© Lee Hoy
Learn & Play
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Learning At Home Schedule – May 2022

Take advantage of this month’s Learning at Home broadcast schedule – great for students engaged in hybrid or distance instruction, and families looking to spend some extra, quality time together!

After watching these fascinating programs, explore the PBS LearningMedia and web resources to learn more.

Monday, May 2

1 PM: NOVA: Can We Cool the Planet?

As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists are wondering if we need solutions beyond reducing emissions. Enter geoengineering. From sucking carbon straight out of the air to physically blocking out sunlight, the options may seem far-fetched. But as time runs out on conventional solutions to climate change, scientists are asking the hard questions: Can geoengineering really work?

2 PM: Climate Change: The Facts

“Climate Change – The Facts” brings together leading climate scientists who explain what might happen if global warming increases 1.5 degrees. Experts examine the consequences of rising temperatures on ice sheets, fragile ecosystems, developing communities and extreme weather events. Personal accounts of California wildfires, extreme coastal flooding in Louisiana and increasing temperatures in Australia paint vivid pictures of these devastating effects.

Tuesday,May 3

1 PM: Baba Babee Skazala: Grandmother Told Grandmother

The little-known story of Ukrainian children torn from their homes in the crush between the Nazi and Soviet fronts in World War II. Spending their childhood as refugees in Europe, these inspiring individuals later immigrated to the United States, creating new homes and communities through their grit, faith and deep belief in the importance of preserving culture.

2 PM: Rise of the Nazis: Dictators at War | The Home Front

Facing defeat on the Eastern Front, resistance builds as Hitler pushes Germany to untold destruction. This is the story of why dictatorships fail, and of the hubris that nearly destroyed freedom, but ultimately destroyed itself. After Stalingrad, Hitler’s stress intensifies. For once there is no master plan. Hitler leaves it to the men around him to pull Germany back from the abyss.

Wednesday,May 4

1 PM: Asian Americans | Breaking Ground

Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that chronicles the contributions, and challenges of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing ethnic group in America. Personal histories and new academic research will cast a fresh lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans have played in it. Episode one, Breaking Ground, describes an era of exclusion and U.S. empire, as new immigrants arrive from China, India, Japan, the Philippines and beyond. Barred by anti-Asian laws they become America’s first “undocumented immigrants,” yet they build railroads, dazzle on the silver screen, and take their fight for equality to the U.S. Supreme Court.

2 PM: Asian Americans | A Question of Loyalty

An American-born generation straddles their country of birth and their parents’ homelands in Asia. Those loyalties are tested during World War II, when families are imprisoned in detention camps, and brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the battle lines.

Thursday,May 5

1 PM: Asian Americans | Good Americans

During the Cold War years, Asian Americans are simultaneously heralded as a Model Minority, and targeted as the perpetual foreigner. It is also a time of bold ambition, as Asian Americans aspire for the first time to national political office and a coming culture-quake simmers beneath the surface.

2 PM: Asian Americans | Generation Rising

During a time of war and social tumult, a young generation fights for equality in the fields, on campuses and in the culture, and claim a new identity: Asian Americans. The war’s aftermath brings new immigrants and refugees who expand the population and the definition of Asian America.

Friday,May 6

1 PM: International Jazz Day 2022

International Jazz Day 2022 on PBS sees jazz stars from around the globe come together to celebrate the unifying power of music. International Jazz Day is the one day each year on which jazz is celebrated worldwide, bringing together people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities in more than 190 countries on all seven continents. This inspiring program showcases some of today’s finest artists proclaiming the positive message of America’s greatest cultural gift to the world.

2 PM: Great Performances | Now Hear This “The Schubert Generation”

Franz Schubert composed 1,500 works, but his genius wasn’t recognized until after his tragic death at 31. The Vienna native never found success in his hometown, then the world’s musical capital. Host Scott Yoo goes to today’s musical capitals to meet tomorrow’s most promising artists—all of them Schubert’s age during his career—to understand Schubert’s life through some of his greatest music and learn what it takes for a young classical artist to make it in the 21st century.

