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This article was written by Lauren Fardig-Diop.
Good morning, Michigan educators!
I know, it’s August, aka the longest Sunday ever before we start the new school year, and you’re oscillating between trying to soak up the last days of summer with pool days, park days or one last getaway before PD begins, and thinking about how to do things better, brighter and with more intention this fall. Me too!
One of the things I’m reflecting on as school creeps back up on us is how important relationships are to every system working in our school. I work at an alternative high school in Southeastern Michigan, and we spend a lot of time as a whole school and in smaller groups investing in name games, getting-to-know-you activities, storytelling and life mapping. Do we have content we need to teach? Of course! A whole semester’s worth, plus some. So, why do we spend weeks investing in things that will ultimately not help test scores or evaluations?
We want students to feel invested in our learning spaces, and we want students to know that we are invested in them: not just their academic success, but in their ability to grow and change as maturing people, their ability to navigate conflict with respect and accountability, their ability to experience and appreciate art, music and culture, and build community together. We are all learning (adults included) and we will make mistakes. Circles can be used to build community and also to respond when harm or conflict happens, which it will.
So, we circle up everyday. Sometimes as a whole school, sometimes in classrooms and small groups. Sometimes in the media center, the gym, or outside in the garden. We talk. We introduce ourselves, our interests, we share bits and pieces of who we are. And most importantly, we listen and create lots of opportunities for our young people to tell us who they are, what they know, what their questions are and what they want to do and know.
In creating these spaces where students have voice, where we have choices in how and how much we engage, where we harness student interest and ideas, we are not only engaging in social studies and English standards (speaking and listening, group procedures, asking questions, deciphering information and planning responses), we are also creating processes for communication that will aid us in times of conflict or difficulty.

Circles and Community Care

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<ul>
	<li>First thing in the morning, as a “morning meeting” or planning session for the day.</li>
	<li>Mid-day as a reflection before/after a break or transition to new activities.</li>
	<li>At the end of the day as a reflection and planning for tomorrow</li>
	<li>Whenever you can make space for it in your discussion of content in class.</li>
</ul>

When is the time?

<ul>
	<li>If you include circles in your classroom, you can lead them at first, eventually asking interested students, guest teachers, or paraprofessionals to lead.</li>
	<li>If you are working on whole-school circles or advisory, there may be an instructional coach or teacher leader who leads circles, or has more resources to help you get yours started. (They may have PBS links and resources, too)</li>
</ul>

Who will lead this?

This is completely up to you!
<ul>
	<li>Once a day – make space for a conversation, activity or dialogue every day! Use <a href="/learning-hub/resources/download-the-globe-app">the Relationships Initiative</a> for ideas on activities and topics.</li>
	<li>Bookend the week – start the week with a check-in and overview of the schedule, field trips, special events or topics you’d like student to focus on, then reflect with another circle at the end of the week to see how it went.</li>
	<li>Once a week – Use a circle to lay out the course of the week, check-in about concepts taught, preview concepts or scheduling, or gain feedback from students about how class is going. Address conflicts in circle as you feel comfortable facilitating, or ask for help in facilitation!</li>
	<li>Monthly town hall meetings – gather students together to discuss big picture ideas, for field trips, club options, spirit weeks, or other culture-building events and mechanisms to draw student interest, voice and leadership. Use surveys or other means of gathering information, and use gallery walks or sticky notes to gather information in a kinesthetic way from students. Communicate important dates, events, field trips and scheduling information to students and offer an open mic for student issues and ideas.</li>
</ul>

How often will we do this?

<ul>
	<li>Capture the ideas, thoughts, reflections of staff and students.</li>
	<li>Check in periodically to see how people are feeling about the activities being offered, using the circle process as a format for feedback, as well as surveys, comment cards and other means.</li>
</ul>

How do we ensure we’re taking action and putting our listening to work?

<ul>
	<li>Stay the course. It takes time to build trust and get young people to feel like they can share and adults will listen. Provide the structure and the space for them to give feedback, and tweak planning based on their feedback. Show them their impact!</li>
	<li>Keep asking for ideas from young people and give them opportunities to lead in a supported way! Have them co-lead a circle or activity with an adult.</li>
</ul>

What if it’s not working?

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Think about the student in your class who always seems to be at the center of everything. Try to use restorative questions and affective statements in an impromptu conference.
<ol>
	<li>Pull the student to the side. Talking to them in front of the class can be humiliating and dehumanizing.</li>
	<li>Check in first: “How are you today? How’s your morning been?”</li>
	<li>Use restorative questions to approach curiously:

<ul>
	<li>What happened?</li>
	<li>Who was impacted by it?</li>
	<li>How can we make things right?</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Use affective statements to communicate how it impacted you:

<ul>
	<li>“When you shouted out of turn, it  made me feel upset and nervous, it was too loud! If you can raise your hand, it helps me better help you.”</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Summarize the situation:

<ul>
	<li>“So, you were frustrated that no one  was hearing you, and you yelled. You’d like to make it right by apologizing to the class, is that right?”</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Make a plan:

<ul>
	<li>“Next time, let’s try…”</li>
	<li>“How can we communicate better?”</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
See how these one-on-one check-ins start to impact your relationships. Often “attention-seeking” behaviors are young people needing connection.

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Impact Report 2024

Discover how the Michigan Learning Channel transformed education across the state in 2024, evolving from a pandemic response initiative into a vital educational resource. Learn about innovative programs like Math Mights and Read, Write, ROAR!, plus expanded partnerships with Michigan universities and PBS stations that brought quality learning resources to students, families, and educators statewide.

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Michigan Learning Channel 2024 Success Report

The Michigan Learning Channel Announces a Request for Proposals (RFP)

The Michigan Learning Channel, a statewide educational resource provided by Michigan’s PBS stations, seeks a curriculum provider to support the development of Social Emotional Learning video and print resources to serve Michigan students and families, with a focus on students in grades 2-5.
This RFP invites proposals from established, credible providers of Social Emotional Learning content to create or license video content and printable materials for student use at home or in the classroom. All materials procured under this RFP will be made freely available to Michigan students, families, and teachers for a minimum of 3 years.
This request closes on February 8.
&nbsp;

Opportunity to License or Create Original Content

MichiganLearning.org

Launched by seven public television stations across Michigan and Northern Indiana, the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) delivers instructional content to students, parents and teachers, using a wide variety of media platforms, including a system of dedicated broadcast channels. It makes curriculum-aligned and teacher-tested content universally available, overcoming limitations in online access for rural and urban areas alike. The programming has been developed in consultation with leading educators and community leaders across the state. MLC was conceived and organized by Detroit Public TV. Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43% or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature. For more information.

Public Television Stations Partner with Michigan Educators to Build New Statewide Learning Service

