For May - Helen recommends...

"The enjoyment and study of classical music is not just about the preservation of masterpieces of centuries past, it is a connection to our present and our future, which evolves as we evolve. It is an ever-expanding horizon that, in turn, broadens our own. Giving voice to young composers is a vital way of keeping classical music alive and thriving. That’s why we are thrilled to be reviving VPR Classical’s Student Composer Showcase, in collaboration with Music COMP and Lake Champlain Access Television. This project will bring works by young composers from around the state right to our audience’s homes. Each month, we’ll get to hear what is on the minds of Vermont’s young musicians as they express themselves in this living, breathing art form that we cherish so much." 

Helen Lyons, VPR Classical

Find out more
 

 

 

Vermont PBS and Agency of Education recommend
 

• Molly of Denali: Indigenous Cultural and Informational Text
• PBSLM: Creating a Caring Classroom Community
• PBSLM: Expanding the Narrative Using Media: A Planning Kit   (All Grades).
• PBSLM: Find new SEL resources for your classroom (English/Spanish) with Alma’s Way (PreK-Grade 2)
• PBSLM: Media Literacy – Teaching Students to Critically Analyze Media: Empowering Young Media Consumers and Creators 
   

For more info, contact:

• Emily Leute (AOE) at emily.leute@vermont.gov
• Heather Duhamel (PBS) at hduhamel@vermontpbs.org

View Previous Recommendations

People power is at the core of everything we do, so we’re excited to hear from you!

Every once in a while, we hear through the grapevine about a teacher or professor who’s using one of our episodes in their classroom. We love to hear it, and we’d love to support more of it!  We’re excited to hear from you and get to work further integrating BLS into Vermont education. 

So, we’re in the early stages of developing lesson plans around past episodes as a free resource for educators across the state and beyond — and we have a few questions for you to help us make this resource as valuable as possible.

Send a new message to hello@bravelittlestate.org with feedback based on the prompts below: 

• Educators: How have you used BLS as an educational tool or how can you imagine using it as a resource in the future? What types of lesson plans or other resources would you want to see? What else should we know? (Make sure to mention where you teach and at what education level)
   
• Parents: Have you heard of any teachers using BLS in an educational setting? If so, who are they and what did the lesson look like? What types of BLS educational resources do you think could be valuable for your kid(s)?
   
• Everyone else: Please forward this email to all the Vermont educators in your life! We’d love to hear from folks beyond our current audience.
   

If you want to explore our past work, all 100+ episodes are available in our free and open archive, which you can access via our website or your podcast app of choice. 

Lastly, a gigantic and heartfelt THANK YOU to all the educators out there who have persevered through impossible circumstances and found innovative ways to engage kids throughout the ongoing pandemic. Our goal is to turn Brave Little State into a valuable resource suited for both in-person and remote learning. 

Support parents and caregivers this summer with curated resources they can use to spark everyday moments of learning and fun. Resources available through WIFI, interactive, or as printable resources included and noted.
 

The summer hub on PBS KIDS for Parents offers DIY activities, printables, games, and playtime suggestions; the summer collection on PBS LearningMedia offers PreK-5th grade teachers adaptable project ideas, fun science experiments, and a wide-range of “anytime” activities. Middle and High School Collections noted. Vermont flavor and connections here too!  

Support Conversations about Ukraine 

PBS Learning Media is offering context to unfolding events in Ukraine.  

• For those looking to engage younger audiences around the Ukraine crisis, WVIZ/Ideastream’s NewsDepth program and KET’s News Quiz both have weekly news segments with timely updates for students in late elementary and middle school.
   
• PBS NewsHour Classroom has added a segment on the Ukrainian refugee crisis to PBS LearningMedia accompanied by classroom discussion questions for middle and high school students, and teachers can visit the PBS NewsHour Classroom collection to search for news segments covering the ongoing conflict in the region, including these segments from newscasts between December 2013 and March 2014. 

Just for Teachers!  

As the nation navigates the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this film, A Trusted Space, and curriculum offers tools to mitigate the effects of grief, trauma, anxiety, and other emotional stressors affecting both students and teachers.  

