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Learning At Home | Week of 10/19 – 10/23

Take advantage of this week’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.

Highlight of the Week

NATURE: Story of Cats | Into the Americas
Monday, October 19, 1 PM

In this conclusion to the two-part series, we discover how cats first crossed from Asia into North America and how they went on to become the top predators of the continent.  Today there are 13 feline species in the Americas – from the mighty jaguar, to the urban mountain lion, to the curious ocelot and from the Canada lynx to the nimble margay.

Learning at Home
Week of 10/19 – 10/23

Monday, October 19

1 PM: NATURE: Story of Cats | Into the Americas

In this conclusion to the two-part series, we discover how cats first crossed from Asia into North America and how they went on to become the top predators of the continent.  Today there are 13 feline species in the Americas – from the mighty jaguar, to the urban mountain lion, to the curious ocelot and from the Canada lynx to the nimble margay.

2 PM: NOVA: Dog Tales

Dogs have long been dependable companions by our sides. But it wasn’t always that way, and a look at their closest living relative, the wolf, makes it clear why. Research into dog domestication and intelligence offers clues into the human-dog relationship. And analyzing dogs’ brain activity and genes may even help answer whether dogs are in it for the food—or if they really love us.

Tuesday, October 20

1 PM: Africa’s Great Civilizations: Empires of Gold

The third hour in the series marks an era of great commercial and manufacturing growth throughout several regions on the continent. It begins with the revolutionary transformation of North and West Africa. On the shores of the Sahara Desert, farmers, traders, warriors and nomads turned this region into the crossroads of some of history’s most advanced, and wealthiest, civilizations. Intricate networks of long distance trade would link up productive commercial centers established by rulers of empires and kingdoms.

2 PM: Africa’s Great Civilizations: Cities

Hour four shines a light on the powerful, cosmopolitan cities that dotted Africa at a time when Europe was in its Middle Ages. From 1000 to 1600, a golden age evolves in the expansion of commerce, wealth and prosperity across Africa, and, along with this, the building of new cities and the founding of new powerful states.

Wednesday October 21

1 PM: The Age of Nature | Awakening

Explore humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife, as scientists and conservationists from all over the world examine ways we can restore our planet. In the first episode of the series, discover how a new awareness of nature is helping to restore ecosystems from Panama to China to Mozambique. See how innovative actions are being taken to repair manmade damage and restore reefs, rivers, animal populations and more.

2 PM: NOVA: Nature’s Fear Factor

For animals in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, the normal balance of competition and predation was upended when a war wiped out the top predators. The remaining animals didn’t simply grow in numbers—they began behaving in unusual ways, veering outside their typical territories and feeding patterns. Could it be that it’s not just predators’ kills that keep other populations in check, but also the fear they inspire? NOVA joins a team of scientists as they reintroduce wild dogs to Gorongosa to find out if restoring the park’s “landscape of fear” can restore balance to an entire ecosystem.

Thursday, October 22

1 PM: Africa’s Great Civilizations: The Atlantic Age

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the impact of the Atlantic trading world, giving rise to powerful new kingdoms, but also transatlantic slave trade. Learn of the revolutionary movements of the 18th & early 19th centuries, including the advent of the Sokoto Caliphate.

2 PM: Africa’s Great Civilizations: Commerce and the Clash of Civilizations

In the series’ final hour, host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. brings the story of Africa’s Great Civilizations into the nineteenth century, when a fierce competition for resources and trade stimulated ingenuity, while also enticing European powers and inciting conflicts that would threaten the stability and wellbeing of the continent.

Friday, October 23

1 PM: American Experience: McCarthy | Power Feeds on Fear

McCarthy chronicles the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator who came to power after a stunning victory in an election no one thought he could win, and who led a Cold War crusade against Communists. Once in office, he declared that there was a vast conspiracy threatening America — emanating not from a rival superpower, but from within. Free of restraint or oversight, he conducted a chilling campaign against those he accused of being enemies of the state; marked by groundless accusations, bullying, intimidation, grandiose showmanship and cruel victimization.