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Public Media for Central Pennsylvania

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Educator Resources

Working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units, Pennsylvania PBS has curated free content for you that align to state standards. Here are top resources to help you keep your students engaged and on track.

 

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Upcoming Webinars

News Literacy Webinar: Share Your Story

Thursday, May 11, at 4:00 p.m. or Thursday, May 25, at 4:00 p.m.

Have you helped your students develop media and news literacy skills? Do they feel better equipped to critically read news or search out a variety of sources? We would love to hear how you are integrating media literacy into your classroom!

Details & Registration »

Educator Resources

anti-racism

Anti-Racism Resources

A growing list of resources from PBS and trusted partners, to use as tools to support anti-racist learning and growth. Free and open for all. (pdf)

2021 Humphrey Fellows with Lion Shrine

Explore the World with Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows

WPSU is delighted to have collaborated with the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Office at Penn State to create a video series presented by the 2021 Humphrey Fellows. These educational videos, suited for classroom and community viewing, feature each fellow talking about their home country, its culture, history, and people.

Family Engagement Sessions for Schools

Let us join your school’s family night and share exciting activities from PBS KIDS! Children will love seeing clips from their favorite show and engage in related hands-on activities. WPSU will also share resources for grown-ups that are accessible and easy to use to help their young ones thrive. These sessions can be customized to your specific learning goals and themes, and can be scheduled virtually or in-person.

Contact Sarah Hamilton at education@wpsu.org for more information.

Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings

“Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings” follows 13 young people in a genetics and genealogy camp as they explore their family history and DNA ancestry with techniques never before used in an educational setting.

headshot Sonia

How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism

Sonia Manzano, known as Maria on Sesame Street, will speak about how parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and those working with children can learn how to talk to kids about race.

young adult male behind tv camera

Media Production

WPSU creators share their tips and tricks on how to bring your story to life!

Mission: Materials Science

Materials science is the study of stuff— what it’s made of, how it can be used, and even how it can be changed to create new kinds of stuff. Your mission? To learn how materials science and engineering is at work all around you.

Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

Open Educational Resources

Access nearly all online courses developed by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, in subjects such as energy, geospatial technology, cartography, and geology.

PBS Education

PBS Education

PBS provided resources for teachers, including TeacherLine, Digital Innovators, and Teacher’s Lounge.

PBS Learning Media

PBS LearningMedia

Standards-aligned educational material and curriculum that can be used by teachers and parents.

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PBS LearningMedia Professional Learning Series

PBS LearningMedia offers Virtual Professional Learning Series created for teachers—by teachers— with topics covering anti-racist teaching, digital engagement, teaching with PBS KIDS programming, and more! Upon completion, PBS provides a certificate of attendance for each one hour virtual professional learning event.

Resource Sharing for Educators

Need help navigating all the resources PBS has to offer? Invite WPSU to your professional development days to offer educators a guided tour on how to access resources. Sessions can be customized to feature curriculum-aligned content based on subject matter or grade level.

Contact Sarah Hamilton at education@wpsu.org for more information.

Science U at Home

Science-U@Home

Created by WPSU, Science-U@Home offers easy to advanced at-home science activities you can do with materials you have at home.

science of covid-19

The Science of COVID-19

Co-developed with experts in virology, epidemiology, agent-based modeling, and public health preparedness, this introductory course allows middle and high school students to learn about COVID-19 through the lenses of three distinct scientific fields.

kid watching wild kratts

WPSU PBS Education Resources

WPSU has put together a one-page guide of learning at home resources available from PBS.

Virtual Field Trips logo

WPSU Virtual Field Trips

WPSU presents virtual field trips of the Centre Country Recycling and Refuse Authority and Fort Roberdeau with more to come!

Suport Our Schools

WQED SOS

WQED SOS (Support Our Schools) is a universally-designed project that engages students for a period of ten days and crosses curriculum areas to address grade level standards in multiple subject areas including; math, science, English language arts, and social studies.

Previous Webinars

memorial of flowers and candles at a school gate

School Shootings: Navigating the Impact on Students, Teachers, and Parents

In this free webinar, experts will discuss repercussions of these tragic events, share evidenced-based practices for recognizing and responding to trauma, and offer strategies on how to talk with children about school violence. Act 48 credit available.

image of heart drawn on foggy glass

Connecting Underserved Communities with Grief Support Services

While telehealth and virtual services have becoming more common, grief support remains out of reach for many populations throughout the U.S. In this webinar, experts will share insights on how to reach those in underserved settings and how to build trust within marginalized communities.

woman and teen hugging outside

Supporting Neurodiverse Grieving People

In this webinar, experts will offer strategies to help neurodiverse grievers, such as individuals with Autism and Down Syndrome, get the support they need and deserve. A free webinar hosted by WPSU.

young adult in grief

The In-Between: Supporting Grieving Young Adults

Grief is an isolating experience for anyone, but it can be particularly challenging for young adults. In this webinar, experts share strategies for how to engage and support the young adult population.