DETROIT – (October 21, 2020) – Michigan’s public television stations, in partnership with leading educators and community leaders, have announced the creation of the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC).  Organized by Detroit Public Television (DPTV), the network will deliver instructional content programming to students, parents and teachers, using a wide variety of media platforms, including a system of dedicated broadcast channels.
The Michigan Learning Channel is scheduled to begin operation in early January 2021, providing curriculum-aligned instructional resources for students and teachers, beginning with Pre-K to 3rd grade content and quickly expanding to include grades 4 to 12.
When fully developed, the MLC will include a statewide network of new broadcast channels, dedicated to bringing this content into homes throughout Michigan, overcoming limitations in online access for rural and urban areas alike. In addition to Detroit Public Television, the network will include WKAR Public Media from  Michigan State University, Delta College Public Media, WGVU Public Media from Grand Valley State University, WCMU Public Media from Central Michigan University and WNMU-TV from Northern Michigan University.
DPTV will pilot the service on its WORLD Channel (56.4 in Southeast Michigan) from 8 a.m. to noon weekdays beginning on Monday, Nov. 2. The four hours of Pre-K to 3rd grade content will also be streamed through the Michigan Learning Channel website (<a href="https://www.dptv.org/michiganlearning">MichiganLearning.org</a>). The WORLD Channel is currently offering programming for grades 6-12 from noon to 5 p.m.
The Michigan Learning Channel concept has been endorsed by the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (MASA) and the Business Leaders for Michigan.
“From day one, we have worked with leading people in the field of education and with a diverse cross-section of parents and concerned citizens to develop a plan that meets the evolving needs of families and teachers,” said Rich Homberg, president and CEO of DPTV. “Public television has a long history of developing age-appropriate educational content in partnership with those closest to the communities we serve.
“The Michigan Learning Channel takes this one step further. We will use our various platforms – over the air, online and through social media – to increase access to educational programming and resources, at home, schools, daycare centers or wherever students may be. There will be a crucial need for this service during the pandemic and into the future.”
The MLC was developed with the cooperation and support of leading educators and educational organizations in the state.
“I wholeheartedly support and endorse the Michigan Learning Channel,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Michael Rice. “The ability for educational programming to reach nearly every household with a television and fill internet connectivity gaps is outstanding. I commend the public television stations of Michigan for adjusting to the unexpected changes brought on by the pandemic and moving quickly to provide enrichment opportunities to the children of Michigan. I look forward to serving our children in partnership with you.”
Other endorsements from the education and business communities are attached.
Delivering Instructional Content Accessibly
Every public television station in Michigan is participating in the Michigan Learning Channel and will establish a dedicated broadcast channel for the service. In Southeast Michigan, for instance, Detroit Public TV will carry this programming over the air on a new Channel 56.5.  But it will also be available as a livestream as well as posted for on-demand viewing on a variety of digital and social media platforms, ensuring accessibility to all students, educators and families in the state.
The instructional content will be aligned with Michigan’s educational standards and will follow widely accepted sequences for mastering skills throughout the school year, to make it as useful as possible for schools and students. Designed to support and enrich school learning, the lessons will be presented by a diverse group of educators, delivered as if the teacher is in a classroom setting.
The broadcast channel will deliver lessons in scheduled 30- and 60-minute blocks for each grade level throughout the day, which will be repeated during the evenings and weekends. All content is offered at no cost to schools, families and caregivers. As new content is developed, it will be added to the Michigan Learning Channel platforms.
Here are some examples of the kind of instruction-based programming that the network will offer:
<ul>
	<li>Reading and English Language Arts: Lively lessons keep students’ reading skills moving forward and offer engaging writing activities</li>
	<li>Math: A full suite of elementary math lessons using the Eureka Math curriculum</li>
	<li>Science: The world of STEM from shows like “Joe’s Super Science Show”</li>
	<li>Social Studies: Standards-aligned lessons from geography to civics to U.S. history</li>
</ul>
“At its core, our goal is to provide support to parents to ensure their children are able to realize their potential and master skills important to their future success in school and in life,” said Georgeann Herbert, DPTV’s senior vice president of strategy. “We are creating the infrastructure to provide a dynamic, rapidly adaptable support network to address the changing needs and priorities of our children’s education, now and into the future.
“This content does not replace teachers but gives families and educators more options to support student success during the current crisis and beyond. In this way, we can help engage parents more deeply in their children’s learning and encourage them to form strong partnerships with teachers and their local schools.”
In addition to primary and secondary education, the Michigan Learning Channel plans to eventually add adult educational content, developed in collaboration with unions, community colleges and universities. These programs would support the completion of college and career certification programs to help fill high-need positions in the workforce.
The Michigan Learning Channel will provide programming that is separate and distinct from PBS’s highly successful 24/7 Kids Channel, which specializes in educating young children with animated content and familiar characters. The MLC will complement the PBS KIDS Channel, its existing online content and PBS KIDS apps to give children and families a rich trove of educational resources.
“The Michigan Learning Channel will provide the educators, teachers and all the other caregivers who surround children with immediate support as our educational system evolves to navigate the pandemic,” said Homberg. “But it is also a work in progress. We will continue to enrich and refine the content with the feedback and input we receive from parents and educators.
“There is nothing more important for the well-being of Michigan than the education of our youth. The Michigan Learning Channel is one step in ensuring that all children in the state receive the education and, ultimately, the future they deserve.”
Meeting Education Needs Through Trusted Providers
The Michigan Learning Channel has emerged quickly as a result of the disruption of traditional classroom procedures caused by the pandemic. However, it is rooted in years of study and experience by DPTV and its many partners in the field of education. The health crisis merely demonstrated the need to apply communication technology to fill disparities and gaps that already existed.
A report by The Education Trust – Midwest on the digital divide revealed that 35 percent of Michigan public school students have limited or no access to the internet from home. In some districts, the lack of internet access rises to as high as 55 percent, disproportionately borne by children of color and children in rural areas. In contrast, broadcast television reaches nearly every home in Michigan.
Even homes with good internet access may lack sufficient devices and/or bandwidth to accommodate parents working from home and multiple children seeking online instruction.  Such instruction delivered via television provides a nearly universal alternative.
Public television is uniquely positioned to bridge the digital divide. For the past 17 years, public television has been named the most trusted public institution in America, and DPTV has been nationally recognized for its work in early childhood education programs, both on air and in the community. Last year it was the recipient of the Michigan Governor’s Service Award as an Education Service Leader.
To deploy and operate the statewide education channel and related services, Detroit Public Television is partnering with Public Media Group, a national technology infrastructure company that designs and manages next generation broadcast platforms.
Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43 percent or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature. None of the financing is currently from non-governmental sources.
Public television stations in Michigan are engaged in regular conversations to finalize plans for the Michigan Leaning Channel, its services and how to best serve their local schools and educators.
About Detroit Public TV (dptv.org)
Detroit Public TV (DPTV) is Michigan’s only community-licensed public television station and, during the COVID-19 crisis, has significantly adjusted its broadcast schedules and digital platforms to support parents and children engaged in learning at home.  With more than 2 million weekly viewers across its four channels, DPTV is the state’s largest and most watched public television station, as well as having the most diverse public television audience in America. DPTV is licensed to the Detroit Educational Television Foundation and governed by a volunteer board of trustees from the local business, civic and cultural communities. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.dptv.org/">dptv.org.</a>
CONTACT:
Marty Fischhoff 
313-715-3329 
<a href="mailto:mfischhoff@dptv.org">mfischhoff@dptv.org</a>

Michigan Learning Channel to provide instructional content to support the work of teachers and parents through universally available platforms

MLC_InsrtrutrCamra_720p

DETROIT – (December 15, 2020) – Michigan’s public television stations, in partnership with leading educators and community leaders, are launching the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) beginning Monday, January 4, and will be available statewide on a series of new dedicated broadcast channels.  Organized by Detroit Public Television (DPTV), the network will deliver instructional content and programming to students, parents and teachers.
In addition to the broadcast networks, the content will be available at <a href="http://home/" rel="">MichiganLearning.org</a> as a livestream as well as posted for on-demand viewing on a variety of digital and social media platforms, including cell phones and other mobile devices.  The Michigan Learning Channel seeks to ensure accessibility to all students, educators and families in the state. January’s programming schedule has been made available to teachers and school administrators to explore possible integration with lesson plans and can be viewed on the <a title="Schedule" href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/schedule" rel="sponsored">schedule</a> page.
The Michigan Learning Channel will provide curriculum-aligned instructional resources for students and teachers, beginning Monday through Friday with Pre-K to 3rd grade programming, focused on literacy, math and social-emotional learning, and quickly expanding to include grades 4 to 12.
Much of this programming will be produced specifically for the MLC, with the guidance of Michigan education experts and delivered by Michigan educators, though some will come from nationally respected producers of instructional content.
Initial content available to Michigan families and educators beginning in January will include:
<ul>
	<li>Math Mights: Using a variety of strategies to make math fun and promote the understanding of math processes for K-3rd graders from SIS4Teachers, a Michigan-based company</li>
	<li>Read with Me at Home: Literacy lessons produced by the Colorado Department of Education in collaboration with Rocky Mountain PBS, developed in response to school closures</li>
	<li><a title="Let’s Learn" href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/lets-learn/" rel="">Let’s Learn</a>: Reading, math and science lessons for pre-K to 6th grade from WNET in New York</li>
	<li>INPact at Home: Exercise breaks designed to motivate kids to get up from their keyboards and get moving, produced by Detroit Public TV and the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology</li>
	<li>POPChecks: Short messages encouraging students to Pause, Own their feelings and Practice centering themselves, produced for the MLC by Mindful Learning, under the direction of social-emotional learning expert Carla Philibert</li>
</ul>
In addition to the initial Pre-K to 3rd grade schedule, supplemental content will be available at launch for grades 4-12. Evening and overnight programming also will be available for older students in grades 6-12. Weekends will feature a variety of programming from Michigan sources in social studies and science, as well as documentaries with educational resources.
Besides Detroit Public Television, the MLC network includes WKAR Public Media from Michigan State University, Delta College Public Media (WDCQ), WGVU Public Media from Grand Valley State University, WCMU Public Media from Central Michigan University and WNMU-TV from Northern Michigan University.
The Support and Guidance of the Educational Community
The MLC was developed with the cooperation and support of leading educators and educational organizations in the state.
“From day one, we have worked with leading people in the field of education and with a diverse cross-section of parents and concerned citizens to develop a plan that meets the evolving needs of families and teachers,” said Rich Homberg, president and CEO of DPTV. “Public television has a long history of developing age-appropriate educational content in partnership with those closest to the communities we serve.”
The Michigan Learning Channel concept has been endorsed by the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA), the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (MASA) and the Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM).
“We are indebted to Paul Liabenow from MEMSPA and the Literacy Essentials Team at MAISA for helping to pull together the K-3 content for the Michigan Learning Channel,” said Homberg.   “Their expertise and guidance are assuring that Michigan teachers have a prominent voice in the channel programming at launch and in coming weeks.”
“I wholeheartedly support and endorse the Michigan Learning Channel,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Michael Rice. “The ability for educational programming to reach nearly every household with a television and fill internet connectivity gaps is outstanding. I commend the public television stations of Michigan for adjusting to the unexpected changes brought on by the pandemic and moving quickly to provide enrichment opportunities to the children of Michigan. I look forward to serving our children in partnership with you.”
Delivering Instructional Content Accessibly
The MLC’s instructional content is aligned with Michigan’s educational standards and follows widely accepted sequences for mastering skills throughout the school year, to make it as useful as possible for schools and students. Designed to support and enrich school learning, the lessons are presented by a diverse group of educators, delivered as if the teacher is in a classroom setting.
The broadcast channel will deliver lessons in scheduled 30- and 60-minute blocks for each grade level throughout the day, repeated during the evenings and weekends. All content is offered at no cost to schools, families and caregivers. As new content is developed, it will be added to the Michigan Learning Channel platforms.
“This content does not replace teachers,” said Georgeann Herbert, DPTV’s senior vice president of strategy. “The Michigan Learning Channel will work best for students and families if they are working with guidance from their teachers. The Michigan Learning Channel can help engage parents more deeply in their children’s learning and encourage them to form strong partnerships with teachers and their local schools.”
Future plans for the Michigan Learning Channel include adding more Michigan teachers providing content to primary and secondary education and eventually adding adult educational content, developed in collaboration with unions, community colleges and universities. These programs would support the completion of college and career certification programs to help fill high-need positions in the workforce.
The Michigan Learning Channel offers programming that is separate and distinct from PBS’s highly successful 24/7 KIDS Channel, which specializes in educating young children with animated content and familiar characters like Elmo and Daniel Tiger. The MLC complements the PBS KIDS Channel, its existing online content and PBS KIDS apps to give children and families a rich trove of educational resources.
Meeting Education Needs Through Trusted Providers
The Michigan Learning Channel has emerged quickly as a result of the disruption of traditional classroom procedures caused by the pandemic. However, the initiative is rooted in years of study and experience by DPTV and its many partners in the field of education. The health crisis merely demonstrated the need to apply communication technology to fill disparities and gaps that already existed.
A report by The Education Trust – Midwest on the digital divide revealed that 35% of Michigan public school students have limited or no access to the internet from home. In some districts, the lack of internet access rises to as high as 55%, disproportionately borne by children of color and children in rural areas. In contrast, broadcast television reaches nearly every home in Michigan.
Even homes with good internet access may lack sufficient devices and/or bandwidth to accommodate parents working from home and multiple children seeking online instruction.  Such instruction delivered via television provides a nearly universal alternative.
Public television is uniquely positioned to bridge the digital divide. For the past 17 years, public television has been named the most trusted public institution in America, and DPTV has been nationally recognized for its work in early childhood education programs, both on-air and in the community. Last year it was the recipient of the Michigan Governor’s Service Award as an Education Service Leader.
“The Michigan Learning Channel provides educators, teachers and all the other caregivers who surround children with immediate support as our educational system evolves to navigate the pandemic and plan for the future,” said DPTV’s Homberg. “But it is also a work in progress. We will continue to enrich and refine the content with the feedback and input we receive from parents and educators.
“There is nothing more important for the well-being of Michigan than the education of our youth. The Michigan Learning Channel is one step in ensuring that all children in the state receive the education and, ultimately, the future they deserve.”
Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43% or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature.
About Detroit Public TV (dptv.org)
Detroit Public TV (DPTV) is Michigan’s only community-licensed public television station and, during the COVID-19 crisis, has significantly adjusted its broadcast schedules and digital platforms to support parents and children engaged in learning at home.  With more than 2 million weekly viewers across its four channels, DPTV is the state’s largest and most-watched public television station, as well as having the most diverse public television audience in America. DPTV is licensed to the Detroit Educational Television Foundation and governed by a volunteer board of trustees from the local business, civic and cultural communities. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.dptv.org/">dptv.org.</a>
CONTACT: 
Marty Fischhoff 
313-715-3329 
<a href="mailto:mfischhoff@dptv.org">mfischhoff@dptv.org</a>