PreK-Grade 2 

Social Emotional Learning  

NEW Donkey Hodie (English/Spanish/WIFI or Print to Send Home) 

• PBSLM Collection: Donkey Hodie
• Video & Activity Bundles (WIFI, Print to Send Home): Conversation Starters 
• Summer fun: Web-based Games! Froyo Stand and Art Pals 
• Crafts (Print to Send Home): Character Puppets 
   

Storytelling Packet – BINGO, games, and more (Print to Send Home)  

Find more at Summer Camp 

Curiosity & Wonder  

But Why Podcast – “Are Llamas Ticklish? And Other Silly Questions” 

• Listen (WIFI/19 minutes)
• Learning Guide (PDF, Download, Print to Send Home)  
   

Between the Lions Poem: Doggy Days and others (:40 seconds) 

Summer of Possibilities Activity Book (PDF, Download)

Poetry and Music  

Seasons of Change Poem: Seya’s Song (Interactive/WIFI)  

In this online book from the International Children's Digital Library, a young American Indian describes the natural surroundings and activities of the S'Klallam, or Clallam, people through the seasons of the year. The book includes a glossary of S'Klallam words. 

Lanston Hughs Jazz Poetry (Video/WIFI/Discussion) 

Music and Pitch: STEAM Camp (Video/WIFI/Discussion) 

A look ahead to summer: Come back in June to find local Vermont connections from VPR (on-air/online) who will share more about kid composers from Music-Comp!   

Middle School 

Storytelling and Poetry 

PBSLM Summer of Learning Collection  

• Reading, Writing, and Storytelling (WIFI/Download)
• NEW Virtual Tours (WIFI) 
   

Poetry Everywhere Connection 

• Essays, Videos, & Poetry Readings (WIFI/Download) 
   

Vermont Connection! Clemmons Family Farm Storytelling Room  (WIFI) 

High School 

Poetry and Story Science  

PBSLM Poetry in America Collection  

• Video and Printable Activities (WIFI, Teacher Resource Download)
• Opportunities, Full Episodes, and Events

Vermont Connection! Brave Little State Podcast How has the geology of Vermont affected its character?

Ukrainian War - appropriate for grades PreK, K and Grades 1-5

But Why Podcast - Why is Russia Invading Ukraine?

Download our learning guides: PDF|Google Slide|Transcript

How to talk to kids about war

Meet the Helpers

Common Sense Media

News Sources for Kids from Common Sense Media

NAMLE Parent’s Guide to Media Literacy

Ukrainian War -  appropriate for Grades 6-12 

ZELENSKYY: THE MAN WHO TOOK ON PUTIN. This new 30-minute profile on Volodymyr Zelenskyy is brought to us by ITN. The program follows Zelenskyy in his youth, his life before his presidency, and now his position as the leader of Ukraine under siege. This special will be made available to stations in sIX beginning on Thursday, March 17 for local scheduling flexibility and will be scheduled in the NPS on Friday, March 18, 10:30 – 11:00 ET/PT.

FRONTLINE will have two programs covering Putin. New to the schedule tonight is FRONTLINE: Putin’s Road to War (Tuesday, March 15, 9:00 – 10:00 ET/PT). This program reveals the inside story of what led to Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. The events that shaped the Russian leader, the grievances that drive him, and how a growing conflict with the West exploded into war in Europe. 

FRONTLINE will also encore tonight FRONTLINE: Putin’s Way (Tuesday, March 15, 10:00 – 11:00 ET/PT). This program profiles allegations of criminality and corruption that have accompanied Vladimir Putin’s reign in Russia. For over two decades, Putin accumulated wealth and power that has led to his autocratic rule and the specter of a new Cold War.

The PBS NEWSHOUR brought us a one-hour special on March 1 about the war in Ukraine, leading into the State of the Union Address.  NEWSHOUR will continue to cover the invasion of Ukraine.

We will encore AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Great Famine (Saturday, April 2, 8:00 – 9:00 ET/PT), to give context to the tension in the region when Ukraine fought for independence when it was still part of the Soviet Union. When a devasting famine descended on Soviet Russia in 1921, it was the worst natural disaster in Europe since the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. Half a world away, Americans responded with a massive two-year relief campaign, championed by a new secretary of commerce, “the Great Humanitarian” Herbert Hoover The nearly 300 American relief workers, “Hoover’s boys,” would be tested by a railroad system in disarray, a forbidding climate and — being among the first group of outsiders to break through Russia’s isolation following the Bolshevik Revolution — a ruthless government suspicious of their motives. By the summer of 1922, Americans were feeding nearly 11-million Soviet citizens a day in 19,000 kitchens. THE GREAT FAMINE tells this riveting story of America’s engagement with a distant and desperate people — an operation hailed for its efficiency, grit and generosity — within the larger story of the Russian Revolution and the roots of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry that would dominate the second half of the 20th century.

Also, available to stations in sIX is POV: The Distant Barking of Dogs. This program follows the life of 10-year-old Ukrainian boy Oleg over a year, witnessing the gradual erosion of his innocence beneath the pressures of the on-going war in Eastern Ukraine. Having no other place to go, Oleg and his grandmother Alexandra stay and watch as others leave the village, showing just how crucial—and fragile—family is for survival.

