Sunday, May 28
8-9:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: American History and the Arts

Elementary, Middle and High School

"National Memorial Day Concert"

This multi-award winning concert is the premier memorial service for the United States, honoring the service and sacrifice that so many American servicemen and women have made for their country ??? from Iraq to Vietnam, Korea and World War II. This year's event will focus on two major themes: honoring the contributions of the "citizen soldiers" serving in the National Guard and a tribute to the brave pilots who flew with the Air Force during World War II ??? including the more than 90,000 combat casualties and over 30,000 men who lost their lives. Co-hosted by actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, the concert will also feature performances by country music sensation Lee Ann Womack, actor Peter Gallagher, Academy Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest, actor Charles Durning, country music artists Big & Rich and opera singer Frederica von Stade, who'll be joined by the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Erich Kunzel. General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, military choruses and color guards from each of the armed forces will also play a special role in the concert. TV-G

Monday, May 29
6 a.m. - 6 p.m. E/P

TNT

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"Into the West"

This broadcast of all the episodes of a six part dramatic series tells the story of the opening of the American West. Spanning the years 1824 to 1890, it follows two multi-generational families. One consisting of settlers and the other Native American, each telling the stories of the development of the West from their distinct points of view. Coming from Virginia is the Wheeler clan, a family of wheelwrights whose story focuses on Jacob who heads west and eventually marries a Native American woman named Thunder Heart Woman. After it is believed that Jacob has been killed, his brother Jethro vows to protect Jacob's widow and children. The other family is a plains Native American family hailing from the Lakota tribe. Thunder Heart Woman is a member of this family, along with her brothers, Loved by the Buffalo, who has been given a spiritual vision about he future of his people; Dog Star, who diligently holds to the traditional ways; and Running Fox, who believes the only way to survive is to adapt to the white man's ways. Throughout the series, the two families experience events that led to an epic clash of culture, often becoming involved with the big developments of the period, from the Gold Rush to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad to the forced relocation of Native Americans to reservations.

Further details at http://alt.tnt.tv/itw

Monday, May 29
9-11 E/P

History Channel

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"Washington The Warrior"

Before becoming "Father" of our country, George Washington was a serving soldier in the British Army. This documentary about the Washington we don't always think about begins in 1753, when the 21-year-old obtained an officer's commission in England's Virginia militia. While serving alongside British regulars, did his brash and sometimes reckless decisions help ignite the French and Indian War? Washington retired from the militia in 1758, but continued to hone his leadership skills. Managing his vast Mount Vernon estate required many of the same talents as commanding soldiers in the field. When America declared independence, Washington was the consensus choice to lead the Continental Army. This program follows Washington's intense, often painful, transformation. The man who emerged was a warrior who preferred liberty to power and justice to glory. TVPG V (This programs repeats June 3, 8-10 p.m. E/P)

Further details at http://www.historychannel.com/washington/

Tuesday, May 30
7-8 p.m. E/P

Animal Planet Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Most Extreme: Poison"

This documentary covers creatures from the toxic cane toad to the poisonous emissions of the millipede - the natural world is full of such poisonous predators and prey. Also shown are the bombardier beetle which blasts hydroquinone from it's bottom and a South American poison dart frog can kill 50 people. TV-G

Tuesday, May 30
9-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

High School

"FRONTLINE: The Age Of AIDS"

