TV tips

NEA Today, Jan 1999

Class of 2000 Snapshots

CBS, airing once a week through August 1999. From CBS News, these one-minute features highlight accomplishments of high school students who will graduate in the year 2000. The spots will alternate each week between commercial breaks of "CBS News 48 Hours" and the "JAG" series. For free study guides, check the Web at www.kidsnet.org.

ZOOM

PBS, premieres Monday, January 5, check local listings. This popular kids-- only series from the 1970s is back and features experiments, plays, poems, films, and games sent in by young viewers. For a free guide that includes activities, resources, and more, write to ZOOMsci Guide, WGBH Educational Print & Outreach, 125 Western Ave., Boston, MA 02134.

Selma, Lord Selma ABC, Sunday, January 17, 7-9 p.m. ET, check local listings.

This two-hour "Wonderful World of Disney" film tells the true story of eight-year-old Sheyann Webb and nine-year-old Rachel West, whose march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the winter of 1965 in Selma, Alabama, changed their lives. For a free classroom discussion guide, call the ABC Classroom Connection, 800/647-4ABC or visit the Web site at www.abcclassroom.com.

Animal Einsteins

PBS, Wednesday, January 20, 8-9 p.m. ET, check local listings. This "Scientific American Frontiers" special examines the latest studies of birds, sea lions, chimps, and tamarins. Host Alan Alda travels to several universities to take part in experiments proving just how smart animals are-including monkeys who understand gravity and sea lions who use sign language.

Free teaching guides for grades 5-12 are available. Call 800/315-5010 or go to the Web site at www.pbs.org/saf.

A&E Classroom: Titanic

A&E, MondayThursday, January 25-28, 7-8 a.m. ET: This four-part series looks at the history of this famous ship and its passengers, using interviews with survivors, stills, and newsreel footage.

Check the Web at www.AandE.com for an online study guide. Call 800/ 423-1212 for home video availability.

So Weird

Disney Channel, premiering this month, check local listings. This new half-hour series chronicles the adventures of a traveling family, including 13-year-old Fi Phillips, a girl fascinated by the mysteries of the paranormal. Each episode opens with a short documentary describing strange events that may or may not have taken place.

Fight for Your Rights: Take Stand Against Violence

MTV public service campaign begins this month. MTV and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education have joined together to raise awareness and offer solutions to the problems of youth violence in schools and neighborhoods.

The three themes of this public service campaign are violence in schools, violence in the streets, and sexual violence. Programming specials and public service announcements will air on MTV throughout the year. Contact your local cable operator for a free youth action guide.

For Kids Sake! Radio

National Public Radio, check local listings. This weekly radio program challenges parents, grandparents, and teachers to look at what's working to improve children's lives. Originating from WCAL in Northfield, Minnesota, the one-hour show features issues such as child care, commentary by children and teens, and a family story segment called "The Talking Rainbow."

Learn & Live

PBS, Check local listings. Hosted by Robin Williams, this one-hour special showcases innovative schools across the country and demonstrates what public education can achieve when students are challenged, have access to interactive technologies, and benefit from family and community involvement. To purchase the video and 300page companion guide, call the George Lucas Educational Foundation at 888/475-4371 or check the Web at www.glef.org.

NOGGIN

Nickelodeon and Children's Television Workshop have teamed to launch this 24-hour channel as the first educational television network for kids between the ages of 2 and 14.

The NOGGIN schedule will include the partners' signature educational series "Sesame Street" and "Blue's Clues," plus award-winning programs such as "Electric Company," "3-2-1 Contact," and "Ghostwriter" from CTW and "Gullah Gullah Island" and "Nick News" from Nickelodeon. (Premiere episodes of "Sesame Street" and "Blue's Clues" will continue to air on PBS and Nickelodeon.)

KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D.C., provides these listings. For additional listings and information on children's shows, check out the KIDSNET Web site at www kidsnet.org.