Literacy, Languages, and the Arts
October 30-November 5, 2013

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

Supernatural Elements in Shakespeare

Grades: 8-12

In this media collection, students explore the use of supernatural elements within William Shakespeare's plays, focusing particularly on Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Tempest. Students examine supernatural beliefs during the 16th and 17th centuries, and they also identify how supernatural elements drive the plot of many of Shakespeare's plays.

The Zombie Autopsies for Educators

Grades: 8-13+

The following lessons about neuroscience have been inspired by the book, The Zombie Autopsies, written by Dr. Steven C. Schlozman, and are intended to complement it. The Zombie Autopsies was inspired by George Romero's 1968 cult-classic horror film Night of the Living Dead.

These original lessons build upon each other, using the undead to teach the living about the brain. The lessons follow an accompanying plot line where the world is fighting a zombie apocalypse and the best and the brightest young people are being trained as medical students - with a specialty in neuroscience - with the hopes that they will be able to provide a cure to this terrible epidemic and save humanity.

Although the materials are organized as a unit, lessons can be used as stand-alone or can be shaped to fit the needs of you and your students regarding time and content. Introduce zombie neurobiology to your classroom today!

Haunted House: The Tuhhhh
Grade Range: 1-3

Mummy and Werewolf have a hard time figuring out Bat's instructions and they make a mess of the bathroom. The goal for this segment is letter sound -t-.

Baseball and Social Change: The Story of Roberto Clemente
Grade Range: 5-8

In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, students learn about baseball legend Roberto Clemente, his early years in the United States during segregation, and changes in the 1960s that made the U.S. culture more open to Clemente's Latino culture. Students develop their literacy skills through a social studies focus on how culture shapes individual identity and how a culture changes when new groups of people enter it. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through videos and interactive activities.

The Powers of Government
Grade Range: 5-8

In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, students learn about the three branches of the United States government. Students develop their literacy skills as they explore a social studies focus on the powers that the Constitution assigns to each branch-legislative, executive, and judicial-and how the three branches work together. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through videos and interactive activities.

Writings of the Ancient Maya
Grade Range: 5-8

In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, students are introduced to the ancient Mayan civilization through their writings. Students develop their literacy skills as they explore a social studies focus on the destruction of many Mayan writings by the Spanish and what archaeologists have learned from the writings that remain. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through a video and interactive activities.

Art in the Muslim World
Grade Range: 5-12

In classical Islamic art, forms of art such as calligraphy, architecture, and decorative arts are celebrated. Through the materials presented in this lesson, 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.

Resources | PBS LearningMedia | PBS KIDS | Iowa Public Television