With the new year just beginning it’s the perfect time to set new goals and refresh classroom routines. Start off strong by exploring high-quality resources on PBS LearningMedia tailor-made for Pre-K through 12th grade students and teachers.
PBS LearningMedia brings thousands of free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lessons plans and more into the classroom. There you can discover exceptional resources and curated collections featuring PBS KIDS shows, award winning PBS series, local content from Mountain Lake PBS, and self-paced professional development offerings. With a growing library of short how-to videos and tutorials on everything the platform has to offer, using PBS LearningMedia has never been easier.
Check out a curated selection of brand-new classroom-ready resources and collections, and helpful tutorials, tips, and tools to make the most out of PBS LearningMedia below. Then keep scrolling for professional development opportunities and unique classroom experiences—from CTLE credit offerings for teachers to guided classroom tours of the station—all from Mountain Lake PBS.
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Tips For Teachers Using PBS LearningMedia
Get the most out of PBS LearningMedia with helpful articles, tips on easy-to-use features, and more!
10 Hacks For Making the Most of out PBS LearningMedia | PBS Teachers Lounge
Learn what expert PBS LearningMedia users — teachers and PBS LearningMedia team members — shared about their go-to, timesaving, and value-add hacks with this PBS Teachers Lounge article.
What Does Creativity Look Like in the Brain? | Your Brain
Grades 6-12
Ready to unlock your creativity? Explore how “letting go” may actually boost creative thinking! This video excerpt from NOVA: Your Brain dives into the science behind spontaneity and creativity. Perfect for sparking discussions about the brain’s structure and how we can access our most creative selves.
Teacher-Guided Tour of PBS LearningMedia | PBS LearningMedia Tutorials
Refresh your knowledge in 2025! PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Jason Lineberger shares tips for how to make the most of using PBS LearningMedia in your classroom.
Diverse Resources & Collections to Use With Students
Carl the Collector collection
Grades PreK-5
Carl the Collector follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. The show focuses on social and emotional learning, emphasizing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. It also explores self-identity through Carl’s perspective. Explore Fuzzytown with your students and introduce them to valuable lessons on forgiveness, conflict resolution, self-awareness, and other essential classroom relationship skills.
News Quiz collection
Grades 3-12
Keep students informed and engaged with News Quiz! KET’s weekly 15-minute program covers news highlights, a current events quiz, opinion letters, and an Extra Credit report. Perfect for sparking curiosity and classroom discussions.
Mountain Lake PBS collections | PBS LearningMedia
Grades 3-12
Explore curated collections from Mountain Lake PBS that connect video clips from fascinating local documentaries, like “Return to Auschwitz” and “A Wild Idea,” to classroom-ready activities, teaching tips, and more. Discover the people, culture, and environment of the Adirondacks, Champlain Valley, and beyond with additional resources from our award-winning magazine series, Mountain Lake Journal.
Weathered collection
Grades 6-12
Join host Maiya May as she uncovers the current science behind extreme weather events and rapid climate change and reveals the successful solutions to these challenges. Support materials accompanying each video provide engagement strategies for integrating these educational media into high school classrooms.
Ken Burns in the Classroom | Leonardo da Vinci collection
Grades 6-12
This collection of rich, multimedia resources explores Leonardo da Vinci, a Ken Burns film, showcasing one of humankind’s most curious and innovative minds. A 15th century polymath of soaring imagination and profound intellect, Leonardo da Vinci created some of the most revered works of art of all time, but his artistic endeavors often seemed peripheral to his pursuits in science and engineering. The collection includes engaging videos, activities, and lesson plans that will bring Leonardo’s world to life in the classroom, inspire your students to think critically, and push creative boundaries.
Connect Your Classroom With Local Opportunities
Take advantage of unique local offerings for educators and students all year round with Mountain Lake PBS – the public media station for the Adirondacks, Champlain Valley, Montreal and everywhere in between!
Professional Development Workshops
Make the most out of PBS LearningMedia with in-person or virtual professional development workshops hosted by Mountain Lake PBS. Learn how to integrate PBS LearningMedia videos, lesson plans, interactives, and curated collections in your classroom. All workshops are free of charge and offer CTLE credit.
Field Trips to the Mountain Lake PBS Station
All Grades
Give your classroom a behind-the-scenes look at television and media production. Learners of all ages from the Adirondacks, Champlain Valley, and Montréal can take a guided tour of the Mountain Lake PBS studio, meet and greet with staff members, and engage in a variety of hands-on experiences.
Self-Paced CTLE Credit Offerings
Enhance your teaching practice with enriching local content while earning CTLE credit. Mountain Lake PBS is a NYSED-approved provider for CTLE requirements, offering opportunities for educators to earn CTLE credit hours by viewing documentary films and successfully completing associated surveys.
Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival
Grades 9-12
Mountain Lake PBS is proud to celebrate creativity and amplify youth voices across our region through film and digital storytelling with the annual Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival. Participation is free and open to students aged 14-18 in NY, VT, and QC. Students and teachers can access free filmmaking tutorials, classroom resources, and workshops run by professional filmmakers. Winners are announced at an end-of-school year Red Carpet Showcase with cash prizes and video supplies going to the top three films!
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