Wednesday, Oct. 24
9-10 p.m. E/P

Discovery Science Channel

Subjects: Science and Technology

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Eco-Tech: Powering Up"

Many experts say we are entering a new energy era: wind, geothermal, hydro -- you name it, if it moves and creates even a micro-joule of energy, we'll use it. In this documentary you will meet the scientists and visionaries who are ushering in sustainable energy

Thursday, Oct. 25
8-9:30 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: US History

Middle and High School

"The Candidates 2008: The Republicans on Health Care and Financial Security"

PBS news anchor Woodruff moderates the second of two live debates among the major parties' presidential candidates. This debate features Republican presidential candidates debating healthcare and financial security.

Friday, Oct. 26
3:15-5 p.m. E/P

Showtime

Subjects: Science

High School

"An Inconvenient Truth"

Now a documentary about a Nobel Peace Prize winner, this film began as a slide show about global warming occasionally presented to interested audiences by former Vice President Al Gore. It has become one of the most successful and talked-about documentaries ever made. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, a public television veteran managed to make what's essentially a classroom lecture into an Oscar-winning examination of the havoc humans are wreaking on their beleaguered planet. Rated PG

Log on http://www.an-inconvenient-truth.com

Saturday, Oct. 27
5-6:30 p.m. E/P

HBO

Subjects: US History

High School

"Run Granny Run"

Meet Doris "Granny D" Haddock, the nation's oldest political newcomer. In 2004, five years after walking across America to support campaign finance reform, the 94-year-old Democrat made fresh headlines - by running for U.S. Senate in her home state of New Hampshire. This documentary takes viewers behind the scenes during a four-month period in which Haddock was chosen to run on the Democratic ticket and attempted to pull off a seemingly impossible win despite a paltry budget, no prior political experience and a formidable adversary in two-time Republican incumbent Judd Gregg. Granny D and her staff crafted a feisty, exhausting campaign that personified her ideals of a government of, by and for the people. A tale of doggedness vs. dollars, grit vs. greenbacks, this film is a portrait of a remarkable woman - and an exploration of our fragile democracy in the corporate age Rated TV-PG for adult language.

Log on http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/rungrannyrun/index.html

Sunday, Oct. 28
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"NATURE: Silence of the Bees"

Honeybees from the beginning have played a key role in human survival. Most fruit trees and vegetable species are entirely dependent on bees to produce, and there's no artificial replacement for natural pollination. But the bees are disappearing. Massive die-offs, first reported in November 2006, are now the subject of international emergency research as scientists race to discover the cause of this ecological disaster. Could it be a disease? Is it caused by pesticides, genetically modified foods or radiation from cell phone towers? This documentary looks into what's happening We must solve the mystery and correct the problem soon or face unimaginable consequences. TV-G

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature

Monday, Oct. 29
7-9 p.m. E/P

Showtime

Subjects: English

Middle and High School

"Akeelah And The Bee"

In this movie a young schoolgirl from South Central Los Angeles discovers a secret, surprising talent for spelling that promises to take her to the National Spelling Bee, with the help of a depressed English professor and despite the opposition of her strict, disciplinarian mother. Rated TV-PG

Monday, Oct. 29
9-10 p.m. E/P

CNBC

Subjects: US History

High School

"October '87: Crash and Comeback"

This documentary examines the biggest stock market crash in the nation's history -- October 19, 1987 -- through the eyes of a number of individuals who lived through it. The story will be told in their words in a strictly chronological fashion. It begins in the exuberant summer of 1987, when the economy was flying high and the market was setting new records. The program will examine the warning signs that foreshadowed trouble to come, and relive every stomach-churning minute of Black Monday. Then it will flash forward twenty years to hear how our principal characters fared in the wake of the crash. It will examine the new procedures put in place to presumably prevent another market meltdown. And viewers will see how the darkest of days for the financial markets gave birth to the greatest bull run of all time.

Monday, Oct. 29
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Arts and American History

Elementary, Middle and High School

"AMERICAN MASTERS: Good Ol' Charles Schulz"

This documentary tells the story of an unassuming, self-doubting man who, through expressing his unique view of the world, redefined the comic art form with "Peanuts." His genius lay in depicting the daily collisions of insiders and outsiders, of mundane cruelties and transcendent hopes - seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. The "Peanuts" cast of characters is as familiar as our own siblings; their trials and tribulations speak of our families and evoke our childhood desperations. They are portrayed with whimsy and poignancy - and always with love and tolerance, each representing different facets of Schulz' personality and his perspectives on 20th-century America. TV-G

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/schulz_c.html

Tuesday, Oct. 30
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"NOVA: Marathon Challenge"

What does it take for the average person to run one of the world's toughest races? This documentary is both a human story and an intriguing scientific exploration of the way our bodies respond to intense exercise demands. Filmed in cooperation with the Boston Athletic Association, it offers unprecedented access to the Boston Marathon course and will take viewers on a unique adventure inside the human body. Every year thousands of athletes from across the globe flock to Boston to run the city's marathon, known worldwide as the ultimate test of stamina and endurance. In the summer of 2006, filming began covering 13 novices as they took the first step toward completing the 26.2-mile race in April 2007. The group of participants includes a variety of people from diverse backgrounds - a young woman running in memory of her mother, who died in a tragic car accident; a working single mom; even a former NFL linebacker - the unifying element is that not one of them is currently a runner. Over the nine-month training period, exercise and nutrition scientists and doctors at Tufts University use sophisticated technology to monitor the physical transformations that the participants undergo. Intimate interviews reveal the highs and lows along the way. The experience will demand a transformation of mind and body. TV-PG

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

Tuesday, Oct. 30
10-11 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and US History

Middle and High School

"Mega Disasters - Mega Drought"

This documentary provides background for understanding current headlines about drought conditions in the U.S. Warming trends in seawater and air temperature point to a possible mega drought in the next thirty to fifty years. Could we be facing a replay of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s on an even bigger scale? Scientists working with government authorities are highly cognizant of the need to conserve. Is it too late? Jump ahead to a scenario seventy years into the future--a twelve-year drought has left the country unstable and economically depressed. Cities across the west lie abandoned, states fight over limited water supplies and we are now dependent on other nations for food. Society has devolved into a desperate battle for survival as individuals fight over the scarce resource.