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Learning At Home Schedule – November 2020

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, November 2

1 PM: Not Done: Women Remaking America

Chart the last five years of the women’s movement and its re-energized, intersectional fight for equality. Activists, journalists, entertainers, athletes and politicians report from the frontlines of the feminist tidal wave.

2 PM: American Masters | Unladylike2020: The Changemakers

Illuminating the stories of extraordinary American heroines from the early years of feminism, American Masters — Unladylike2020 is a multimedia series consisting of a one-hour special for broadcast (Unladylike2020: The Changemakers) and 26 digital short films featuring courageous, little-known and diverse female trailblazers from the turn of the 20th century.

Tuesday, November 3

1 PM: By One Vote: Women Suffrage in the South

In August 1920 in Nashville, Tennessee legislators cast the deciding vote to ratify the 19th Amendment, thus giving women in the United States the right to vote. Narrated by Rosanne Cash, By One Vote: Woman Suffrage in the South chronicles events leading up to that turbulent, nail-biting showdown.

2 PM: Raising Ms. President

In the documentary Raising Ms. President, filmmaker Kiley Lane Parker explores why more women don’t run for office. Through interviews with elected officials, scholars, high school students and leaders of two non-profits dedicated to raising the next generation of female leaders, the program investigates where political ambition begins and why society should encourage more women to lead. 

Wednesday, November 4

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: The Age of Nature | Changing

Discover why restoring nature might be our best tool to slow global warming. From Borneo to Antarctica, the resilience of the planet is helping us find solutions to cope and even mitigate climate change, providing hope for a more positive future.

Thursday, November 5

1 PM: The Final Invasion: Battle of Plattsburgh

The Final Invasion reveals the amazing struggle of America’s “Forgotten War” with Great Britain in 1812. The film offers a general overview on the causes of the War of 1812 and then concentrates on a key battle that changed the course of American history in 1814. Shot on-location in Great Britain, Canada and the US The Final Invasion features leading authors, re-enactments, previously unpublished diaries and newly discovered documents.

2 PM: Anthem

Anthem tells the story behind Francis Scott Key’s creation of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and explores the role of music and patriotism during The War of 1812. Learn about the songs and events that influenced Key to write what would become the national anthem of the United States.

Friday, November 6

1 PM: The Hudson River School: Artistic Pioneers

In the vicinity of New York’s Hudson River Valley, a group of American painters led by British born artist Thomas Cole forged an artistic vision of the wilderness. This was the first American school of landscape painting. Men with the names of Cole, Durand, Cropsey, Bierstadt, and Church would impress the world with their creative brilliance and wondrous vision. On canvas they would bring to life 19th century America.

2 PM: The Hudson River School: Cultivating a Tradition

In 19th century, artist Thomas Cole and engraver Asher Durand established an artistic movement that became The Hudson River School. The next generation expanded their palette with a technique that was immersed in light. This artistic innovation was later hailed as, “The Luminist Movement.” This film tells the story of these artists who became the greatest landscape painters in the world.

Monday, November 9

1 PM: NATURE: Primates | Secrets of Survival

Monkey see, monkey do. From baboons facing down leopards, to lemurs exploiting a jungle pharmacy or rhesus macaques charming their way to an easy life, discover the survival strategies used by primates, often in the most unexpected places.

2 PM: NOVA: Colosseum Roman Death Trap

One of the ancient world’s most iconic buildings, the Colosseum is a monument to Roman imperial power and cruelty. Its graceful lines and harmonious proportions concealed a highly efficient design and advanced construction methods. Now, archaeologists and engineers are teaming up to recreate a 25-foot lifting machine and trap door system capable of releasing a wolf into the Colosseum’s arena for the first time in 1,500 years. Do they have what it takes to replicate the innovation and ingenuity of the Romans?

Tuesday, November 10

1 PM: Secrets of the Dead: Abandoning the Titanic

Join a team of investigators as they search for the identity of the captain of a “mystery ship” that turned away from the “unsinkable” Titanic in its darkest hour, abandoning thousands of lives to the icy waters and their deaths.

2 PM: History Detectives: Hindenburg Artifact

A New Jersey man has a green metal box that looks like an instrument panel. Family lore says a relative was among the many bystanders plucking items from the Hindenburg wreckage. Was this item recovered from the crash site? Host Elyse Luray travels to Atlanta and the New Jersey landing site of the ill-fated zeppelin to determine if the instrument panel is in fact from the horrifying crash.

Wednesday, November 11

1 PM: Korea: The Never-Ending War

Shedding new light on a geopolitical hot spot, the film — written and produced by John Maggio and narrated by Korean-American actor John Cho — confronts the myth of the “Forgotten War,” documenting the post-1953 conflict and global consequences.