Public Television Station learning service will provide instructional content to support the work of teachers and parents through universally available platforms

Michigan Learning Channel to Launch January 4, 2021

INPACT-HHF-MMkids16x9

<h3 class="fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" data-fontsize="28.43" data-lineheight="34.116px">InPACTatHome offers a series of videos to lure students away from their desks to get the exercise they need for the health of their bodies and their minds</h3>
DETROIT – (February 4, 2021) – The University of Michigan Exercise &amp; Sports Science Initiative and School of Kinesiology have collaborated with Detroit Public TV to produce a series of fitness videos that encourages students to get out of their seats and be active during distance learning. The program is intended to reinforce the idea that, during this pandemic, kids need to exercise their bodies as well as their minds while learning at home or in the classroom.
It is estimated that only 23 percent of U.S. kids get the recommended hour of daily physical activity, and that number has likely fallen since COVID-19 closed schools.
Called InPACTatHome (Interrupting Prolonged Sitting with Activity), the program was developed to offset COVID-19’s effect on Michigan’s 1.5 million school kids by offering freely available and universally accessible workouts created in collaboration with physical education teachers.
Detroit Public TV has produced more than 130 videos featuring educators – sometimes with their children or even extended families – leading “brain boosts” during the learning day that involve some kind of movement and physical activity that can be done inside the home.
These eight-minute segments are being broadcast currently on the new statewide education network, the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC), during the instructional block from 8 a.m.-noon and again from 1 p.m.-5 p.m.   In addition, there are short, one-minute videos that will also be airing on the MLC.
“There has been a strong demand from parents for content that will take kids away from their screens and get them moving,” said Rich Homberg, president and CEO of Detroit Public TV. “We can’t expect, and we don’t want, students to sit still for eight hours. It’s not good for their minds or their bodies.
“Working with some of the nation’s leading experts at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, we have created a program that can help kids get the exercise they need – and hopefully stir the rest of the family into action.”
The development of InPACTatHome has been guided by research performed at the U-M School of Kinesiology, which found that such exercise breaks help students focus on their schoolwork and help improve comprehension and learning.
Rebecca Hasson, associate professor of kinesiology and director of the Childhood Disparities Research Laboratory, says most children typically receive most of their physical activity from physical education classes, after-school sports and recess. That was before the pandemic.
“Kids aren’t used to exercising at home. They’ll have to think about how to rearrange the furniture, do they have the right clothes, do they have enough room, etc.,” Hasson said.
“We hope that students will continue with InPACTatHome even after schools reopen, so they’ll get 20 minutes of activity in the class, 20 minutes at home and 20 minutes during recess or in physical education class, to total one hour a day, five days a week.”
Hasson is also the director of the Active Schools &amp; Communities unit of the University of Michigan Exercise &amp; Sports Science Initiative (ESSI).
The Michigan Learning Channel is spotlighting the InPACTatHome initiative in a three-week series that it is calling “Heart Healthy February.” Beginning the week of Feb. 8, it will ask families to set goals and develop plans to establish movement breaks between Zoom sessions.
The following week, which includes Valentine’s Day, has been designated as “Heart Week,” with activities focused on maintaining cardiovascular health.
Finally, the last week’s activities will concentrate on movements for arms and legs, some of which can be performed while sitting at the computer.
Each week the MLC will feature new videos and resources.  As an extra bonus, families that participate will have the opportunity to unlock special videos that the Detroit Lions and Detroit Pistons have produced for the program.
While the InPACTatHome videos can’t replace physical education — which is an entire curriculum devoted to movement and motor skills—they do address the activity component kids are missing in the absence of gym class.
The InPACTatHome fitness videos can be viewed on-demand at <a href="http://MichiganLearning.org">MichiganLearning.org</a>, where students and families can also find an Activity Log to set exercise goals and a calendar of suggested videos for each week.
Funding for the fitness videos comes from a grant awarded to InPACTatHome by the Michigan Department of Health &amp; Human Services (MDHHS) through the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI).
About Detroit Public Television 
Serving Southeast Michigan, <a href="http://www.dptv.org/aboutus/">Detroit Public TV</a> (DPTV) is Michigan’s largest and most watched television station, with the most diverse public television audience in the country. DPTV is the state’s only community-licensed station, meaning it operates independent of any educational, government or other institution. Its funding comes solely from the community. Each week, more than two million people watch DPTV’s four broadcast channels, and nearly 200,000 people listen to its radio station, <a href="https://www.wrcjfm.org/">WRCJ 90.9 FM</a> for classical days and jazzy nights. In addition, DPTV is building the next generation of public media with a rapidly growing digital presence, which now reaches more than half a million unique visitors through its website, YouTube channels and social media platforms each month. Visit <a href="http://www.dptv.org/">DPTV.org</a>.
About Michigan Learning Channel
Launched by all the state’s public television stations, the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC), delivers instructional content to students, parents and teachers, using a wide variety of media platforms, including a system of dedicated broadcast channels. It makes curriculum-aligned and teacher-tested content universally available, overcoming limitations in online access for rural and urban areas alike. The programming has been developed in consultation with leading educators and community leaders across the state. The MLC was conceived and organized by Detroit Public TV. Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43% or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature. For more information, visit <a href="http://MichiganLearning.org">MichiganLearning.org</a>.
About InPACTatHome
The InPACTatHome program is an evidence-informed, home-based physical activity program that enables K-12 students to engage in health-enhancing physical activity. Children and youth have access to a variety of cardio, flexibility, strength and mindfulness videos that are developmentally appropriate and approved by pediatric exercise physiologists and physical education specialists. Program partners include the University of Michigan, Michigan School Health Coordinators’ Association, the Society of Health and Physical Educators, Michigan Public Health Institute, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Lions and  Playworks. To learn more about this program visit: <a href="https://essi.umich.edu/active-schools-communities/">inpactathome.umich.edu</a>.
&nbsp;
CONTACT: 
Marty Fischhoff 
313-715-3329 
<a href="mailto:mfischhoff@dptv.org">mfischhoff@dptv.org</a>

University of Michigan and Detroit Public TV Partner on New Program to Get Kids Moving

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DETROIT – (March 25, 2021) – The Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) will be launching its “Spring Season” on April 5 with new programs featuring <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/resource/michigan-teachers-featured-on-mlc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan educators</a>.  As the fledging statewide educational service continues to expand and enrich its programming, more of this content is being produced locally with instruction delivered by teachers and educational experts who are based in Michigan and understand the needs of state schools, families and students.
“Working closely with Michigan’s educators and using Michigan’s teachers is important to us,” said Rich Homberg, president and CEO of Detroit Public TV, which manages the Michigan Learning Channel. “We want to make sure all the lessons align to Michigan’s educational standards and can supplement the learning students get in the classroom.
“It also allows us to honor great teachers, by giving them the visibility and respect they deserve for the work they do every day to help children learn.”
Making its debut in April for young readers in kindergarten through third grade will be “<a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/read-write-roar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read, Write, ROAR!</a>” – a reading and English Language Arts program produced in collaboration with literacy coaches statewide and the educators at <a href="https://www.gomaisa.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">MAISA</a>, Michigan’s association of county Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) and Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs). 
The series features eight Michigan teachers representing a variety of Michigan communities who provide engaging instruction for children.  Teachers may also find value in watching their peers on screen because they will demonstrate best teaching practices in Michigan’s highly regarded <a href="https://literacyessentials.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Literacy Essentials</a> program. 
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Teaser video for “Read, Write, ROAR!”
Also debuting will be new episodes of the Michigan Learning Channel’s popular K-3 program, “<a title="Math Mights" href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/math-mights/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Math Mights</a>,” which also features Michigan teachers. 
Animated characters Springling, Dotson, T-Pops and DC are back with new ways to think about solving math problems, which build on episodes that aired on the channel earlier this year and which are still available to view online.
Nearly 60 percent of the on-demand programs viewed on the MLC website are from the ‘Math Mights” series. Senior citizens report that they enjoy watching Math Mights over their morning coffee, to give their heads a daily workout.
The spring season will also feature two new programs for Pre-K students, including “<a title="Simple Gift Series" href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/simple-gift-series/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Simple Gift</a>,” a magazine-style show with an emphasis on music and movement, and “<a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/aadl-storytime/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Storytimes</a>” from the Ann Arbor District Library.
The Michigan Learning Channel launched in January of this year, as a partnership of the state’s public television stations in collaboration with leading educators and community leaders to deliver instructional content and programming to students, parents and teachers throughout Michigan. A network of dedicated channels has been established by the stations to carry the programming, which is also available on computers, mobile phones and other digital devices to ensure its accessibility to all schools and households in Michigan.
“Math Mights” Poster
The programming, live and on-demand, is available at <a href="http://www.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>, along with a rich collection of teacher-tested and parent-treasured educational resources.
Besides Detroit Public TV, the MLC network includes WKAR Public Media from Michigan State University, Delta College Public Media (WDCQ), WGVU Public Media from Grand Valley State University, WCMU Public Media from Central Michigan University and WNMU-TV from Northern Michigan University.
About Michigan Learning Channel
Launched by all the state’s public television stations, the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC), delivers instructional content to students, parents and teachers, using a wide variety of media platforms, including a system of dedicated broadcast channels. It makes curriculum-aligned and teacher-tested content universally available, overcoming limitations in online access for rural and urban areas alike. The programming has been developed in consultation with leading educators and community leaders across the state. The MLC was conceived and organized by Detroit Public TV. Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43% or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature. For more information, visit <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>.

