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Greetings, TV viewers!
Here are this week's home viewing suggestions selected from online advanced program listings and aligned with state and national K-12 academic standards available online.
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Monday, November 14
9-10 p.m. E/P
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Sundance Channel
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Subjects: World History and Geography
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High School
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"Interesting Times: The War Of Love"
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The title of this documentary refers to the famous Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times," which means you might have to live through troubles -- possibly courtship and family life. Example: Beijing social worker and divorce counselor Hu Yanping who helps victims of domestic violence at the Women's League. On evenings and weekends, Hu and a friend run an amateur dating service, catering to busy professionals who have little time to meet other singles. Ironically, back at home, Hu's own marriage to a soldier is far from a shining example of domestic bliss. Documentary filmmakers Duan Jinchuan and Jiang Yue present a rare glimpse of contrasting relations between men and women in contemporary China. Rated TV 14.
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Tuesday, November 15
6-7 p.m. E/P
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Animal Planet Channel
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Subjects: Science
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Middle and High School
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"Crocodile Hunter: Wombats, Kangaroos, Koalas"
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This episode of the documentary series that's usually about reptiles shifts focus this time to take a look at Australia's pouched mammals, the marsupials. The program shows the rescue of a badly injured kangaroo and a bandicoot mauled by a cat. Then, a wombat has the staff at its Zoo staff on the run while new female wombats arrive there for a mating program.
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Tuesday, November 18
8-9 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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Subjects: Science and World History
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Middle and High School
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"NOVA: Newton's Dark Secrets"
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This is a documentary about Isaac Newton, the greatest scientist of his day, perhaps of all time. But while he was busy discovering the universal law of gravitation, he was also searching out hidden meanings in the Bible and pursuing the covert art of alchemy. Who knew? He wasn't talking.
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Log on to see Newton's contributions to science - http://www.pbs.org/nova/newton
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Wednesday, November 16
9-11 p.m. E/P
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PBS
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Subjects: World History
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Middle and High School
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"In Search of Myths and Heroes"
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The topics in this documentary are "The Queen of Sheba," "Arthur: The Once and Future King," "Shangri-La" and "Jason and the Golden Fleece." Historian Michael Wood goes in search of the factual roots behind the world's greatest myths and legends. He travels around the Red Sea as he looks for the Queen of Sheba, one of the world's most fascinating heroines. In the second segment, he travels around the Celtic world exploring the greatest British myth: the tale of King Arthur.
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Log on http://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes
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Thursday, November 17
7-8 p.m. ET, 4-5 p.m. PT
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National Geographic Channel
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Subjects: Science and Technology
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Middle and High School
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"Golden Gate Bridge"
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The Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay has been under constant attack from treacherous currents, fierce winds and sea fog laden with corrosive salts. But the worst is still to come. Seismic engineers are predicting a massive tremor within the next 50 years. This documentary explains the $400 million retrofit, state-of-the-art isolation bearings and absorption devices are being installed to soak up an earthquake's damaging vibrations. It is a race against time.
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Thursday, November 17
8-9 p.m. E/P (Check local listings)
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Discovery Channel
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Subjects: American History
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Middle and High School
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"Red and Blue"
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This documentary shows two families of widely divergent life views and political sensibilities; one from a liberal/Democratic "Blue" state such as California, the other from conservative/Republican "Red" state such as North Carolina who swap lives for two weeks. TV Rated PG- D (for some strong dialogue scenes)
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Friday, November 18
8-8:30 p.m. E/P, check local listings
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PBS
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Subjects: American History and Government
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Middle and High School
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"NOW"
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The main report in this newsmagazine asks "Who is rebuilding New Orleans?" You might be surprised.
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Log on http://www.pbs.org/now
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Saturday, November 19
8-9 p.m. E/P
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CNN
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Subjects: World History
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High School
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"CNN Presents"
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This newsmagazine follows Korean-American journalist Jung Eun Kim as she tracks down a new breed of dissident in North Korea. These dissidents are using small digital cameras and cell phones to show the world the brutal life inside North Korea.
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Log on http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents
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Sunday, November 20
8-10 p.m. E/P
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History Channel
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Subjects: Science and World History
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Middle and High School
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"Little Ice Age: Big Chill"
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There have been several movies and documentaries made lately speculating about the sudden and severe weather conditions we're experiencing these days. It's not the first time this has happened. This documentary looks back in history at one particular bout of bad weather. Scientists call it the Little Ice Age -- but its impact was anything but small. From 1300 to 1850, a period of cataclysmic cold caused havoc. It froze Viking colonists in Greenland, accelerated the Black Death in Europe, decimated the Spanish Armada, and helped trigger the French Revolution. The Little Ice Age reshaped the world in ways that now seem the stuff of fantasy -- New York Harbor froze and people walked from Manhattan to Staten Island, Eskimos sailed kayaks as far south as Scotland, and two feet of snow fell on New England in June and July during "the Year Without a Summer." Could another catastrophic cold snap strike in the 21st century? Leading climatologists offer the latest theories, and scholars and historians recreate the history that could be a glimpse of things to come. Face the cold, hard truth of the past -- an era that may be a window to our future.
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