Thursday, November 12

1 PM: Fly Boys: Western Pennsylvania’s Tuskegee Airmen

The story of struggle and the ultimate triumph of the brave African American soldiers who served their country during World War II. The film chronicles the “Tuskegee Airmen” program, a controversial military initiative designed to measure African-Americans’ competence for flying the engines of war. This fascinating documentary features the stories of the more than 40 aviators from western Pennsylvania, including the pilots, navigators and bombardiers who flew fighter and bomber planes during the war, as well as the maintenance and support staff, instructors and personnel who kept the planes in the air.

2 PM: D-Day: Over Normandy

Narrated by New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, this documentary focuses on the personal stories of those who served in the Second World War. It was filmed exclusively by drone camera on location on some of the most iconic locations in Normandy, France. The modern-day aerial footage is accompanied by interviews with World War II veterans, mixed with archival footage of the June 6, 1944 ‘D-Day’ invasion, along with newly created maps and photo animations.

Friday, November 13

1 PM: Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World

Go on an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history to explore the stories behind the masterworks of Islamic art and architecture. See the richness of Islamic art in objects big and small, from great ornamented palaces and the play of light in monumental mosques, to the exquisite beauty of ceramics, carved boxes, paintings, and metal work.

2:30 PM: Georgia O’Keeffe: A Woman on Paper

Georgia O’Keeffe: A Woman on Paper, highlights the artist’s career while focusing on the little-known story of O’Keeffe’s time spent in Columbia, S.C., as an art instructor at Columbia College. The program follows O’Keeffe’s career through various artistic stages, ending permanently in New Mexico, where she created more realistic paintings with vivid color.

Monday, November 16

1 PM: NOVA: Petra: Lost City of Stone

More than 2,000 years ago, the city of Petra rose up in the bone-dry desert of what is now Jordan. Petra was a thriving metropolis of temples, markets, and spectacular tombs carved into cliffs, built by wealthy merchants whose camel caravans transported incense and spices from the Arabian Gulf. But how did Petra’s architects supply running water to this bone-dry canyon for bathhouses, fountains and pools? Now, in a daring experiment, an archaeologist and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancient people of Petra built their city of stone. Meanwhile, scientists using remote sensors and hydraulic flumes uncover the vast city and its sophisticated water system.

2 PM: NOVA: Dead Sea Scroll Detectives

Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, these fragile parchment relics have intrigued scholars, religious leaders, and profiteers alike. The 2,000-year-old scrolls include the oldest-known versions of the Hebrew Bible and hold vital clues about the birth of Christianity. While certain scrolls have survived intact, others have been ravaged by time — burnt, decayed, or torn to pieces — and remain an enigma. Now, scientists are using new technologies to read the unreadable, solve mysteries that have endured for millennia, and even discover million-dollar fakes.

Tuesday, November 17

1 PM: Secrets of the Dead: Nero’s Sunken City

Beneath the turquoise waves of the Bay of Naples lies an extraordinary underwater archeology site, the ancient Roman city of Baiae. From the first century to the third century AD, Baiae was the exclusive playground for the rich and powerful among Rome’s elite.  What made Baiae such a special place? What really went on there?  And why did it disappear? Now, archaeologists are mapping underwater ruins and piecing together what life was really like.

2 PM: Shakespeare’s Tomb

Historian Dr. Helen Castor explores the mysteries surrounding Shakespeare’s burial place. Will the first-ever scientific investigation discover why his tombstone’s only inscription is a curse against any man who “moves my bones?”

Wednesday, November 18

1 PM: NATURE: Primates | Family Matters

Family is everything for primates. They have the most complex social lives of any animal group on the planet. Meet devoted monkeys’ uncles, playmate apes and tender troops.

2 PM: Koko – The Gorilla Who Talks

In 1971, Penny Patterson, a graduate student at Stanford University, met Koko, a new-born gorilla in San Francisco Zoo. Penny had grown up wanting to communicate with animals and decided to teach Koko sign language in the hope of finally crossing the boundary between animals and humans.

Thursday, November 19

1 PM: American Masters | Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind ‘Little Women’

American Masters | Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind ‘Little Women’ is the first film biography about the celebrated author and reveals a remarkable woman, ahead of her time, who was much more than a writer of children’s books. Raised among reformers, iconoclasts and Transcendentalists, the intellectual protégé of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, Alcott was actually a free thinker, with democratic ideals and progressive values about women.

2:30 PM: Orchard House: Home of Little Women

Orchard House: Home of Little Women is a captivating new documentary that transports viewers to a 350-year-old home in Concord, Massachusetts with literary and historical significance unlike any other. It is here that the classic novel, Little Women, was written and set. With a nurturing, talented family as owners and literary giants Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne as neighbors, Orchard House uniquely inspired Louisa May Alcott to write Little Women. The documentary uncovers a fascinating piece of living history — a pilgrimage site for scholars and fans alike.

Friday, November 20

1 PM: Making a New American Nutcracker

Join narrator Neve Campbell and the creative team behind The Joffrey Ballet’s new production of Christopher Wheeldon’s “The Nutcracker,” a bold re-imagining of the Christmas classic that places Marie in the humble home of a 19th Century immigrant family where she falls asleep and dreams of a journey through the Chicago World’s Fair.