State Educators to Star in Spring Season’s New Programming on Michigan Learning Channel

EGLE Partners with Michigan Learning Channel to Broadcast and Stream Environment Videos

DETROIT – March 30, 2021 – The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is partnering with the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) to provide environmentally focused instructional videos as part of the content on the new service. MLC is a statewide distance-learning collaboration by public television stations to offer students in kindergarten through third grade instructional resources available both over the air and on all digital devices.
EGLE will provide timely videos through its EGLE Classroom initiative that explain complex issues in easy-to-understand ways. Topics include protecting air and water resources, Michigan geology, materials recycling, climate change and more.
“We’re excited to partner with the Michigan Learning Channel on such a wide-reaching initiative that will touch every corner of our state. Through this collaboration, EGLE and the Michigan Learning Channel have a chance to get young students excited about the environment and instill in them at an early age a sense of stewardship of the state’s air, land and water resources,” EGLE Director Liesl Clark said. “As this generation’s children grow up, they will be key to finding solutions to tough ecological problems and shepherding Michigan toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 in a manner that is equitable for all communities.”
EGLE Classroom was launched in September 2020 as a resource for teachers and parents faced with an unprecedented learning environment. EGLE Classroom shares new content each Tuesday, hosted by subject matter experts either on EGLE’s staff or through its partners. The <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3307_3580---,00.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">EGLE Classroom educational resources webpage</a> includes classroom-ready material from EGLE and its partners to assist students and instructors with information on environmental topics. The videos can also be found on EGLE’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjvIL9Oszk-8sfVl9Wp9Dwg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">YouTube channel</a>.
“EGLE and the Michigan Learning Channel are natural partners in protecting our natural resources. Like parents and teachers across Michigan, we understand the importance of educating our children about the need to understand and preserve the environmental treasures our state has been blessed with,” said Rich Homberg, president and CEO of Detroit Public TV, which operates MLC. “The Michigan Learning Channel offers a statewide platform to reach young people with these videos, which are so effective in capturing students’ imaginations and instilling in them a sense of responsibility for the well-being of our environment.”
The Michigan Learning Channel offers standards-aligned content for families and teachers that supplement school-based instruction. This free programming is being broadcast via special on-air channels established by every public television station in Michigan. The programming and a rich collection of additional on-demand resources are also available via computers, cellular phones and other digital devices at <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/live-tv/wtvs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MichiganLearning.org</a> in order to ensure that the content is accessible to students, teachers and families statewide.
The channel’s goal is to provide quality content that teachers can use in remote learning or to help students master topics being presented at school.
All six of Michigan’s public television stations are participating in the Michigan Learning Channel: Detroit Public TV (WTVS); WKAR Lansing; WGVU Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo; WCMU Mouth Pleasant, Manistee, Cadillac and Alpena; WDCQ Flint, Saginaw, Bay City and Midland; and WNMU Marquette.
To find your local station, see <a href="https://d15aoc3300f2oo.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MLC_PrgrmSched_Map.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MLC’s map</a> showing Michigan Learning Channel stations and coverage areas.

Browse YouTube Playlist

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The Michigan Learning Channel Announces a Summer of Fun

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The Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) will be presenting eight weeks of special Summer programming, beginning on June 21 and running through August 15.
The statewide education service is offering this schedule to help fill the gap for parents who want to ensure their kids are ready for school in the fall. Recognizing that many school districts may be unable to provide summer school options for students, MLC has worked with educators to create this innovative, curriculum-aligned and fun-focused eight-week program.
“We heard from both parents and teachers that students needed a break after what has been a very difficult school year,” said Georgeann Herbert, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Detroit Public TV, which created and manages MLC. “While the MLC’s programming in English language arts, math and other academic topics will continue, we are adding more summer camp-style activities – informal exercises that can help fuel a child’s curiosity and interests and reignite a love of learning.”
A number of new programs will be joining the MLC schedule, including:
<ul>
	<li>“Extra Credit,” a program targeting 4th to 6th graders with math, writing, art and fitness activities.</li>
	<li>A new season of “Camp TV,” featuring learning experiences and virtual field trips contributed by PBS stations nationwide.</li>
	<li>“DIY Science Time,” hands-on activities for upper elementary and middle school students</li>
	<li>“Live from the Opera House,” a focus on literacy and STEM for grades 3-5, produced by the Traverse City Opera House and Traverse City Public Schools.</li>
	<li>“Illustrative Mathematics,” important math skills for grades 6-8 in addition to Algebra 1</li>
</ul>
These programs will be joining such MLC staples as “Read, Write, ROAR!” “Math Mights,” “Let’s Learn,” “SciGirls” and “Curious Crew.”
Each week throughout the summer, MLC’s schedule will highlight a particular theme, such as Animals, Sports and Games, Across America, Around the World, and Space.
MLC is partnering with organizations statewide to provide the content, as well as related activities that can be pursued away from the computer or TV monitor. Partners include:
<ul>
	<li>The Detroit Zoo</li>
	<li>The Michigan Science Center</li>
	<li>The Henry Ford</li>
	<li>The Detroit Institute of Arts</li>
	<li>4-H Michigan</li>
	<li>MSU Extension</li>
	<li>The Michigan Department of Natural Resources</li>
	<li>The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy</li>
	<li>InPACT@Home from the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology</li>
	<li>Code.org</li>
	<li>Digital Divas at Eastern Michigan University</li>
	<li>The Diatribe</li>
	<li>The Belle Isle Aquarium</li>
	<li>The Native Justice Coalition</li>
	<li>Great Lakes Now</li>
	<li>The Concert of Colors</li>
	<li>Square One Educational Network</li>
	<li>826 Michigan</li>
	<li>Wimee’s Words</li>
	<li>NASA</li>
	<li>WNET (New York PBS)</li>
	<li>PBS North Carolina</li>
</ul>

During the eight weeks of Summer programming, the Michigan Learning Channel will be presenting virtual workshops every Tuesday and Thursday. These workshops are open to students and families statewide. The presentations will feature either a hands-on activity suitable for the whole family or a special virtual tour guided by one of our partners.
Plans include a live presentation from inside the Penguin House at the Detroit Zoo and learning about the summer night sky with the Michigan Science Center. The full schedule is available at <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/summer/">www.MichiganLearning.org/Summer</a>.
Supplementing the programming and the virtual workshops are two Activity Guides compiled by the MLC team. One guide has activities for pre-K – 2nd Grade students, and the second focuses on grades 3-6. Each guide will have more than 150 pages of activities and fun to last all summer.
The guides will be distributed digitally through <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>, as well as from each of Michigan’s public television stations. A limited number of printed copies will be distributed at various summer events.
Families who need help printing the Activity Guides can contact their local MSU Extension office for assistance.
For more details, go to <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/summer/">www.MichiganLearning.org/Summer</a>.

Launched by all the state’s public television stations, the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) delivers instructional content to students, parents and teachers using a wide variety of media platforms including a system of dedicated broadcast channels. It makes curriculum-aligned and teacher-tested content universally available, overcoming limitations in online access for rural and urban areas alike. The programming has been developed in consultation with leading educators and community leaders across the state. The MLC was conceived and organized by Detroit Public TV. Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43% or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature. For more information and to access programs and resources digitally, visit <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>.
Plans include a live presentation from inside the Penguin House at the Detroit Zoo and learning about the summer night sky with the Michigan Science Center. The full schedule is available at <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/summer/">www.MichiganLearning.org/Summer</a>.
Supplementing the programming and the virtual workshops are two Activity Guides compiled by the MLC team. One guide has activities for pre-K – 2nd Grade students, and the second focuses on grades 3-6. Each guide will have more than 150 pages of activities and fun to last all summer.
The guides will be distributed digitally through <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>, as well as from each of Michigan’s public television stations. A limited number of printed copies will be distributed at various summer events.
Families who need help printing the Activity Guides can contact their local MSU Extension office for assistance.
For more details, go to <a href="https://wordpress.michiganlearning.org/summer/">www.MichiganLearning.org/Summer</a>.

