Distance Learning & Home Schooling Resources For Educators
Connecticut Public is here to support our intrepid educators, teachers and youth leaders in this challenging time. While you may not be physically close to your students, you can continue to engage, inspire and encourage their curiosity with these trusted resources. Subscribe to Connecticut Public's new weekly Learn at Home newsletter here »
PBS LearningMedia
PBS LearningMedia is a free online service of thousands of compelling educational resources, including lesson plans and other interactive activities. The resources in PBS LearningMedia, which were developed based on feedback from educators, are aligned to curriculum standards in every state and contextualized for educational use. These resources include grab-and-go activities, lesson plans, interactive lessons and media that illustrate specific topics or themes and support materials across subjects. Each week’s At-Home Learning schedule, plus additional resources, will be available via a weekly newsletter.
PBS TeacherLine offers flexible, online professional development for PreK-12 educators. PBS TeacherLine offers 15, 30 or 45-hour courses that are facilitated by content experts and master teachers that immerse you in a collaborative, online environment with your peers. You have the opportunity to earn graduate-level credit with partner universities. Interested in trying out a course before committing? PBS TeacherLine offers free, self-paced courses that require 1.5 to 4 hours of study. Explore PD for PreK-3 Educators or view the monthly schedule to find a course that fits your needs!
PBS Teachers Lounge In this robust blog, teachers throughout the country share tips and tools with other teachers, including strategies for building a virtual classroom community, distance learning tips and tech tools.
PBS Digital Innovators are classroom changemakers -- educators whose fresh ideas open new worlds for their students, and whose bold approach to teaching creates a joyful learning environment.
Synch PBS LearningMedia with Google Classroom PBS LearningMedia now fully integrates with Google Classroom, giving you the ability to sync class rosters, assignments and assignment results between PBS LearningMedia and Google Classroom. Teachers and students must each have a valid Google account and a PBS LearningMedia account. Students must accept Google's permissions when signing in for a lesson. Here's how to get started »
Teaching About Virus Information & Prevention
For All Age Groups: Virus Information & Prevention
What are viruses and how do they spread? Find resources for students of all ages that explore the nature of viruses, how they are transmitted and the healthy habits we can all engage in to prevent their spread. From the common cold to coronavirus, these videos, interactive lessons and discussion questions will offer educators a variety of ways to introduce the topic to students.
Fred Rogers Productions - Resources to Help Families During COVID-19 Crisis
As an organization committed to providing quality entertainment and resources for children and families, Fred Rogers Productions is here for you in these difficult and uncertain times. This page contains a list of all of their virtual events, activities and other social initiatives including "How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus" and "How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During Coronavirus."
Sesame Workshop "Caring for Each Other" Initiative
Your friends on Sesame Street are here to support you during the COVID-19 health crisis, as families everywhere are creating a "for now normal." Children thrive with structure in their lives, and they learn best through play—even in everyday moments.
EARLY CHILDHOOD & ELEMENTARY
CPTV Kids
CPTV broadcasts 11 1/2 hours of high-quality, trusted PBS Kids programs every Monday through Friday, as well as from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sundays. See the full CPTV Kids broadcast schedule here.
CPTV PBS Kids 24/7 on the Web and on Your Mobile Device
We bring you round-the-clock streaming live TV and interactive games online and on your mobile devices with the Connecticut Public Mobile App. Download it at Apple App Store or on Google Play.
PBS Kids Ready to Learn
PBS Kids Ready to Learn Initiative
Through the Ready To Learn (RTL) Initiative, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), PBS and local PBS stations provide free, evidence-based educational resources that help teachers, caregivers and parents build early science and literacy skills for America’s children, especially those from low-income communities. This U.S. Department of Education-funded initiative introduces children to key STEM and literacy concepts early, which better prepares them for school and boosts their long-term education opportunities.
MIDDLE GRADES & HIGH SCHOOL
Thinkalong
Using trusted source materials from PBS, NPR and local public media stations, Thinkalong is a free, interactive program created by Connecticut Public that helps middle and high school students think critically about current topics in the media, develop informed opinions and practice respectful, civil discourse.
PBS Black Culture Connection
PBS Black Culture Connection presents a guide to the films, stories and voices across public television centered around Black history and culture.
Classroom resources for educators offers a special collection of educational resources spotlighting Black artists, educators and innovators that have shaped our nation.
StoryCorps Connect
StoryCorps Connect is a new platform that makes it possible to record and preserve meaningful conversations remotely. StoryCorps Connect was developed in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This platform will help connect generations, preserve the wisdom of humanity and offer a source of comfort and meaning to elders who may feel isolated and alone. “Social distancing” is the exact opposite of the StoryCorps ethos, which strives to bring people together and acknowledge and celebrate our common humanity. At this time of physical separation, the StoryCorps interview is a more essential tool than ever before for bringing us together. Download the toolkit here »
KQED Learn
KQED Learn is a free platform for middle and high school students to tackle big issues and build their media literacy and critical thinking skills in a supportive environment. This includes the popular Above the Noise video series that cuts through the hype and takes a deeper look at the research and facts behind controversial and trending topics in the news.
More Special Learning Collections from PBS
The Great American Read The Great American Read is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey).
- Middle school titles including Ghost, The Outsiders, Little Women, To Kill a Mockingburd, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Call of the Wild, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and more.
- High school titles including 1984, And Then There Were none, Another Country, Beloved, Bless Me, Ultima, The Book Thief, Catch 22, The Great Gatsby, The Handmaid's Tale, 100 Years of Solitude, Ready Player 1, Things Fall Apart and more.
- Elementary titles including Charlotte's Web, Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables and The Giver
The PBS Great Performances Collection Great Performances presents a showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts.
The Election Collection Voting and elections are an essential part of democracy. Keep up with with election news, study the history and process of presidential elections, explore voting rights and engage in classroom debates with these videos, activities and lesson plans. Use the interactive Electoral Decoder to explore electoral college results from previous elections, and predict the outcome of the upcoming election. Resources will continue to be added to this collection through the 2020 presidential election.
Ken Burns in the Classroom Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than 40 years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students, and introduce new ideas, perspectives and primary sources.
Rick Steves Classroom Europe This travel program addresses global culture and issues. Short video clips cover a vast range of topics: You’ll take a tour of the ancient Roman Forum; learn why people in Barcelona speak Catalan; ponder why pilgrims trek 30 days across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela; see how and why Switzerland designed its major bridges and tunnels so they could be destroyed at the push of a button; and visit a vibrant market in the south of France.