Wednesday, December 21
8-9 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: World History

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Science Of The: Birth Of Jesus"

The birth of Jesus is the best known story in the New Testament. Almost everyone is familiar with the classic Nativity scene. But only two of the four gospels in the Bible provide an account of Jesus' birth. A closer look at them reveals some surprising differences between them. In order to peel back the layers of a two millennia-old story, this documentary travels to Israel to examine the archeological evidence. Rated TV-G.

Thursday, December 22
10-11 p.m. E/P

Animal Planet

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"New Breed Vets: Grizzly"

In this documentary, veterinarians visit a bear den to unlock the secrets of hibernating grizzly metabolism. High-tech medical equipment is also put to the test on an American bald eagle, and an elephant seal is implanted with a microchip. The vets perform critical microsurgery on a Green tree frog to save its life, and in Singapore, help a local vet administer acupuncture to a lame elephant.

Friday, December 23
10-11:15 p.m. ET, 7-8:15 p.m. PT

TCM - Turner Classic Movies

Subjects: English

Elementary, Middle and High School

"A Christmas Carol"

This movie version of the Charles Dickens classic story of Christmas is considered by some to be the best - even though it's in black and white. In case you've forgotten the story, it's about a mean fellow named Scrooge who makes life miserable for his loyal assistant Bob Cratchitt. In this movie, which sticks close to the book, Scrooge fires Bob on Christmas Eve. But Bob's spirit is not broken - he blows his last few pence on delicious food for his family, including his crippled son Tiny Tim. That night, a trio of ghosts visit Scrooge to show him the error of his miserable, stingy, cruel ways - and take him into the future where he visits his gravesite - forgotten by everybody. Next morning, our man is cured, tossing out jobs, raises, and goodwill toward men.

Saturday, December 24
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Social Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Arthur's Perfect Christmas"

Everyone's favorite aardvark gives kids a new spin on seasonal traditions in this one-hour primetime special, showing children many ways to celebrate "the holidays." Plans are underway in Elwood City for the best holidays ever as Arthur, D.W., their family and friends make preparations for perfect gifts, perfect parties and perfect family traditions for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and even "Baxter Day" (Buster and his mom's special celebration). The only problem is, just as in real life, perfection is hard to attain and things start to fall apart.

Log on http://pbskids.org/arthur

Sunday, December 25
7-8 p.m. ET, 4-5 p.m. PT

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Naked Science: Birth Of The Earth"

How did the Earth evolve to support life? Our planet now supports a huge diversity of living creatures requiring very special conditions, but what was the series of events that brought this unique set of conditions together? What did it take to make a world that would support human life? This documentary takes an imaginary 'human' time traveler on a journey back to the moment of formation of our solar system.