Young Students Who Read for 1,000 Minutes Have a Chance to Win Prizes and Appear on the Michigan Learning Channel

In Michigan, 1,000 minutes equals about two-and-a-half days of school. That’s how long young students, Pre-K through 3rd grade, are being challenged to read – or be read to – during the next two months.
Less than one year old, MLC is a rapidly growing education network carried by all six PBS stations in Michigan. Last month alone, it reached 500,000 students, teachers and parents throughout the state.
“We all know that building literacy skills in the early years is critical to success in school and in life,” said Gillian Gainsley, program director of the Michigan Learning Channel. “We want to support educators and families, serving as a resource and a champion of reading. We think this challenge is a fun way to develop the habit of reading, both at home and at school.”
For this program, reading can be done as a group in a classroom or individually at home. Any school in the state is eligible to participate in the reading challenge. And students younger than kindergarten age are welcome to take part with the help of their parents, day-care provider or pre-school.
Students, teachers and parents can download the entry form and contest toolkit, including a fun-to-use Reading Tracker, on the <a title="Join the Let’s Read Together Challenge!" href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/resources/letsread" rel="">Michigan Learning Channel’s website</a>. Those who successfully complete and log 1,000 minutes of reading between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30 are eligible to submit their entry by Dec. 15.
A winning individual and classroom will be drawn from a pool of entries for each of the six public television stations that are partners with MLC. The 12 winners will be announced in January 2022.
The participating stations are Detroit and Southeast Michigan (WTVS); East Lansing (WKAR); Bay City (WDCQ); Grand Rapids (WGVU); Mt. Pleasant (WCMU) and Marquette (WNMU-TV).
Winning classrooms will receive a set of 20 books from MLC’s “Read, Write, ROAR!” television series. Individual winners will receive an internet-enabled tablet loaded with programming and apps from the award-winning “PBS KIDS” resource center
“Read, Write, ROAR!” is an English Language Arts program introduced in April by MLC for kindergarten through 3rd grade learners. The program consists of fun lessons in vocabulary-building, reading aloud, writing, reviewing informational text and other language skills. It is taught by Michigan teachers from across the state and features lessons aligned with state standards and teaching techniques based on research-supported best practices of Michigan’s Literacy Essentials.
The Michigan Learning Channel was organized and launched in January 2021 by DPTV as a statewide educational resource in response to inconsistencies in COVID-necessitated online learning. Recognizing that more homes likely have television sets than internet access, Detroit Public Television worked with other Michigan PBS stations to fund, design and launch a free instructional network available on the air, as well as via livestream or on-demand viewing at <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>.
The “Let’s Read Together” challenge is made possible through funding by AAA and is one of a number of ongoing creative offerings from MLC.

Let's Read Together

Launched by all the state’s public television stations, the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) delivers instructional content to students, parents and teachers, using a wide variety of media platforms, including a system of dedicated broadcast channels. It makes curriculum-aligned and teacher-tested content universally available, overcoming limitations in online access for rural and urban areas alike. The programming has been developed in consultation with leading educators and community leaders across the state. MLC was conceived and organized by Detroit Public TV. Initial funding for the Michigan Learning Channel is provided by awards totaling $3.5 million; 43% or $1.5 million of the budget is through a grant from the Michigan Department of Education supported by the Governors Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund Grant, part of the CARES Act. The remainder is through funding from the Michigan State Legislature. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>.

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In January 2021, the Michigan Learning Channel partnered with the <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Michigan School of Kinesiology</a> to bring InPACT at Home, a video series designed to motivate students and families to get moving, to students across the state.
One year later, InPACT (Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Activity) is getting families out of their seats in households and schools with or without reliable internet access. With videos available on demand and airing regularly on television, anyone can take a moment of movement to break up the day.

Lets Move, Michigan!

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Racket Skills

Work on your racket skills and pratice different strokes and swings that you can do in your living with our without equipment.

Just Move! With Lorenzo

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Sometimes it’s important to remember to just move throughout the day. Get up out of your chair or off the couch and do these simple movements to get your blood flowing.

Fitness Memory Game

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Grab a deck of cards and build your memory muscle while getting your body moving.

HIIT

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Discover how HIIT (HIgh Intensity Interval Training) can help you improve your fitness goals. Exercises include flutter kicks, crunches, and more.

Move and Freeze: Mind and Body

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Practice going from moving to stillness and understand the effects both have on your body.

Water Bottle Fitness with Lorenzo

You can get a great workout with common household items. Grab a towel or pool noodle and get moving.

Simple Total Body Cardio &amp; Stretch

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A full body workout with the Cureton Family.

Simple Total Body Cardio & Stretch

Roary’s Lower Body Workout

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For this movement activity, we’re going to be doing a lower body workout using a chair.

Screen Time

We spend a lot of time each day in front of the computer, tv, phone or table. Do these simple movements to stay fit and active and help break up screen time.

Sleepy Bunnies

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Practice following directions in this fun workout game.

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University of Michigan’s InPACT at Home Becomes Statewide Success

MLC in The Detroit News

This article was written by Randy Liepa and originally published in <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2022/04/15/michigan-learning-channel-helps-students-learn-outside-class/7317848001/?gnt-cfr=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Detroit News</a>.
As we read stories every day about how the pandemic has upended education, so many are looking for new ways to support our children with their learning, given the world’s new realities.
There’s a new resource that has brought teachers, administrators, school boards and others together, in full agreement that it can be a positive added learning tool for families and schools.
Many significant organizations in the state focused on education endorse this new service.
The American Federation of Teachers – Michigan, the Michigan Education Association, the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association and the Michigan Association of School Boards have joined together to encourage Michigan parents and teachers to take advantage of something few states can boast — the Michigan Learning Channel.
The platform for families, students and teachers, available on TV and online at no cost and commercial-free, was created by Detroit Public Television with the help of Michigan educators and helps all of us who want to see students achieve.
The lessons and content available there, created by our educators, meet Michigan education standards and are fun to use, supplementing what students learn in classrooms.
What started as a needed resource for families when their students were learning at home during the onset of the pandemic has led to something that now can be used to supplement learning at school, either during the school year in classrooms, at home or during the summer as parents look for quality learning opportunities for their children. Michigan now has an educational asset that other states will want to copy.
Our students and our educators have shared a couple of very challenging, disruptive years. It has been nothing we would ever want to repeat. But something positive and long-lasting has emerged. The Michigan Learning Channel is a great added resource for families. It, and the future platforms it can inspire, should be part of every household. If you are a parent, take a look at <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/">MichiganLearning.org</a>.

The Detroit News

Michigan Learning Channel in LeaderBoard Magazine

This article was written by Kyle Gnagey and Gerri Allen and originally appeared in LeaderBoard, a magazine published by <a href="https://www.masb.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MASB</a>.
“I can read!”
“For my son, it was a big thing for him to be able to put sentences together and read. He called his auntie, he called his mama—he called everybody, like, ‘I can read, I can read! Listen!’” A Detroit father recounted his son’s reaction after they completed an activity from a “Read, Write, ROAR!”1 episode, an early literacy program that airs on the Michigan Learning Channel.
Each episode is designed to be viewed by early learners and their families. It includes a literacy lesson taught by a Michigan teacher and an accompanying activity for viewers to complete. 
“He’d been asking me, ‘Daddy, I want to learn how to read. All of them can read, and I can’t read.’ He’s in kindergarten, his brother is in fifth grade. . . everybody’s reading but him. When he did it, he was just so happy,” the father said.
The learning program was created through a partnership with Michigan’s public television stations, intermediate school districts, the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators and teachers from across the state. It is available on all Michigan Public Television stations and can also be found on MLC’s website on demand.

LeaderBoard Magazine

When Michigan schools closed on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many took quick action to support at-home learning. “By the following Monday, we were meeting weekly with educators, asking how we can support them as a TV station,” said Georgeann Herbert, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Community Engagement at Detroit Public Television. “Teachers were saying they needed a different solution to try to bring school into the students’ homes. By April, it became clear the pandemic wasn’t going away any time soon, so we started talking to funders and legislators.”
With the help of Tina Kerr, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents &amp; Administrators, and William Miller, Ph.D., then-Executive Director of MAISA, MLC received enough funding to air a four-hour pilot—with reviewed content from another state—in Detroit in November. By Jan. 4, 2021, MLC had 20 full episodes of English Language Arts programming. After securing additional production funding, DPTV sought to create enough new programming to cover a full school year with content that met Michigan’s ELA Academic Standards.

During that time, Herbert connected with Susan Townsend, MAISA’s Literacy Project Director and Co-Chair of the Early Literacy Task Force, the team responsible for developing and helping teachers use “The Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy: Grades K to 3,”³ known as the K-3 Literacy Essentials. The task force began in 2015 thanks to an Early Literacy Professional Learning grant from the Michigan Department of Education designed to address Michigan’s declining third grade reading proficiency. Under Townsend’sdirection, the K-3 Literacy Essentials were completed in 2018 through a partnership with MAISA’s ELTF, MAISA’s General Education Leadership Network, MDE, Michigan Virtual, Michigan ISDs, and lead researchers from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
The ELTF ensured that the initial MLC pilot program’s content aligned with the K-3 Literacy Essentials and the Michigan ELA Academic Standards. “This partnership gives families, educators and children statewide access to on-demand literacy lessons created by Michigan’s own teachers and literacy coaches using the Literacy Essentials,” Townsend said. “We are very fortunate to have such a strong partnership with MLC.”
With the help of Tina Kerr, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents &amp; Administrators, and William Miller, Ph.D., then-Executive Director of MAISA, MLC received enough funding to air a four-hour pilot—with reviewed content from another state—in Detroit in November. By Jan. 4, 2021, MLC had 20 full episodes of English Language Arts programming. After securing additional production funding, DPTV sought to create enough new programming to cover a full school year with content that met Michigan’s ELA Academic Standards.

