April 15 | Grades 4-8

April 8, 2020

Programming Highlights

NOVA | Who’s the Smartest?
Did you know that there was a time when the smartest beings on the planet were dolphins and whales? Are animals more like us than we ever imagined? Go inside the social lives of some of the smartest animals on the planet. Learn if dolphins and elephants really have “language?” Do chimps have a sense of fairness? And are any animals besides ourselves capable of feeling empathy?

History Detectives | Universal Friends
In Maine, a yellow, three-page record dates 1791 and reads, “Act of Incorporation of the Universal Friends.” This document has been handed down through the family for over two centuries. The Universal Friends were an early, controversial religious group with a woman leader named Jemima Wilkinson, the first religion founded by an American born woman. Learn about the unusual woman behind this early American religion.

Food Science | We Are What We Eat
The world is full of different cuisines and thousands of different meals. Yet when they’re reduced to their essence, there are actually just a handful of ingredients that our bodies absolutely need from our food to survive. These essential molecules are carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. Why are each kind of molecule so important for the human body to function?

At-Home Learning Tips

Om It Out
Weeks of being indoors can be stressful especially when you’re at home with little ones. The first step to heading off a meltdown is to keep an eye out for the telltale signs of you and your child’s breaking point. Once you do, you’ll know how to put on the brakes such as centering yourself first and then helping your children go through their emotional process as well. Find more tips to manage stress here.

Daily Programming

6:30 a.m.	Nova: Inside Animal Minds “Who’s The Smartest” Chimpanzee Deception – Discussion Questions Elephant Stranger Danger – Discussion Questions Dolphins Plan Ahead – Discussion Questions

7:30 a.m.	History Detectives: Chicago Clock; Universal Friends; War Dogs Transcontinental Railroad – Discussion Questions Images of Shaker Life – Images Made into the Enemy: Activity 1-Activating Background Knowledge – Activity

8:30 a.m.	Native America: Cities of the Sky The Mayan Governor’s Palace – Discussion Questions Cities in the Sky City Planning Activity – Activity City Planning Designs – Document

9:30 a.m.	Food-Delicious Science: We Are What We Eat Body Needs – Interactive Secrets of Sourdough – Video Biological Molecules: Crash Course Biology – Video

10:30 a.m.	Nova: Inside Animal Minds “Who’s The Smartest” Chimpanzee Deception – Discussion Questions Elephant Stranger Danger – Discussion Questions Dolphins Plan Ahead – Discussion Questions

11:30 a.m.	The Great American Read: What We Do For Love Primary Source Set: The Great Gatsby – Interactive The Great Gatsby Part 1: Crash Course Literature – Video The Great Gatsby Part 2: Crash Course Literature – Video Pride and Prejudice – Discussion Questions

Additional Resources

Take the Quiz
How much do you know about whales and dolphins? These folks from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation have prepared a crossword puzzle, word search and quiz covering these fun loving and intelligent animals.

L.A. Photographer Documents Buddhist Life in the City
Don Farber has become well known over the decades for his photographs of Tibetan, Thai and Japanese monks working and praying in mountain temples, on pilgrimages through snowy forests, begging for alms. However, it is arguably in his portraits of Buddhists expressing their devotion in modern urban settings like Los Angeles and in his portrayals of Buddhist teachers striving to preserve their traditions, often among refugee communities, where his photojournalistic skills shine most vividly and where his lens is most compassionate.

How Taste Preferences Change
Among the most widely observed, but poorly understood modifiable behavioral phenomena is that dietary experience can alter taste preferences. Now science has figured out how food preferences can change and what that means for our survival.