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Learning at Home | Week of 12/07 – 12/11

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

No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank’s Story
Tuesday, December 8, 2 PM

Anne Frank’s father, Otto’s recently discovered letters reveal new information about the family’s struggle to obtain visas to save themselves from the clutches of the Nazis. The world turned its back on the Franks and millions of others. Leonard Berney, who liberated Bergen Belsen where Anne and her sister Margot perished, relates the harrowing story. Something of a prequel to Anne’s iconic diary, No Asylum shares unknown details of the Frank family’s story before they went into hiding in the attic, and is a call to action for tolerance and respect.

Learning at Home
Week of 12/07 – 12/11

Monday, December 7

1 PM: Remember Pearl Harbor

Narrated by veteran Hollywood actor Tom Selleck, Remember Pearl Harbor chronicles the personal stories of veterans and citizens who witnessed the surprise attack by the Japanese on the American Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, launching the United States into World War II. Using archival footage and photos and graphics, the documentary shows in detail the bombings on Oahu, along with the fiery explosion of the USS Arizona, the sinking of the USS Oklahoma, and the attacks on Hickam Field, as well as on other parts of the island. The film documents the 75th anniversary, the tragic events and the courageous acts of those who were in or near Pearl Harbor on that day.

2:30 PM: Mr. Tanimoto’s Journey

Discover the story of Japanese-Americans who protested the loss of their constitutional rights during internment at Tule Lake Segregation Center.

Tuesday, December 8

1 PM: History Detectives: Tokyo Rose Recording

History Detectives explores whether a 1940s recording may have helped convict the woman alleged to be “Tokyo Rose”. In 1948, the woman who twice signed her name the “one and original Tokyo Rose,” was brought back from Japan to face a grand jury. The war had ended, but her battle had just begun. History Detectives investigates whether this object can explain the story behind her “confession?”

2 PM: No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank’s Story

Anne Frank’s father, Otto’s recently discovered letters reveal new information about the family’s struggle to obtain visas to save themselves from the clutches of the Nazis. The world turned its back on the Franks and millions of others. Leonard Berney, who liberated Bergen Belsen where Anne and her sister Margot perished, relates the harrowing story. Something of a prequel to Anne’s iconic diary, No Asylum shares unknown details of the Frank family’s story before they went into hiding in the attic, and is a call to action for tolerance and respect.

Wednesday, December 9

1 PM: NOVA: Bigger Than T. rex

Almost a century ago, paleontologists found the first tantalizing hints of a monster even bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex, perhaps the largest predator ever to roam the Earth – spectacular fossil bones from a dinosaur dubbed Spinosaurus. But the fossils were completely destroyed during a World War II Allied bombing raid, leaving only drawings, questions, and a mystery: What was Spinosaurus? Now, the discovery of new bones in a Moroccan cliff face is reopening the investigation into this epic beast.

2 PM: NOVA: Day the Dinosaurs Died

A seven-mile-wide asteroid collided with Earth 66 million years ago, triggering a chain of events that coincide with the end of the dinosaurs. But experts have long debated exactly what happened when the asteroid struck and how the giant beasts met their end. Join NOVA as scientists piece together a chillingly precise unfolding of the Earth’s biggest cataclysm, moment by moment, and discover how our early mammalian ancestors managed to survive and repopulate the Earth.

Thursday, December 10

1 PM: Secrets of the Dead: Viking Warrior Queen

In 1878, archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe uncovered a grave containing a large number of weapons and the skeletal remains of what seemed to be a great Viking warrior. For a century, people assumed the body was male until the 1970s when Berit Vilkans, a young researcher, observed the bones had female characteristics. In 2017, a team of Swedish geneticists proved through a DNA study that the great warrior wasn’t a man, but a woman. Join this team of experts as they examine the DNA results and complete a field investigation, uncovering the truth about the only archaeological discovery of a female Viking warrior and battle strategist known to date.

2 PM: NOVA: Lost Viking Army

Forty years ago, hundreds of skeletons were unearthed in a mass grave in an English village. Bioarchaeologist Cat Jarman believes these bones are the last remains of the “Great Heathen Army,” a legendary Viking fighting force that invaded England in the ninth century and has long been lost to history. Armed with the latest scientific methods, Cat’s team uncovers extraordinary human stories from the front line, including evidence of women fighters and a lost warrior reunited with his son in death.

Friday, December 11

1 PM: Some Kind of Spark

Follow inner-city kids from New York as they embark on a life-changing experience: the opportunity to study music in Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, a Saturday outreach program for at-risk kids. Some Kind of Spark follows the students inside the classroom and at home, from practice rooms to stages.

2:30 PM: Bang the Drum

For the Yao minority of rural southwest China, the bronze drum is a sacred heritage. Its sound aids the souls of deceased elders to reach the ancestral land. When the Chinese government steps in to protect heritage, the life of the bronze drum takes on new meaning and becomes an icon for tourist performances. Bang the Drum traces the path heritage takes in a changing China.