Following the successful pilot, the ELTF provided DPTV with access to literacy coaches from various ISDs to assist 17 Michigan teachers from eight of Michigan’s 10 ISD regions4 with writing and recording their own lessons for each episode of “Read, Write, ROAR!”
“We created 224 episodes over 18 months,” said Annie Spear, a Literacy Coach and Project Director for MAISA’s ELPL. “We had to ensure that when the lessons aired, they contained the type of material typically covered during that time in the school year.”
To aid in the process, two teachers and one literacy coach were assigned for each grade level, kindergarten to third grade.
“The teachers wrote the scripts for each lesson, including materials and prompts, and the literacy coaches reviewed every episode and identified the exact K-3 Literacy Essentials and ELA standards that were covered,” Spear said.
Teachers recorded themselves in their own homes using equipment MLC producers sent to them. The producers provided guidance to ensure quality lighting and footage, and they also reviewed all submitted recordings to maintain high-quality programming.
The ELTF ensured that the initial MLC pilot program’s content aligned with the K-3 Literacy Essentials and the Michigan ELA Academic Standards. “This partnership gives families, educators and children statewide access to on-demand literacy lessons created by Michigan’s own teachers and literacy coaches using the Literacy Essentials,” Townsend said. “We are very fortunate to have such a strong partnership with MLC.”
With the help of Tina Kerr, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents &amp; Administrators, and William Miller, Ph.D., then-Executive Director of MAISA, MLC received enough funding to air a four-hour pilot—with reviewed content from another state—in Detroit in November. By Jan. 4, 2021, MLC had 20 full episodes of English Language Arts programming. After securing additional production funding, DPTV sought to create enough new programming to cover a full school year with content that met Michigan’s ELA Academic Standards.

“We made these lessons not only for families, but also for teachers to use during the pandemic to enhance remote learning,” Spear said. Now that in-person instruction has resumed in schools, the ELTF and MLC have partnered to create professional learning sessions for Michigan’s K-3 teachers to help them incorporate “Read, Write, ROAR!” lessons and the early literacy instructional practices into their classrooms today.
Additionally, MLC has produced pre-kindergarten episodes of the program. The six-episode pilot used MAISA’s “Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy: Pre-Kindergarten” and ISD literacy coaches to ensure the lessons follow research-backed, data-driven instructional practices for early literacy achievement. MLC intends to produce at least 24 episodes to support this younger set of learners.
“It’s too important not to get it right,” DPTV’s Herbert said.
Bringing the literacy essentials to early learners through public television is one of the many ways MAISA and Michigan’s 56 ISDs are delivering these foundational resources to schools and communities. Those who have been involved in this unique effort are ready for the next phase.
“We look forward to continuing and building on our relationship with DPTV and the Michigan Learning Channel in support of early literacy,” said John Severson, Ph.D., MAISA’s new Executive Director. “We highly value their partnership and collaboration in support of all Michigan learners, and we will do our best to further expand these resources to families and educators across our state.”
“We created 224 episodes over 18 months,” said Annie Spear, a Literacy Coach and Project Director for MAISA’s ELPL. “We had to ensure that when the lessons aired, they contained the type of material typically covered during that time in the school year.”
To aid in the process, two teachers and one literacy coach were assigned for each grade level, kindergarten to third grade.
“The teachers wrote the scripts for each lesson, including materials and prompts, and the literacy coaches reviewed every episode and identified the exact K-3 Literacy Essentials and ELA standards that were covered,” Spear said.
Teachers recorded themselves in their own homes using equipment MLC producers sent to them. The producers provided guidance to ensure quality lighting and footage, and they also reviewed all submitted recordings to maintain high-quality programming.
The ELTF ensured that the initial MLC pilot program’s content aligned with the K-3 Literacy Essentials and the Michigan ELA Academic Standards. “This partnership gives families, educators and children statewide access to on-demand literacy lessons created by Michigan’s own teachers and literacy coaches using the Literacy Essentials,” Townsend said. “We are very fortunate to have such a strong partnership with MLC.”
With the help of Tina Kerr, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents &amp; Administrators, and William Miller, Ph.D., then-Executive Director of MAISA, MLC received enough funding to air a four-hour pilot—with reviewed content from another state—in Detroit in November. By Jan. 4, 2021, MLC had 20 full episodes of English Language Arts programming. After securing additional production funding, DPTV sought to create enough new programming to cover a full school year with content that met Michigan’s ELA Academic Standards.

Request for Quotes: Upper Elementary Literacy Coach

The Michigan Learning Channel is actively seeking a qualified Literacy Coach for our upcoming program, <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/shows/read-write-roar">Read, Write, ROAR!</a> Upper Elementary. If you possess expertise in the Literacy Essentials, particularly in the domain of upper elementary ELA education, we invite you to submit a quote for your services by November 10, 2023.
Read, Write, ROAR! Upper Elementary aims to provide a dynamic, fun, and educationally robust program for teachers, educators, families, and caregivers. As the Literacy Coach, you will collaborate closely with MAISA representatives, managing producers, segment producers, and teachers. Your role will be pivotal in shaping the educational direction of the program, acting as its educational backbone.

Program Overview

<ul>
	<li>Curriculum Development: Craft the overall curriculum for all 24 episodes, ensuring it is instructionally sound, engaging, and beneficial for our target audience.</li>
	<li>Unit Themes &amp; Lesson Topics: Define overarching unit themes and select specific lesson topics that align with these themes. 
Teaching Staff Selection: Play an instrumental role in the selection of teaching staff, ensuring they are best suited for the program’s objectives.</li>
	<li>Script Review: Thoroughly review scripts to ensure they correctly connect with Literacy Essentials.</li>
	<li>Segment Review: Review the finished segments of each episode for any inaccuracies or discrepancies.</li>
	<li>Lesson Activity Guides: Oversee the creation and consolidation of lesson activity guides into comprehensive episode guides.</li>
	<li>Reading Lesson Texts: Choose appropriate reading lesson texts that align with the curriculum’s objectives.</li>
	<li>Standards &amp; Practices Validation: Validate that the standards and Essential Instructional Practices are consistently met for each episode and lesson.</li>
	<li>Resource Maintenance: Maintain and update the series’ teacher resource document as needed.</li>
	<li>Meetings: Attend a day-long in-person planning session with MLC and MAISA staff, and check-in virtually with MLC and MAISA staff during weekly virtual check-in meetings.</li>
</ul>

The anticipated workload for the Literacy Coach role is approximately 300 hours, spanning from November 2023 to April 2024.
We look forward to receiving your quote and potentially collaborating with you on this exciting venture.
All quotes are due by November 10, 2023

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Casting Call: Elementary Educators to Host New MLC Series

Read, Write, ROAR! Upper Elementary aims to provide a dynamic, fun, and educationally robust program for teachers, educators, families, and caregivers. As teachers and hosts, you will be an on-screen face of the series providing instruction and entertainment to students across the state.
Not familiar with Read, Write, ROAR!? You can watch lessons from previous teachers in this <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpmyCKvMd2b4SU-GfT9Rr2858H1A2xABj&amp;si=qSTKx-UbsvZ_20xL" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">YouTube playlist</a> or watch full episodes at <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/read-write-roar/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">PBS.org</a>.
Read, Write, ROAR! is a literacy show designed to support students and their caretakers to gain the skills they need to be great readers and writers. The program uses real Michigan educators to help model the best learning practices supported by the MAISA Literacy Essentials and Essential Instructional Practices.
In this season of Read, Write, ROAR! We are tackling the big questions:
<ul>
	<li>How does Michigan’s history and landscape make it unique?</li>
	<li>What’s the environmental impact of Michigan’s geographic location?</li>
	<li>How do we preserve our special places?</li>
	<li>How can plant and animal life in Michigan’s air, land and water be conserved, preserved, and protected?</li>
</ul>

We are looking for qualified educators within the Detroit Public Television broadcast range to shoot literacy lessons with our production staff, either on location in a school or classroom, or in studio. These educators will fully script their lessons with support from our literacy coach and our producer. These educators will then shoot their lessons with our production crew either on-location or in our studio.
<ul>
	<li>Collaborate &amp; Create: Team up with our literacy coach and producer to craft lessons that sparkle and shine!</li>
	<li>Script: Script captivating lessons using our script template.  Lessons will be 6 minutes long.</li>
	<li>Activity Guides: Design engaging activity guides for each lesson.</li>
	<li>Lesson Planner: Develop plans that help teachers bring your segment to life in their classrooms.</li>
	<li>Join us for a virtual table read session where we bring your scripts to life.</li>
	<li> Be available for 2 filming days</li>
</ul>

We are also looking for content creators interested in creating educational content to help support our lessons. We are looking for people with a passion for learning and skills in media creation. We are looking for educators of all grades and subject matters to fill the content creator roles. You’ll have the support of our Literacy Coach to make sure your lessons are aligned to standards.
<ul>
	<li>Pitch: Pitch your lesson ideas to the producer and literacy coach.</li>
	<li>Write and Collaborate: Work with the literacy coach and producer to script six four-minute lessons, revise and get final approval.</li>
	<li>Create: Perform, record, and edit lesson using your own equipment.</li>
	<li>Submit: Send in your recorded videos and get approval.</li>
</ul>

Content Creators

Record a video of yourself in landscape format that includes the following. Submit your video through our <a href="https://airtable.com/appUpSgJamLM1pZdv/shrajqiZC00sPoj39" target="_blank" rel="noopener">application form</a>.
<ul>
	<li>Introduce yourself and your educational background.</li>
	<li>Prepare a brief lesson (2-3 minutes) with a focus on literacy.</li>
	<li>Optional: enhance your video with thoughtful editing, engaging music, and clear titles.</li>
</ul>

How to Apply

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What’s On This December and Learning Resources

December 8 at 11:00pm
Explore Nobel Prize winner Saul Bellow’s impact on American literature and how he navigated through issues of his time, including race, gender and the Jewish immigrant experience. Featuring interviews with Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie and others.

American Masters Episode 3503: The Adventures of Saul Bellow

December 9 at 12:30am
Finding one’s voice as a writer takes dedication, courage and a willingness to re-imagine the world through words on a page. Novelist Margaret Atwood, playwright Danai Gurira and others talk about finding meaning in the writing life.