On the 25th anniversary of the first diagnosed cases of AIDS, FRONTLINE examines one of the worst pandemics the world has ever known. Over four hours, the series examines one of the most important scientific and political stories of our time: the story of a mysterious agent that invaded the human species and exploited its frailties and compulsions - sexual desire and drug addiction, bigotry and greed, political indifference and bureaucratic inertia - to spread itself across the globe. The first night's two-hour broadcast begins with the medical and scientific mystery that emerged in 1981 when five gay men in Los Angeles were diagnosed with a new disease. The film documents the frantic search by American and European scientists and epidemiologists to find the source of the deadly infection as they tracked its spread among gay men, intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs, and then into the general population. The trail led them back in time, from major American and European cities, to Haiti and finally to the Congo. The story then moves from the mysterious virus to the fear, stigma and political controversies during the Reagan administration. Attempts to prevent the spread of the disease, most prevalent among gay men and intravenous drug users at the time, sparked furious public debate. As the film tracks the devastating spread of HIV around the world, it documents how some countries - in Europe, Africa and Asia - found tools to slow its progress, including needle exchange programs and massive condom distribution campaigns. The second night, airing in this timeslot on PBS tomorrow night, May 31, begins by exploring the chasm that emerged between rich and poor following the development of the miraculous "triple cocktail" HIV treatment. In the mid-1990s, when doctors discovered the cocktail, it seemed to signal a new era in which AIDS was no longer a fatal disease. But the high price of the drugs meant they were unaffordable to patients in developing nations. The program tracks the political struggle to lower those prices in countries like Brazil, and documents the South African government's tragic failure to battle the epidemic that was overwhelming their country. The film also examines the next wave of the AIDS epidemic in some of the most populous and strategically important nations in the world, including Russia, India and China, and tracks the same pattern of official denial and political indifference that characterized the epidemic in so many other countries. Globally, pressure was building around the political struggle to finance AIDS prevention and treatment in the developing world, between the UN-backed Global Fund and the Bush administration's AIDS initiative, which was heavily influenced by the president's evangelical Christian political supporters.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline

Wednesday, May 31
6-8 p.m. E/P

TCM

Subjects: World History

Elementary, Middle and High School

"The Adventures of Marco Polo"

This is world history 'lite' ??? a classic movie about an Italian explorer and his journeys to China a thousand years ago. Directed by John Ford

Interesting details comparing actual history to this movie version at http://www.classicfilmguide.com/index.php?s=pageA&item=239

Wednesday, May 31
6-7 p.m. ET, 3-4 p.m. PT

National Geographic Chanel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Naked Science: Lightning"

Faster than a speeding bullet (or Superman) and six times hotter than the surface of the sun, lightning strikes our planet up to eight million times every day. But, while it may be one of nature's most well observed events, it's also one of the most mysterious and destructive phenomena on earth. This documentary reports on new research and high altitude experiments that reveal a previously unimagined connection between lightning and cosmic rays from deep in outer space.

Thursday, June 1
8-10 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"The Rise Of Man"

This documentary covers the development of the human species from Homo Erectus, the first species to demonstrate signs of humanization, to Homo Sapien. It follows the path of our direct ancestors as they migrate across the planet. Because of it created and technological and social-structure advances, the Homo Sapien version of the species was able to thrive. TV-PG

Thursday, June 1
8-10 p.m. E/P

ABC

Subjects: English

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals"

The championship round of the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals from Washington, DC. will be telecast live this year (with tape-delay for the west coast viewers). This marks the first time the nation's most-popular and longest-running educational contest will be presented live, in primetime on a broadcast network. Recent movies and documentaries about the event have made it cool to know how to spell.

Details about the broadcast at http://abc.go.com/specials/spellingbee.html

Friday, June 2
8:30-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: American History and Government

Middle and High School

"NOW"

The main story scheduled for this newsmagazine program is a look at government secrecy and the efforts of private citizens to fight it. Also reported: efforts to use the Freedom of Information Act to investigate the closing of a business; and comments from U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.).

Log on http://www.pbs.org/now/index.html

Saturday, June 3
6-7 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science and the Arts

Middle and High School

"Hollywood Science: Forces of Nature"

"Twister," "The Day After Tomorrow," "The Perfect Storm." For decades, filmmakers responsible for creating spine-tingling thrillers have taken their cues from Mother Nature's own awe-inspiring spectacles. Are the annihilating twisters, hazardous fires, powerful earthquakes, homicidal hailstorms and battering hurricanes shown in films based on solid research? Or, as this documentary seeks to learn, the ferocious weather on the big screen more likely based on filmmakers' creative imagination?

Saturday, June 3
8-9 p.m. E/P

Animal Planet Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Natural World: Caribou and Wolves"

Across the top of North America millions of caribou travel 3000 miles on a trek from their winter range to calving grounds and back again. This documentary shows how their journey is burdened with many obstacles and dangers, but their most significant threat comes from wolves. TV-G