<Saturday, May 5
8-9 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Moon for Sale"

Scientists are again in a space race. After forty years, man is going back to the moon. Across the world competing nations' scientists are gearing up to take part in an effort that some believe could change the power structure - and even the geography of the world.

For the latest news about physicist Stephen Hawking's personal campaign to demonstrate that going into space is a means of assuring mankind's ultimate survival log on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6594821.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6595521.stm

Sunday, May 6
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Sharkland"

This documentary takes place in a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Southern Africa where a unique pattern of warm and cold currents brings together an astounding variety of sharks. Nearly 150 species of all colors, shapes and sizes gather there - including pajama sharks, leopard cat sharks, seven-gill cow sharks and the great white. TV-PG, V

Log on to explore our online interactive anatomy of the Great White Shark; test your knowledge of sharks in our online quiz; and read an online article about other examples of animal cannibalism http://www.pbs.org/nature

Monday, May 7
7-8 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Geography and World History

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Is It Real? King Arthur"

The legend of King Arthur has been passed down for generations; continually celebrated in books, theater, film, television and even video games. But is the story really true? This documentary sifts through the theories to determine fact from fantasy. It retraces the archeological clues of King Arthur from his alleged birthplace to the supposed site of Camelot; meet a self-proclaimed reincarnation of King Arthur; and compares the leading theories of historians and literary scholars.

Monday, May 7
9-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Geography and World

Middle and High School

"Cities Of The Underworld: Rome's Hidden Empire"

Rome is a city where the past meets the present on every corner. A secret cult used to practice right next to the Circus Maximus, and their temple still remains beneath the street. The famous Piazza Navona sits on top of Domitian's Stadium. Pieces of Trajan's Basilica can be found under a gallery owned by fashion dynasty Fendi. Rome's underground is filled with evidence of life during the Empire. This documentary shows what life was like during Nero's tyranny and Augustus' reforms and reveals the technological marvels that allowed the construction of one city upon another--literally. Rating: TV-PG

Monday, May 7
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: American History and Science

Middle and High School

"AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Amelia Earhart"

This is a biographical documentary about Amelia Earhart, was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first to cross the North American continent alone. Her exploits as an aviator, her beauty and intelligence, her independence and charm made her a national heroine. Seemingly invincible, Earhart tirelessly traveled and lectured, a champion of aviation and equal opportunity for women. The record-breaking flights, the aerial exhibitions and races, the interviews to support her favorite causes, the endless speeches and promotional commitments, together with household responsibilities, health problems and financial worries, combined to push Earhart to the point of exhaustion. In 1937, she set out to accomplish yet another first: to circle the earth along the equator on an east-west flight. Friends warned that her preparations were hurried, even careless. When her plane disappeared without a trace, the "First Lady of the Air" was instantly transformed into an American legend. TV-PG

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex

<Tuesday, May 8
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"NOVA: Pocahontas Revealed"

On May 13, 1607, three English sailing vessels drop anchor beside a small island fringed by swamps in the James River, Virginia. On board are 104 colonists who will establish the first successful English settlement in the New World at Jamestown. The exploits of the brash, swashbuckling John Smith, the wily, venerable chief Powhatan and his infatuated daughter, Pocahontas, will be recited, retold and embroidered until they gather the status of an epic founding myth of the new nation. Now, on the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, science is revealing the truth behind the myth - a saga of unparalleled adventure, greed and savagery. Virginia archaeologists have just discovered the site of Chief Powhatan's capital, Werowocomoco, some 17 miles from Jamestown beside the York River. This is the very spot where the captive John Smith had his famous life-and-death encounter with the mighty chief, when (so the story goes) the smitten Pocahontas begged her father to spare the Englishman's neck. NOVA has covered the excavation of this unique site for four years and for the first time reveals the Native-American side of the Jamestown story. The evidence from Werowocomoco provides a fascinating new perspective on the colonists' inevitably one-sided accounts of their sometime allies and adversaries. TV-PG

Log on for an opportunity to rewrite the story of Pocahontas based on archeological and historical evidence http://www.pbs.org/nova/pocahontas

Tuesday, May 8
9-midnight p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: US and World History

Middle and High School

"The Spanish-American War: First Intervention"

This documentary examines the war's origins, the battles and the outcome. On the night of February 12, 1898, 266 American lives were lost when the battleship Maine was ripped in half by an explosion in Havana Harbor. War with Spain followed. For the first time a war was covered by members of the media creating an unprecedented impact at home. A fascinating cast of characters emerge including novelist Stephen Crane, artiest Frederick Remington, Admiral George Dewey and Nurse Clara Barton. Doctor Walter Reed fought against the outbreak of tropical diseases in Cuba and in the process discovered the cure for malaria. Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, felt America had grown soft and vulnerable and was the central figure in all of motives surrounding the war. Rating: TV-PG