Beyond the Canvas Episode 201: World Of Writers

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/first-person-point-of-view/exploring-first-person-narrative/" target="_blank">Exploring First-Person Narrative | The Great American Read</a> – Students explore the power of narrative voice in storytelling and in particular the first-person point of view. They engage with text through a shared reading exercise and view a video segment from The Great American Read. Finally, students analyze text to identify how authors use language and voice to channel the emotions and experiences of characters.

Extend the Learning

December 12 at 8:00pm
Ride along for a supercharged adventure as Alexandra, Dylan, and Michael—aspiring auto technicians—discover the growing possibilities in the automotive tech field. As they speak to 3D car printers, 4×4 builders, Fast and the Furious effects specialists, and more, they learn that the grease monkey stereotype is outdated; being a technician means driving the future of human movement forward.

Roadtrip Nation: Changing Gears

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/career-spotlight/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Career Spotlight</a> – Career Spotlight includes videos focusing on science careers in biotechnology and renewable energy.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/careers-in-demand/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Careers in Demand</a> – Careers in Demand is ideal for high school students trying to determine which career pathway is right for them. The collection provides a snapshot of what a career in one of Kentucky’s high-demand industries might look like, including education and experi­ence needed to get these jobs, salary ranges, work environment, and the projected number of job openings over a five-year period.

December 6 at 10:00pm
Recorded in July 2022, Bernstein protege Marin Alsop conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Bernstein’s “”Kaddish”” Symphony at the Ravinia Festival. Creating a musical meditation wherein women’s voices are the tether to the highest powers, and examining the essential, eternal questions of humanity and faith, also featured are soprano Janai Brugger and Jaye Ladymore as narrator, along with the Chicago Children’s Choir. “

Great Performances Episode 4808: Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony

December 6 at 9:00pm
Experience legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Russian homecoming for a sold-out concert of personal favorites, featuring commentary from former manager Peter Gelb and virtuoso pianists Martha Argerich, Daniil Trifonov and Sophie Pacini.

Great Performances Episode 4514: The Magic of Horowitz

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ec3129a9-ad52-4ed7-a534-f0569e724289/eight-days-of-hanukkah-peg-cat/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Eight Days of Hanukkah | Peg + Cat</a> – Albert Einstein sings a song with Peg, Cat and their friends about the number that Hanukkah is all about: eight!

December 9 at 11:30pm
Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker, a celebration of multi-cultural communities, puts a modern spin on the 19th-century fairy tale and transports viewers to an enchanted world not unlike their own. Drawing upon classical ballet, urban tap, hip-hop, swing, flamenco, step and jazz, the performance uniquely retells a Christmas classic. As viewers enter the world of the URBAN NUTCRACKER, the smooth sounds of Duke Ellington blend with the gentle glow of neon lights driven by the heartbeat of Tchaikovsky. The program is a fusion of modern, multi-cultural, and classical dance, presenting an organic interpretation brought about by a unifying of cultures.

Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker

December 22 at 9:00pm
Mary Berry spends Christmas in her mother’s homeland of Scotland to enjoy a winter break soaking up her Scottish heritage and enjoying traditional festive delights with familiar faces, as well cooking up some of her own indulgent dishes.

Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/c9eac52e-68ae-4bcb-92f0-74e2a2d62545/nc-science-now-oh-christmas-tree/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Oh Christmas Tree</a> – Students learn how scientists are studying what effect a warming climate will have on North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry. NC ranks 2nd in the country in Christmas tree sales. There are 1600 growers producing 50 million Fraser fir Christmas trees.  It’s a $75M industry.

December 27 at 9:00pm
Dive into the career of the legendary blues guitarist, a pioneer of Chicago’s West Side sound and major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Featuring new performances and interviews with John Mayer, Carlos Santana and more.

American Masters Episode 3211 – Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/is-blues-the-mother-of-all-modern-music-video/sound-field/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Is Blues the Mother of All Modern Music? | Sound Field</a> – Explore where the blues came from and how it went on to influence many modern genres of music. From Delta Blues pioneers like Robert Johnson and Son House to Chicago Blues icons like Muddy Waters and B.B. King. Break down how this genre can be heard in everything from heavy metal to country music.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/484c70bd-ceac-46dd-b9c1-966af31086ef/484c70bd-ceac-46dd-b9c1-966af31086ef/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Gullah Music: Got the Blues</a> – Students will understand traditional blues form that contains three four-measure phrases that follow the pattern AAB. Let Reverend Leroy show you how to express your sad feelings by composing a blues song.

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Episode 1: January 16 at 8:00pm and January 18 at 8:00pm 
Episode 2: January 23 at 8:pm and January 25 at 8:00pm 
Episode 3: January 30 at 8:00pm and February 1 at 8:00pm 

Follow a millennial Muslim American couple on a cross-country journey along historic Route 66. As they meet new friends and explore more than a dozen stops, Mona and Sebastian weave a colorful story about what it means to be Muslim in America today.

The Great Muslim American Road Trip

What’s On This January and Learning Resources

Available on demand: “<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/on-location-with-the-arab-american-national-museum-living-in-america/">Living in America</a>,” “<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/on-location-with-the-arab-american-national-museum-activism/">Activism</a>,” and “<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/on-location-with-the-arab-american-national-museum-coming-to-america/">Coming to America</a>.” 

Visit the Arab American National Museum and explore the different exhibits from anywhere.

On Location With the Michigan Learning Channel at the Arab American National Museum

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/great-muslim-american-road-trip-collection/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Great Muslim American Road Trip Collection</a> – Lesson activities include background readings, research projects, and a Google Earth annotated map extension.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/islam08.socst.world.glob.lpart/art-in-the-muslim-world/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Art in the Muslim World</a> – Students will explore basic elements of Islamic art, learn about the origin and styles of the specific art of Islamic calligraphy and create their own piece of artistic calligraphy.

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/8cb55681-9129-467d-96e6-0bd7b5bd16e5/martin-luther-king-day-all-about-the-holidays/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Available on Demand</a>
The third Monday in January is a national holiday observing the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Learn more about this leader of the civil rights movement and about how we honor him today.

All About the Holidays – Martin Luther King Jr, Day

<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/black-history/">Available on Demand</a> 

Explore the history, heritage, and culture of Black Americans.

Extra Credit Episode 303 – “Black History”

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/americon-lp-martin-luther-king-jr/lesson-plan/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">American Icons: Martin Luther King Jr.</a> – In this lesson, students will watch a video about Dr. King that emphasizes his commitment to nonviolence. They will then examine and analyze a 1956 flyer and a 1966 photograph that illustrate King’s approach to maintaining nonviolence. The lesson culminates with a comparison to other leaders who have been consistently nonviolent in spite of great personal risk.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/black-america-since-mlk-and-still-i-rise/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise</a> – Explore educational materials from the series Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise. Embark with professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Travel from the victories of the Civil Rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of black America—and our nation as a whole.

<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/shoah-ambassadors/">Available on demand</a> 

Five Holocaust survivors share their personal histories with two young adults. These two young ambassadors, utilizing their own creative expression, will then become the caretakers of this history.

Shoah Ambassadors

December 27 at 9:00pm
Holocaust survivors partner with songwriters to turn their life experiences into powerful music for a community concert. The resulting songs, filled with joy and healing, celebrate the extraordinary lives of this resilient generation.

We Remember: Songs of Survivors

December 27 at 10:00pm
A film that tells the three part story of I) Jewish life in the old country, II) the reasons behind leaving their respective homes and journeying to the US and III) both the establishment of communities and the great accomplishments made in the US.

The Jewish Journey America

<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/resources/the-us-and-the-holocaust/">The US and the Holocaust Teaching Collection</a> – Learn, examine, and reflect on the actions of the past and their effects on the present in these collections.

<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/round-to-the-nearest-10-or-100/">Available on Demand</a>
Warm up with a Mystery Math Mistake to hunt for the mistake made counting up on the number line. Use place value cards to practice rounding numbers to the nearest ten and hundred.

Math Mights 3rd Grade Episode 208 – “Round to the Nearest 10 or 100”

<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/resource/mlc-math-mysteries/">Math Mysteries</a> – Solve our riddles, think creatively, and start fun conversations all about problem solving and mathematical thinking.

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What’s On This February and Learning Resources

Available<a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/black-history/" rel="noopener"> on demand.</a> 

Explore the history, heritage, and culture of Black Americans. Content partners include One Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, NASA, The Great American Read, WUCF &amp; Meet The Helpers, American Black Journal &amp; Marcus Green, WCMU Media, and StoryCorps. Featuring student host, Iyan.

Extra Credit Episode 303: Black History

Episode 1 airs February 6 at 8:00pm 
Also available<a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/making-black-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> on demand</a> through PBS Passport. 

This four-part series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr. chronicles the vast networks and organizations created by and for Black people. The series explores the extraordinary world that showcased Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine

February 9 at 10:00pm 

The Niagara Movement is a one-hour documentary focused on the formation and impact of the first civil rights movement of the 20th century. The program traces the social and economic conditions of African Americans at the turn of the 20th century, examines the different strategies for racial advancement led by Black leaders of the time, explores the creation of the Niagara Movement, and places the movement’s legacy into a contemporary context.

The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights

February 9 at 9:00pm 

Go beyond the legend and meet the woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. One of the greatest freedom fighters in U.S. history, Tubman was an Underground Railroad conductor, a Civil War scout, and a spy.

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom

On Location at a Detroit Historical Archaeology Site available <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/on-location-at-a-detroit-historical-archaeology-site/">on demand</a>. 

Learn about historical archaeology, the study of modern history through archaeology, with Kysta Ryzewski, a professor at Wayne State University. Discover how the trash of a family from the early 1900s can provide insights into the living conditions of their Corktown neighborhood. Additionally, explore the ongoing research and preservation efforts focused on the Detroit home of Malcolm X.