2 PM: Getting to the Nutcracker

Getting to the Nutcracker is a behind the scenes look at what it takes each year to produce the Nutcracker Ballet from auditions to final performance, following the Los Angeles based, Marat Daukayev Ballet Theatre, led by the former Kirov star. Boys and girls, ages 3-18 are profiled; passionate people who, with their families, make incredible sacrifices of time and money, just so that they may dance. The audience follows the dancers through the auditions, the rigorous hours of training and rehearsals, and shares the joy of landing a principal role and the pain of losing one.

Monday, November 23

1 PM: American Experience ⎪ The Pilgrims

Arguably one of the most fateful and resonant events of the last half millennium, the Pilgrims journey west across the Atlantic in the early 17th century is a seminal, if often misunderstood episode of American and world history. The Pilgrims explores the forces, circumstances, personalities and events that converged to exile the English group in Holland and eventually propel their crossing to the New World; a story universally familiar in broad outline, but almost entirely unfamiliar to a general audience in its rich and compelling historical actuality.

Tuesday, November 24

1 PM: Gandhi’s Awakening and Gandhi’s Gift ⎪ Gandhi’s Awakening

Gandhi’s Awakening documents Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in his young, transformative years in South Africa before he became known as Mahatma (Great Soul) and Father of the Indian nation. In South Africa he faces prejudice and hatred as an Indian immigrant, undergoes a spiritual epiphany of purpose and creates a revolutionary nonviolent method to fight injustice and oppression that will later be adopted by millions around the globe. Gandhi’s Awakening depicts the fascinating 21 years of Gandhi’s life known only by scholars before now. Who was the Mahatma before he was the Mahatma?

2 PM: Gandhi’s Awakening and Gandhi’s Gift ⎪ Gandhi’s Gift

Gandhi’s Gift documents Gandhi at the end of his life, on the brink of attaining his lifelong goal of freedom from the British but with his heart breaking by the partition of India and terrible communal violence that is killing an estimated million or more. Having led masses in nonviolent marches, Gandhi now walks alone for unity and peace. Gandhi’s Gift reveals inspiring details about his final years and timeless message of nonviolence, equality and interfaith harmony, which is more relevant now than ever. Are Gandhi’s final years his finest?

Wednesday, November 25

1 PM: NOVA: Hagia Sophia: Istanbul’s Ancient Mystery

Whether serving as Christian church, Islamic mosque, or secular museum, Hagia Sophia and its soaring dome have inspired reverence and awe. For 800 years, it was the largest enclosed building in the world—the Statue of Liberty can fit beneath its dome with room to spare. How has it survived its location on one of the world’s most active seismic faults, which has inflicted a dozen devastating earthquakes since it was built in 537? As Istanbul braces for the next big quake, a team of architects and engineers is urgently investigating Hagia Sophia’s seismic secrets.

2 PM: NATURE: Primates | Protecting Primates

Today, more than half of the world’s primates are under threat of extinction. Meet the scientists making groundbreaking discoveries about this remarkable animal family.

Thursday, November 26

1 PM: A Classic Christmas

Join hosts Gavin MacLeod (“The Love Boat”) and Marion Ross (“Happy Days”) for this festive, all-star special of favorite carols and popular standards. Performers include Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, The Carpenters and many more. For the first-time ever, these iconic singers and timeless performances spanning the decades are brought together in a festive special for families of all ages to share and enjoy.

Friday, November 27

1 PM: Crane Candlelight Concert 2018: Go Tell It on the Mountain

In a concert tradition that began in the 1930’s, the Crane Chorus and the Crane Symphony Orchestra come together each year to present a very special holiday concert. Featuring over 300 carolers and musicians from the renowned Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam, the concert includes traditional Christmas and seasonal hymns from around the world along with popular favorites. The 2018 concert was conducted by Jeffrey Francom and Joel Schut and featured the Broadway and opera star Lisa Vroman ’79, soprano.

2 PM: Crane Candlelight 2019: The Best of Crane Candlelight

The Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra of SUNY Potsdam presents the Crane Candlelight Concert 2019, themed “The Best of Candlelight.” The concert highlights the best songs performed at Candlelight from over the past 10 years. Making this year even more special, the Crane Chorus was joined by the Holy Name of Jesus Academy Chorus, a local youth choir, for five songs. Dr. Jeffrey Francom conducts the chorus, while Dr. Ching-Chun Lai, conducts the orchestra.

Monday, November 30

1 PM: Secrets of the Dead: Building Notre Dame

Follow an investigation into the centuries-long construction of Notre Dame de Paris, uncovering the vast architectural, technical and human challenges experienced throughout the turbulent history of one of the world’s most celebrated buildings.

2 PM: NOVA: Saving Notre Dame

When Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire in 2019, Paris came perilously close to losing more than 800 years of history. As engineers rebuild, researchers use cutting-edge technology to piece together what happened and restore the cathedral.