How to Offer Meaningful Grief Support in a Virtual Setting

Just because we’ve gotten used to Zoom meetings and FaceTime coffee dates doesn’t mean we know how to foster meaningful interactions in these virtual environments. Whether you’re running a grief support group or trying to show up for a grieving friend, there are ways to facilitate these experiences from a distance. Experts share ideas for how to create authentic engagement and provide support from a distance as well as how to honor deceased loved ones through virtual memorials.

Create Classroom Community Through Song

Create and learn with artists from the touring production of Small Island Big Song. Explore how songs and chants can be integrated into your classroom to support your community of students.

A Conscious Education: Creating a Conscious Experience for Educators to Thrive

Conscious Coach and previous school teacher, Jennifer Hepton, shares insights on how uncertainty and trauma can affect our nervous system and how this awareness will allow you to thrive as an educator.

Drawing Together: STEM Integration Through Drawing Experimentation

This workshop will provide opportunities for all educators to become comfortable integrating mobile technologies and simple machines, allowing students to create their own expressive artwork.

Supporting Language Development through Media

Dr. Allison Henward and Yeojoo Yoon explore how to use media to support children’s language development and the challenges and possibilities they bring.

speaking grief

Recognizing and Responding to Children’s Grief

We’re living in a time of unprecedented communal grief and children are not immune. In this webinar, experts will discuss some of the ways children’s grief can manifest and provide guidance on how to respond and support grieving children.

Allison Sterling Henward

Are They Watching Screens, Again? Young Children, Media, Play and Learning During COVID

In this webinar, Dr. Allison Sterling Henward will focus on how families of young children ages 3—8 and youth can make the most of increased reliance on screens during COVID-19.

Female students editing video on laptop

Best Practices for Simple Video Filming and Editing

WPSU producers share their expertise on filming and editing simple videos to enhance your classroom experiences. These how-to videos will help you create engaging videos for your classroom, and learn basic techniques for editing videos to post online.

Allison Sterling Henward

How to Address Difficult Subjects with Children

In this webinar, Dr. Allison Sterling Henward, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Penn State, will focus on incarceration, homelessness, economic instability, and changing family systems and dynamics.

Kate Berardi

PBS LearningMedia in the Classroom

WPSU’s educator, Dr. Kate Berardi, explores PBS Learning Media and provides a hands-on example of how to incorporate its assets into your classroom. Download Presentation (pdf) »

Talking About Self-Care

Talking About Self-Care

This three part event is an opportunity to reflect, learn and engage with other educators around a topic you may hear about, but may not feel like you have the time or energy for — ‘self-care.’

Marisa Vicere

Connection: Supporting Kids Mental Health During Difficult Times

Marisa Vicere and Ali Turley from the Jana Marie Foundation help parents and families explore the prevalence of mental health concerns, how to recognize warning signs, and ways to engage in meaningful and supportive conversations. 

Kate Berardi

Empathy in the Classroom: A Hands-on Guide for Educators

Dr. Kate Berardi, a UNESCO Fellow, will present a free Zoom webinar on how to best increase empathy in students through simple, everyday practices.

Peggy Schooling

Supporting Families through Changing Educational Environments

Dr. Peggy Schooling helps prepare educators and administrators for supporting families with changing educational environments throughout the school year.

Annie White

Simple Interactions: Using the Legacy of Fred Rogers to Support Everyday Interactions with Families

Dr. Annie White, senior research associate for the Fred Rogers Center will talk to parents and educators about the benefits of simple, everyday interactions with children.

Utilizing PBS LearningMedia Resources in Your Classroom

Tap into the power of learning with access to resources for all content areas and age groups in this overview of how to integrate them into your classroom and curriculum.

Using PBS Resources to Support Social and Emotional Learning

Educators understand the need to connect with students’ social and emotional needs more than ever. PBS can support these efforts in the classroom and at home.

Integrating On-Air PBS Programming Into Your Curriculum

Join WITF’s Director of Education, Debbie Riek, along with Sue Voigt from Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15 as they explore the wealth of PBS resources available to connect to your curriculum.

PBS LearningMedia

plants

Science

Explore natural phenomena and scientific practices with videos, lesson plans, and interactive tools.

constitution

Social Studies

Explore the past and learn about the present with resources on government, history, economics, and more.

math

Mathematics

Bring math concepts to life through interactive games, animations and engaging media resources.

The Heros Journey

English Language Arts

Browse standards-aligned ELA resources for students in all grades.

robotic hand

Engineering & Technology

Discover resources and projects that connect students to engineering design practices and future careers.

woman with young children doing yoga

Health & Physical Education

Discover resources that provide essential lessons on physical, mental, and emotional health.

ballet dancers

The Arts

Bring dance, music, theater, and visual art into your classroom with these standards-aligned resources.

Sra. Alicia

World Languages

Bring world languages and cultures into your classroom with resources on Spanish, French, and more.