On Location With thee Michigan Learning Channel

February 9 at 11:00pm 

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was raised in the crucible of segregated Birmingham but he was forged by its attempt to kill him. When the KKK planted a bomb underneath his bed and he emerged unharmed, he was sure he was saved by God to lead a Movement. His work not only ended legal segregation but lead directly to the Civil and Voting Rights Acts—and inspired freedom movements around the world.

Shuttlesworth

Episode 5151 airs February 3 at 8:00pm
We start with a story from contributor Daijah Moss about a local woman who set out to learn about her enslaved ancestors and the families that owned them. Her journey of discovery revealed an interesting ancestral connection and took her to a well-known plantation in South Carolina. Then, Host Stephen Henderson talks with internationally known genealogist Tony Burroughs who has consulted with celebrities such as Smokey Robinson and Oprah Winfrey about their family history. Burroughs also published a popular book, “Black Roots: A Beginner’s Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree.” He explains to Henderson, who has been on his own personal journey to discover his late father’s ancestral history, that there is a methodology to genealogy and outlines the steps to take when researching your ancestry. They also talk about the unique challenges associated with tracing African American roots and the importance of knowing where you come from.
Episode 5126 airs February 10 at 8:00pm
Host Stephen Henderson and guest, Bishop Mbiyu Chui of the Shrine of the Black Madonna #1, delve into the often-forgotten connection between the city’s Black churches and the massive march for civil rights. Bishop Chui relates the backstory about how racism and violence against Blacks in the South led to the organization of the walk by the Shrine’s founder, Rev. Albert Cleage, Jr. and Rev. C.L. Franklin of New Bethel Baptist Church. They talk about the many voices represented in the Detroit civil rights demonstration, the Black Church’s role has a moral compass for America, and the challenges that remain today — 60 years after the Walk to Freedom.
Episode 5141 airs February 10 at 8:30pm
An historic jazz club in Detroit is getting a massive renovation, thanks to the nonprofit Detroit Sound Conservancy. ABJ contributor Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ was on hand for the groundbreaking celebration for the long-abandoned Blue Bird Inn on the city’s west side. She talks with some of the musicians on hand for the restoration ceremony, including well-known bassist Marion Hayden and her son, drummer Tariq Gardner. Additionally, she hears from members of the community on what the rehab of the club will mean for the surrounding neighborhood.
Episode 5142 airs February 17 at 8:30pm
Two-time Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter sits down for a one-on-one conversation with host Stephen Henderson about her stellar career as a costume designer for such iconic films as Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, Roots, Selma, Malcolm X and many more. The interview takes place at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History where an exhibition of Carter’s costume designs is on display through March 31st of next year. They discuss how she became interested in sewing and designing, the inspiration behind her costume designs, and making history as the first Black woman to win multiple Oscars.

American Black Journal

Episode 823 airs February 3 at 8:30pm
Rob Edwards, a Detroit-born screenwriter best known for Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” and “Treasure Planet,” and the TV shows “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “In Living Color,” has a new graphic novel coming out in February 2024 detailing a little known, yet highly prominent figure of America’s Black history: Robert Smalls.
Episode 820 airs February 17 at 8:00pm
Blast Detroit has launched an innovative program, the EV Automotive Mobility Program, that equips Detroiters with the skills necessary for jobs that will soon be in high demand. The program offers hands-on training in the maintenance and repair of electric vehicles, as well as education in internal combustion engine technology, in an effort to bridge the gap and address the racial disparity within the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

One Detroit

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/the-niagara-movement-the-early-battle-for-civil-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Niagara Movement PBS LearningMedia Collection</a> – These lesson plans are designed for middle and high school students (grades 6-12). Some of the themes covered are activism, ideology, the role of women, the Black Press, marginalization, the Jim Crow era, civil rights, and the legacy of the Niagara Movement.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/harriet-tubman-visions-of-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom PBS LearningMedia Collection</a> – These film-based inquiry modules are designed to enhance learning and supplement the teaching of a variety of topics and skills. Powered by historical material and compelling documentary footage, students and educators engage with resources that inspire inquiry, empathy, reflection, and social change.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/cfc4c33c-b576-43f5-916b-5f1752742ab4/harriet-tubman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harriet Tubman: American Icons</a> – In this lesson, students will learn about Harriet Tubman’s extraordinary courage in the face of enormous risks. After watching a biographical video, they will examine a photograph of Tubman and read a letter written to her by Frederick Douglass. The lesson culminates with students comparing Harriet Tubman to modern-day women and girls who have similarly confronted huge risks to help others.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/shuttlesworth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shuttlesworth PBS LearningMedia Collection</a> – This collection contains a feature-length documentary about his work in Birmingham, Shuttlesworth, as well as additional interviews with community members that lived through segregation and the fight to end it. Archival photos provide further context.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/making-black-america/">Making Black America PBS LearningMedia Collection</a> – Throughout the series, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. inverts the standard narrative of history as a battleground over the repressive, violent forces of white supremacy and of African Americans making “progress” by crossing the color line, and instead center the arc on the private and communal lives of those who, trapped by Jim Crow rule, nevertheless created a diverse, and vibrant, world of their own.

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All episodes Available <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/shows/the-career-center/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">on Demand.</a>
The Career Center is a show where real teens explore the opportunities in their future and the paths available to find their dream career.
The program is hosted by a career counselor and walks teens through the process of exploring careers and career pathways. Segments include:
<ul>
	<li>Career Exploration: Meet professionals who represent different facets of the career track or cluster and learn about the diversity of jobs available and skills needed.</li>
	<li>21st Century Skills: Communication, critical thinking, digital skills… they’re needed in every job! Short segments help job seekers build skills and build their resume.</li>
	<li>Career Pathways: From apprenticeship programs and bootcamps to university and community college programs, find multiple paths to pursuing your dreams.</li>
</ul>

Career & Technical Education Month – Starts February 1

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<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/engineering_is/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Engineering Is… PBS LearningMedia Collection</a> – Explore Engineering Is… , a collection of media resources that focuses on the intersection of engineering and science. The new national science education standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, emphasize engineering design as an essential part of science education. With the Engineering Is… collection, middle- and high-school students can learn about scientists and engineers working together across disciplines to investigate issues, make discoveries and develop solutions.

National Engineers Week – February 18-24

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What’s On This March and Learning Resources

See our on-air offerings below. For more on-demand teaching resources about Women’s History Month, visit our <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/resources/womens-history-month-2023/">Women’s History Classroom Resource.</a>

Available <a href="https://www.michiganlearning.org/learning-hub/educational-videos/womens-history/">on demand</a>. 

Student host Treasure helps us celebrate the incredible contributions women have made in science, math, literature, technology, and more.

Extra Credit Episode 305: Women’s History

March 5 at 8:00pm. 

Follow along as Gabby, Kiera, and Maliaq—three single moms eager to explore how to find meaningful careers and navigate post-secondary success—travel across the country to talk with other single mothers who’ve found fulfilling work as microbiologists, professors, authors, artists, and more. Fueled by ECMC Foundation, “A Single Mom’s Story” shows how single moms can and should be empowered to seek out work that means something to them and their communities. Their stories and those of the inspiring people they meet are proof single mothers can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

Road Trip Nation: A Single Mom’s Story

March 12 at 8:00pm 

Explore the untold story of how Indigenous women influenced the early suffragists in their fight for freedom and equality. Mohawk Clan Mother Louise Herne and Professor Sally Roesch Wagner shake the foundation of the established history of the women’s rights movement in the US joining forces to shed light on the hidden history of the influence of Haudenosaunee Women on the women’s rights movement.

Without A Whisper

March 19 at 8:00pm 

Boswell’s latest conversation with leading experts examines why groups of women disproportionately experience higher mortality rates related to pregnancy and childbirth in the country. Boswell addresses disparities and contributing factors that result in poor health outcomes for mothers and babies as well as ways local public health professionals are combatting the national crisis.

Bonnie Boswell Presents: Saving Moms

March 26 at 8:00pm 

Bring Her Home follows three Indigenous women – an artist, an activist, and a politician – as they fight to vindicate and honor their missing and murdered relatives who have fallen victims to a growing epidemic across Indian country. Despite the lasting effects from historical trauma, each woman must search for healing while navigating racist systems that brought about this very crisis.

Bring Her Home

<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/9e33fae9-ce0c-4ba7-8c42-0bcd45a3e9fa/native-voices-american-passages-authors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Native Voices | American Passages: Authors</a> – Discover backgrounds and biographies of the authors featured in the half-hour video Native Voices. 
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/aml15.ela.lit.thestreet/the-street-by-ann-petry-black-single-mother-seeks-the-american-dream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Masters | The Street by Ann Petry: Black Single Mother Seeks the American Dream</a> – In this video from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream we meet Lutie Johnson, the African-American single mother heroine of Ann Petry’s novel The Street. The video gives an introduction to the novel and Lutie’s aspirations to find stability and independence in her Harlem neighborhood in the midst of race, class, and gender biases.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/26cd5d72-9bfa-4f18-86c7-6f68631f6114/26cd5d72-9bfa-4f18-86c7-6f68631f6114/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Women’s History: Activity Pack | History Detectives</a> – Women have made vital but often little-known contributions to American history. These lesson plans and videos are based on History Detectives episodes that examine artifacts which provide clues to how women have been integral in the visual arts, in fighting political causes and on battlefields. They offer students opportunities to hold a history-based political convention, create visual arts designs, and do biographical research.
<a href="https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/a4971480-12d4-43d7-9489-0b2c379a58e8/the-right-to-work-womens-empowerment-lesson-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Right to Work | Women’s Empowerment</a> – In this lesson, students investigate the concept of unemployment and learn how it is currently reported in the U.S.. Students are presented with the fact that the right to work is a universal human right according to the United Nations; they can then apply this knowledge to better understand working conditions for indigenous women in Bolivia. After listening to various voices involved in the conversation, including the Bolivian president, union organizers, political advocates and the workers themselves, students research a political organization and create a media campaign.

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