PBS Learning Media is offering context to unfolding events in Ukraine. For those looking to engage younger audiences around the Ukraine crisis, WVIZ/Ideastream’s NewsDepth program and KET’s News Quiz both have weekly news segments with timely updates for students in late elementary and middle school. PBS NewsHour Classroom has also added a segment on the Ukrainian refugee crisis to PBS LearningMedia accompanied by classroom discussion questions for middle and high school students, and teachers can visit the PBS NewsHour Classroom collection to search for news segments covering the ongoing conflict in the region, including these segments from newscasts between December 2013 and March 2014.

For additional context on the history of the region designed for classroom use, these PBS Learning Media oral history interviews and accompanying lesson plan from the NETA-distributed documentary Baba Babee Skazala: Grandmother Told Grandmother provide students with the opportunity to understand the history of Ukraine since World War II.

Teach Your Way - May

The world is full of possibilities and so are your students! Inspire their curiosity each day with the activities, printables, and videos available from pbslearningmedia.org and pbskids.org.
 

Download this month's calendar of suggestions!

VPR Brave Little State

People-powered journalism. Brave Little State, a podcast where you ask the questions, you decide what VPR investigates, and then you work with us to find the answers. With connections to other PBS LearningMedia resources. 

VPR Timeline

Join VPR Classical host James Stewart on a journey into the events, characters and concepts that shaped our Western musical tradition. We'll start at the very beginning and trace the steps of music through history. This music, and its history, is ours. With Learning Guides. 

VPR But Why

But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there.  With Learning Guides. 

VPR One Small Step and Storycorp

One Small Step is an offshoot of StoryCorps, with a focus on connecting strangers who fall on opposite sides of a political divide. VPR is one of six stations nationally that have been selected to conduct One Small Step conversations in communities across Vermont.

The latest videos from our popular Mister Chris and Friends series, are digital shorts that guide children and their families through special daily moments: waking up, brushing teeth, washing hands, cleaning up, and going to bed. This video shorts series welcomes Elephant, a new friend who joins Mister Chris for these activities. Each video has a new original song and features a peek into lives and routines in our community thanks to participation from viewers. 

“Routine helps children process what they feel, see, touch and hear each day. Our hope is that these videos help little ones engage with five special everyday moments in a time when many of their routines have been disrupted,” said Chris Dorman. “And we hope our new friend, Elephant, helps families smile, giggle, and maybe even shed a joyful tear or two together.” 

These videos are available to watch below, and at vermontpbs.org/misterchris, where families can also watch full episodes of seasons one and two!

Educational content continuing on broadcast

Browse our online schedules below for educational content available on broadcast (over-the-air and cable) Vermont PBS channels. Many corresponding episodes also available via Video On Demand.

Bring the World to Your Classroom. Vermont PBS offers curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for educators like you. 

 Browse All Topics

Create a free account and access a vast amount of lessons and topics from across PBS nationally.

 

Local Collection: Saving our Waters

From our Saving our Watersdocumentary, learn about water quality in Vermont lakes. Appropriate for Middle and High School.

 

Local Collection: Mister Chris and Friends

From our Mister Chris and Friends series, browse various videos and interactive activities, suitable for Preschool to Grade 2.

Vermont PBS offers a professional development online workshop series for Early Educators and families of young children. Each 8 hour module focuses on creative, safe and healthy ways to use technology with children from Preschool to Grade 12. All workshops are recognized for 8 hours of Professional Development through Northern Lights at CCV.
 

Complete the adjacent form and select the course module appropriate for you!

• Online Workshop 1a: Becoming a Media Mentor (PreK Educator)
• Online Workshop 1b: Becoming a Media Mentor (PreK Family) 
• Online Workshop 2: Tech Savvy (PreK-12)
• Online Workshop 3: Mister Chris and Friends: Hybrid Learning (PreK)
• Online Workshop 4: Kids & Integrated Media with the Vermont Early Learning Standards (PreK)
• Online Workshop 5: Kids & Playful Media STEM (PreK) 
  
  Vermont PBS is waiving the enrollment fee during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just one way we strive to help parents and teachers.
   

For more info contact: Heather Duhamel, Community Engagement & Education Consultant at 802-309-9951 | hduhamel@vermontpbs.org

Becoming a Media Mentor: Playful Interactions for Young Children 

Presented by Vermont PBS
Heather Duhamel, M.Ed. & Certified Media Literacy Educator 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:

CASTLETON.EDU/EARLY-CHILDHOOD-INSTITUTE

REGISTRATION OPENS MAY 1, 2022

Register now for Free!

Kids & Education on Vermont PBS is proudly sponsored by