Monday,May 9

1 PM: NATURE: My Garden of a Thousand Bees

A veteran wildlife cameraman is bee-obsessed. Seeking refuge from the pandemic in a small city garden, he is filming the wild bees that live there with mind-blowing results. From giant bumblebees to scissor bees the size of a mosquito, he has seen more than 60 species of bee. But more importantly, he is developing a close relationship with an individual bee he follows through its entire life.

2 PM: NOVA: Hindenburg: The New Evidence

The cause of the infamous Hindenburg crash has baffled experts for over 80 years, with theories about the airship’s fire ranging from deliberate sabotage to a spark generated by the stormy conditions in which it landed. But new, never-before-seen amateur footage of the crash has surfaced, showing the airship’s final seconds from a fresh angle and in unrivaled clarity. Taking clues from the footage and other sources, NOVA leads a fresh investigation at a leading scientific lab with eye-opening experiments that point to a final solution of the mystery. 

Tuesday,May 10

1 PM: American Experience: Flood in the Desert

Flood in the Desert explores the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam and its aftermath, the second deadliest disaster in California history.

2 PM: Follow the Water

Follow the Water is an adventure story with an environmental message. Traveling by bike, on foot and in a canoe, photographer Mike Forsberg and filmmaker Peter Stegen follow a mythical drop of water 1,300 miles through three states. Using iPhones, Go-Pros and underwater cameras they share how it feels to get close to the flow of the water — to taste it, touch it, and struggle to understand it.

Wednesday, May 11

1 PM: Asian Americans | Breaking Through

At the turn of the new millennium, the country tackles conflicts over immigration, race, economic disparity, and a shifting world order. A new generation of Asian Americans are empowered by growing numbers and rising influence but face a reckoning of what it means to be an American in an increasingly polarized society. 

2 PM: Vanishing Chinatown: The World of the May’s Studio

Discover the story of San Francisco’s changing Chinatown through the story of a family photo studio and the photo archive they left behind.

2:30 PM: Stories in Thread

Stories in Thread focuses on Hmong Pa Dau or Story Cloths. The traditionally hand-made textiles are integral to what it means to be Hmong in America. Despite this significance of Pa Dau to identity and cultural survival, the art form is disappearing. The perspective of the elder generation, the fighters and refugees from Laos, is expressed in their own Hmong language and their fear of cultural loss is immediate and painful. The story of Hmong Pa Dau is the story of identity change and perseverance, it is an exploration of the refugee and immigrant experience, and also a commentary on contemporary minority issues in America.

Thursday,May 12

1 PM: Hawaiiana

Hawaiiana examines the enduring legacy of Winona “Aunty Nona” Beamer, a venerated educator, storyteller, composer and hula expert who dedicated her life to preserving and celebrating traditional Hawaiian culture. Weaving together archival music and dance performances with past interviews and footage of Aunty Nona and her sons Keola and Kapona Beamer, Hawaiiana offers a profile of a pioneering woman whose wisdom and life story continue to spread the message of aloha around the world.

2 PM: Ka Hana Kapa

Ka Hana Kapa documents the history of kapa in Hawai‘i and follows the complex process of Hawaiian kapa making from start to finish. Hawaiian kapa is one of the most beautiful art forms in the Pacific. In ancient Hawai‘i, kapa, or bark cloth made from the wauke plant (Broussonetia papyrifera), was used for clothing, bedding, the wrapping of precious iwi (ancestor’s bones), important ceremonies, and a myriad of other purposes, making it an integral part of everyday life in Hawaiian society. Ka Hana Kapa is the story of kapa making in Hawai‘i, as told by these dedicated kapa practitioners and their students, who have given new life to this intricate cultural practice.

Friday,May 13

1 PM: The Violin Alone

The unlikely pairing of two modern visionaries, Vilmos Oláh, a Hungarian violin virtuoso, and Eric Funk, contemporary classical composer from the heart of Montana, has resulted in a new piece of music that pushes the boundaries of music and our notion of the possible. “Vili: Concerto for Violin Alone” is an extreme concerto in which its player must simultaneously play the solo and orchestra parts.

2 PM: Great Performances | Now Hear This “Becoming Mozart”

Travel with host Scott Yoo and pianist Stewart Goodyear as they visit Yoo’s Festival Mozaic where Goodyear learns to direct an orchestra from the piano while improvising the solos of Mozart’s twentieth piano concerto.