Wednesday, May 9
8-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Heavy Metals/ Magnets"

This is a broadcast of two documentaries about metals and magnetism. The first is about copper, uranium, chromium, lead, nickel and zinc. which are elements that occupy a select portion of the periodic table and are so essential to America's economic and military might that they are stored in the National Defense Stockpile in case of all-out war. Also explained are superalloys--consisting of steel combined with chromium, cobalt, and dozens of other heavy metals--that resist corrosion and perform increasingly elaborate functions. The second programs explains magnets the underpinning for much of modern technology. .We played with them as children, but the world of magnets isn't kid's stuff! They can be found in computers, cars, phones, VCRs, TVs, vacuum cleaners, the washer and dryer, the ubiquitous refrigerator magnet, and even in an electric guitar! On the cutting edge of technology, scientists experiment with a variety of magnets. Magnets' amazing forces of attraction and repulsion may some day take us to the far reaches of outer space. Rating: TVPG

Wednesday, May 9
9-11 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: World History

High School

"Secret Files Of The Inquisition: Root Out Heretics/The Tears Of Spain"

This is a broadcast of the initial two episodes of a documentary miniseries which tells a story of holy wars and crusades, torture and terror, the struggle for human rights and dignity. Based on previously unreleased secret documents from European archives, including the Vatican's, the series unveils the true story of the Catholic Church's 500-year struggle to remain the world's only true Christian religion. For more than half a millennium, a system of mass terror reigned. Thousands were subjected to secret courts, torture and punishment. The four episodes span medieval France, 15th-century Spain, Renaissance Italy and mid-19th-century Europe, revealing how the most powerful church on earth created the Inquisition to attack its enemies and preserve the unquestioned authority of the pope. Historians, experts and church authorities advise on the handling of this controversial subject matter. The first episode, "Root Out Heretics" takes place high in the Pyrenees in the southwest of what is now France, in a time when the Church of Rome proclaims itself the one true religion, heresy has taken hold. The pope sends the Inquisitors of Heretical Depravity to exterminate the heresy. Unbelievers are hunted down, condemned and burned. In 1308, the entire village of Montaillou is taken prisoner. From the secret files: the extraordinary revelations of village life under the Inquisition. Episode 2 is "The Tears of Spain". In 1468, Spain was a land where Christians, Muslims and Jews have lived in tolerance for centuries. But that time is ending. A young king and queen bent on immortality proclaim themselves the Catholic monarchs and start an Inquisition. Jews who had converted to Christianity are accused of secretly sabotaging the Christian faith. They become pawns - with dire consequences. Thousands perish in a ritual called the act of faith. In Zaragossa, the inquisitor is assassinated - setting off a wave of reprisals. Mothers will die to protect their children - and the highest in the land will pay the ultimate price. It is the beginning of the Spanish empire and a long dark night that will last for centuries. Programs rated TV-PG ??? V (for violence) Parts 4 and 5, "The War On Ideas" and "The End Of The Inquisition" air May 16 in the 9-11 p.m. timeslot.

Learn more about the accused, the cathars and the converses at the companion web site http://www.pbs.org/inquisition

Thursday, May 10
9-10 p.m. E/P

Travel Channel

Subjects: Science and Geography

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Salt Flat Speedway"

Each year Bonneville Speed Week sees the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah transformed into one of the greatest racing surfaces on the planet. This documentary shows Andy Green, "the fastest man in the world," as he tries to break the record for fastest diesel car ever made during Speed Week. Also shown is 17-year-old Nadine Endacott as she attempts to be the youngest women in Bonneville's 200 mph club. TV-G

Friday, May 11
8-9 p.m. E/P

Court TV Channel

Subjects: US History and Government

High School

"The Investigators: Maximum Security"

In this documentary guards describe their jobs at a maximum security prison, presenting an unflinching portrait of a team of little-known law enforcers who try to keep prison life from spinning out of control. The program explains crime in prison, deep in the cell blocks - a breeding ground for criminal behavior. Managing this cauldron of trouble and discontent requires a special team of super cops. Rated TV-14, L and V (strong language and violence)

Saturday, May 12
8-9 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Rise of the Feathered Dragon"

This documentary follows paleontologists to northwestern China on a search for fossil evidence of the origins of modern birds.

Saturday, May 12
8-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: World History

High School

"Nostradamus: 500 Years Later"

In this documentary experts examine 10 of the most famous prophecies. Of Nostradamus 500 years after he made them. The life story of Nostradamus unfolds in medieval Europe at the time of the Great Plague and the Inquisition. He lived in an age of superstition and magic and believed that he could foretell the future. For this he was labeled both a prophet and a heretic, and his cryptic journals continue to inspire controversy just as they did in the 16th century. This program visits his birthplace in France and traces his career as doctor, astrologer, father, and seer. Rating TV-PG