take a few minutes of time this holiday to check out some of the resources on West Virginia PBS LearningMedia.   It just might expand your classroom as you join millions of educators around the country bringing public media into the classroom.

If you are interested in hosting a West Virginia LearningMedia training for you school please call us at WVPB Education, 304-556-4904.

Clifford visits Monroe County

Monroe County, December 2015     Monroe County Early Head Start and Head Start held a Storybook Christmas and invited Clifford the Big Red Dog to host the event.  Youngsters participated in activity stations based upon various storybooks.  Students from James Monroe High School Child Development Classes ran the stations.  At each station one of Clifford’s Big Ideas was integrated into the activity. 

Clifford’s Big Ideas,  (Share, Help Others, Be Kind, Be Responsible, Play Fair, Be a Good Friend, Believe in Yourself, Respect Others, Work Together and Be Truthful) were borne out of the curriculum developed for the award-winning animated television series – which can be seen on  PBS KIDS.org  The goal of BIG Ideas is to support children’s growing understanding that the actions they choose make a difference to themselves and others.

Welcoming Clifford to Monroe County students from the Monroe County Vocational Technical Center made him a new dog house.  This served as a backdrop for pictures with Clifford.  Again, students from the vocational tech center’s Photography Class took pictures of the children with Clifford and with Santa.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Education Outreach program is pleased to work with community organizations sponsoring literacy events in their community. For more information email education@wvpublic.org.

This storybook Christmas was a BIG community affair.  Being Big is about being Big-Hearted. It’s about having a Big Spirit. Being Big is something we should all do more often.

It only takes a little to BE BIG.

 

 

Clifford and his friends in Monroe County.

Teacher Shares: Why PBS LearningMedia

Listen as one teacher tells why PBS LearningMedia, a free digital resource is so important in his classroom.  If you are interested in bringing PBS LearningMedia into your classroom check it out:

West Virginia LearningMedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScUhhiD-x1U&index=1&list=PLG6dQWzaO45lZQMDKnBwYLaD_LJ8GtWcy

Do Even More: Enter to become a PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator

Entries must be submitted by February 8, 2016

PBS is excited to announce the fourth annual Digital Innovators program for tech-savvy K-12 educators. The program recognizes educators nationwide who are incorporating digital media in classrooms and serving as leaders in educational technology.

Over the course of the 2016/2017 school year, PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will be part of a robust professional learning community that will foster new ways of thinking, while leading the way in using technology to drive student achievement. 54 applicants, one from each US state and territory, will be designated as Lead PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators and will also receive a three day, all-expense paid trip to Denver, CO to participate in the PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Summit and the prestigious ISTE Conference from June 25-27, 2016. Plus, each Lead PBS Digital Innovator will receive a Samsung Galaxy® tablet.

Digital Media Entry Form

Computer Science Education Week on LearningMedia

If you search for definitions of the word “computer” from different eras, you’ll see how we have defined it has changed over time. Today, computer use as we know it is so prevalent that many cannot imagine life without them. So who invented the first real computer? 

There are more than a dozen contenders to consider, all designers of unique, remarkable machines, from British mathematician Charles Babbage’s analytical engine to American physicist John Mauchly and engineer Presper Eckert’s ENIAC, the first all-electronic computer controlled by a program. With facts and timelines clouded by intrigue, controversy and contradiction, debate has raged in courtrooms and classrooms for decades. The answer of “who invented the computer” may surprise your students: WATCH: Who invented the computer.

Included with this video is a discussion guide to allow student to put this event into an historical context.

In the Making: Make Art Like WV Artists

Collaborate like artists Dutch and Hammer

  

West Virginia LearningMedia, a free digital resource sponsored by West Virginia Public Broadcasting presents another collection of media resources. 

The collection, In the Making is a collection of short biographical videos, provided by the Tamarack Artisan Foundation, of seven West Virginian artists that profile them making their art.  As companion resources each video is paired with a video art lesson which allows the viewer to create their own art in the style of the particular artist profiled.

No previous art experience is required.  This series is perfect for an art lesson in the classroom or for the individual who wants to explore their own creativity.

http://wv.pbslearningmedia.org/search/?q=In+the+Making&selected_facets=

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