Monday,May 16

1 PM: NOVA: Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence

In North Dakota, scientists use new fossils to reconstruct what life might have been like just before an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. The site reveals remarkable evidence, including the unhatched egg of a pterosaur, a huge flying reptile.

2 PM: NOVA: Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day

The search continues for signs of what might have happened on the day the dinosaurs died. Scientists uncover remarkable evidence, including a near perfectly preserved dinosaur leg and what could be pieces of the asteroid itself.

Tuesday,May 17

1 PM: NOVA: First Man on the Moon

Everyone knows Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon. But this modest and unassuming man was determined to stay out of the spotlight. Now, for the first time, NOVA presents an intimate portrait of Armstrong through interviews with his family and friends, many of whom have never spoken publicly before. Discover and relive Armstrong’s achievements before and after Apollo, from his time as a Navy combat veteran and later as a pioneer of high-speed flight to his leading role in the inquiry into the Challenger disaster and his efforts to encourage young people to take to the skies. Along the way, we learn how Armstrong’s life became the inspiring story of heroic risk-taking and humble dedication that ultimately advanced humanity’s adventure in space.

2 PM: NOVA: Back to the Moon

On the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing, NOVA looks ahead to the hoped-for dawn of a new age in lunar exploration. This time, governments and private industry are working together to reach our nearest celestial neighbor. But why go back? The Moon can serve as a platform for basic astronomical research; as an abundant source of rare metals and hydrogen fuel; and ultimately as a stepping stone for human missions to Mars and beyond. Join the next generation of engineers that aim to take us to the Moon, and discover how our legacy of lunar exploration won’t be confined to the history books for long.

Wednesday, May 18

1 PM: Forces of Nature | Shape

“Forces of Nature” illustrates how we experience Earth’s natural forces, including shape, elements, color, and motion in each of its four episodes. We can’t directly see the forces that govern Earth, but we can see their shadows in the shapes of nature that surround us. If we understand why these shapes exist, we can understand the rules that bind the entire universe.

2 PM: Forces of Nature | Elements

The forces of nature make Earth a restless planet, but they also turned our ball of rock into a home for life. How did our planet’s ingredients, the chemical elements, come together and take that first crucial step from barren rock to a living world?

Thursday,May 19

1 PM: Forces of Nature | Color

Earth is painted in stunning colors. By understanding how these colors are created and the energy they carry, we can learn the secret language of the planet.

2 PM: Forces of Nature | Motion

The forces of nature have kept Earth on the move since it was formed billions of years ago. Though we can’t feel the motion, we experience the consequences, from tidal bores surging through the Amazon rainforest to the ruinous power of hurricanes.

Friday,May 20

1 PM: Great Performances | Now Hear This “The Riddle of Bach”

Scott Yoo goes to Germany to learn Bach’s sonatas and partitas, widely considered among the greatest works ever written for solo violin. There, he discovers a riddle Bach left behind in his portrait. In trying to solve it, Scott discovers that Bach based his melodic style on Vivaldi and his rhythms on the music of the French court, which leads to a spectacular finale in Paris.

2 PM: Great Performances | Now Hear This “Beethoven’s Ghost”

The Series 2 finale of Great Performances: Now Hear This takes a dramatic approach to interpreting the complex musical mind of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who wrote nearly 800 works in 45 years. Host and violinist Scott Yoo and his team of fellow musicians visit a historic manor in the Berkshires to better understand Beethoven by performing and recording some of his most personal work, including his famous “Ghost Trio.” Unbeknownst to them, they’ve summoned the ghost of the composer, trailed by the spirit of Sigmund Freud who attempts to analyze him. Interweaving documentary, performance and theatrical storytelling, this haunting special episode explores the mind of the composer through dramatized conversations between the spirits of Beethoven and Freud.

Monday,May 23

1 PM:NATURE: Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas

Roam the Wild West frontier land of the Rio Grande’s Big Bend alongside its iconic animals, including black bears, rattlesnakes and scorpions.

2 PM: NOVA: Why Ships Crash

When the bow of the colossal Ever Given container ship plowed into the bank of the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, international supply chains ground to a halt. What went wrong? Follow the dramatic efforts to free the ship and the investigation into one of the most expensive shipping disasters ever. Maritime experts analyze other recent accidents and try to figure out how such devastating crashes could be prevented.

Tuesday,May 24

1 PM: History Detectives: Tokyo Rose Recording, Crazy Horse Photo, WWII Diary

Did this recording play a part in the infamous trial of “Tokyo Rose?” Could this be a photograph of the Lakota warrior Crazy Horse? Could this diary reveal the fate of a missing bomber pilot from World War II?

2 PM: I Danced for the Angel of Death: The Dr. Edith Eva Eger Story

Dr. Edith Eva Eger recounts her story of survival as a prisoner at Auschwitz concentration camp, her struggle with survivor’s guilt and how her work as a psychologist has helped her grow and heal.

Wednesday,May 25

1 PM: Unsettled History: America, China, and the Dolittle Tokyo Raid

Unsettled History: America, China, and the Dolittle Tokyo Raid examines a key moment in American/Chinese history, exploring how the two sides remember this shared event in different ways, the reasons for this divergence and what lessons it may hold for today. Recounted by children of the Raiders and their Chinese rescuers, the program offers emotional insights that only family members can provide.

2 PM: Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk

Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk tells the moving story of retired SUNY professor and Czech Holocaust survivor Vladimir Munk, who at age 95, returns to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp where he was held prisoner during World War II. The trip would be his last chance to honor thirty of his close relatives, including his parents, who were killed at Auschwitz, the most notorious of the Nazi death camps. Joining Vladimir on his journey were two filmmakers and a good friend who is a writer and producer from the North Country. Julie Canepa, Bruce Carlin, and Paul Frederick teamed up to produce the film.

Thursday,May 26

1 PM: American Experience: Plague at the Golden Gate

Over 100 years before the deadly COVID-19 pandemic set off a nationwide wave of fear and anti-Asian sentiment, an outbreak of bubonic plague in San Francisco’s Chinatown unleashed a similar crisis. The death of a Chinese immigrant in 1900 would have likely gone unnoticed if a sharp-eyed medical officer hadn’t discovered a swollen black lymph node on his body — evidence of one of the world’s most feared diseases, bubonic plague. When others started dying, health officials and business leaders were torn about how to stave off an epidemic without causing panic and derailing the city’s booming economy. A fascinating medical mystery and timely examination of the tense relationship between the medical community, city powerbrokers and San Francisco’s Chinese-American community, Plague at the Golden Gate tells the gripping story of the desperate race against time to save San Francisco and the nation from the deadly plague.

Friday,May 27

1 PM: Great Performances | Merry Wives

Recorded summer 2021 at The Public Theater’s beloved Free Shakespeare in the Park, Great Performances presents playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedic spinoff “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Directed by The Public’s Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali, the production is set in South Harlem where immigrants of the West African diaspora are living side-by-side with their African American neighbors. A New York story about tricks of the heart, featuring the Bard’s most beloved comedic characters, this farce tells the story of the charlatan Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter and vitality.

Monday, May 30

1 PM: Elvis and the USS Arizona

Elvis and the USS Arizona tells the surprising story of how one of music’s biggest icons helped to establish a USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor. Elvis’ fundraising concert drew public attention to the plight and helped to galvanize efforts to finish the USS Arizona Memorial as it stands today.

2 PM: The Misty Experiment: The Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail

The story of the special U.S. Air Force squadron whose pilots volunteered for one of the Vietnam War’s most dangerous air missions. Their assignment: search for enemy supply transports and anti-aircraft installations concealed within the web of trail paths and waterways collectively known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The squadron also directed rescue operations for U.S. and allied aircrews shot down.

Tuesday, May 31

1 PM: Silent Sacrifice: Stories of Japanese American Incarceration in Central California and Beyond

Valley PBS presents this two-hour documentary film based on the experience of Japanese Americans before, during and after WWII with a focus on local Assembly Centers, Merced, Fresno, Pinedale and Tulare.

Learning at Home on Mountain Lake PBS is supported by:
Adirondack Foundation