Vermont AOE and PBS Partnership
The Agency of Education (AOE) and Vermont Public Broadcasting System (PBS) continue their partnership to support learning for Vermont students and school communities heading into the new school year. This partnership provides access to free educational programming, curricular connections, hands-on kits, and distance learning tutorials.
To share resources and network with colleagues, join the Vermont PBS Educational Resources group on Edmodo. Activate your Edmodo account and join the VTED Learns community by filling out this form. Join the group with the link provided.
New! Indigenous Cultural and Informational Text Resources – This webinar, co-hosted by Vermont Agency of Education specialists and Vermont PBS, incorporates the voices of educators.
Monthly Resources
Resources and programming are organized by grade band and content area. Check back each month for more Vermont PBS Kids and Education resources connected to monthly themes. Collections from previous months can be found on the Vermont PBS Educational Resources group on Edmodo.
General Resources
Media Literacy
- Expanding Narratives Using Media – This planning kit has resources, tips, and professional development opportunities to support media literacy skills, emphasizing inquiry, expression, critical thinking, and effective communication.
- Teaching Students to Critically Analyze Media: Empowering Young Media Consumers and Creators – This professional learning series for middle and high school educators provides tools and strategies to engage students in analyzing digital media and navigating misinformation.
- Teach Your Way Calendar November 2021 – This planning kit for PreK-Grade 5 educators includes templates and tools that provide ways to integrate Media Literacy into the classroom.
Beyond Screentime: The Fundamentals of PBS Learning Media Navigation
Playful Learning Collections for Home: Resources for Parents
Guidance Documents and Other Resources
- Strategies for Supporting Students with Disabilities During PBS Programming and Lesson Planning
- How Educators Can Integrate PBS Learning Media Effectively into K-12 Instruction
- PBS LearningMedia Tutorials
PreK-2 Resources
Celebrate the Season: Celebrate the season and school vacation using the anytime, anywhere playful learning activities and guides. A few of our favorite winter themed bundles are included to compliment your time at home:
- Check out the PBS LearningMedia Holiday collection to find great reading lists, word searches, videos, and more.
- Send home PBS Parents video links to help inspire indoor and outdoor connections.
- Don’t forget about the easy to print and send Learn Along Bingo collection.
- Learn more about different winter holidays with Arthur and PBS Kids.
- Discover Holiday Crafts and Activities from PBS Parents.
Social Emotional Learning – NEW episodes from Alma’s Way: Find new SEL resources for your classroom (English/Spanish) with Alma’s Way.
- PBSLM: Activity bundles include video, lesson plan, and activity cards
- SEL VT: This virtual platform provides free materials for understanding key elements of healthy social emotional learning (SEL). SEL VT contains a series of professionally developed modules that can be accessed by educators, students, and caregivers.
Activities for Home Vacation – Dogsledding themed resources inspired by Molly of Denali.
- Tooey’s Hero: Dogsledding video and supporting resources:
- Dog Sled Family Activity
- Welcome Home Balto Video and Lesson Plan
- Episode-Specific Discussion Questions and Activities for Tooey’s Hero and Welcome Home Balto (and other Molly of Denali episodes)
- Sled Dog Dash Game
Grades 3-5 Resources
Latin American Culture: Let’s Go Luna! – Learn about Latin American food, art, music, and more. Pair with our Middle School podcast recommendation to learn from home.
- “Let’s Talk” and “Let’s Do” Cards: Conversation starter activity for home vacation.
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Video (English/Spanish)
- A Visit from Luna Activity
- The Chocolate Song
Celebrate the Season: Celebrate the season and school vacation using the anytime, anywhere playful learning activities and guides. A few of our favorite winter themed bundles are included to compliment your time at home:
- Check out the PBS LearningMedia Holiday collection to find great reading lists, word searches, videos, and more. Send home PBS Parents video links to help inspire indoor and outdoor connections.
Grades 6-8 Resources
Music and History: Timeline – Learn more about Maria Grever’s contributions to music through this VPR Podcast, and accompanying WebQuest Learning Guide. She was named the “Woman of the Americas,” developing music across a career inspired by influences from the United States of America, Mexico, and Latin America. This music, and its history, is ours.
- PBSLM: Connect with music and history with this Arts Toolkit
Environmentalism and Economics: Brave Little State – VPR's people-powered journalism podcast, explores the question:
- Are people following Vermont’s new recycling laws, and where does our recycling end up?
If this is interesting, follow up with these connected videos and activities:
- PBSLM Podcast: Recycling Getting to Zero Waste and The Economics of Household Recycling
- Vermont Agency of Natural Resources: Lesson Plans and Resources
Celebrate the Season: Celebrate the season and school vacation using the anytime, anywhere playful learning activities and guides, such as the PBS LearningMedia Holiday collection where you can find great reading lists, word searches, videos, and more.
Grades 9-12 Resources
Abenaki Culture: Brave Little State – VPR's people-powered journalism podcast, explores a question about the descendants of this region's first residents.
- What is the status of Abenaki Native Americans in Vermont today?
If this is interesting, follow up with these connected videos and activities:
- PBSLM Media Gallery: Amplifying Indigenous Experiences from Unladylike 2020 (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate)
- Enjoy: Note to Educators and Note from Authors
- Flow of History: Teaching Toolkits: Abenaki History and Culture
ELA and the Arts: Get Lit and the Power of Poetry – Arts education can increase teen literacy through the power of spoken word. Inspire creative expression and social-emotional learning with this collection of culturally relevant narratives.
- KCET: Artbound – Arts Education – Explore the values that arts education provides for all young people and communities, to build the foundation for an inclusive and economically vibrant society.
- Vermont Arts Council: Poetry Out Loud – National poetry recitation competition
- Classroom Resources: recitation tips, lesson plans and activities, Proficiency-Based Learning connections, and NCTE, NCAS, and Common Core Standards alignment
- Vermont Poetry Out Loud Archive and PBS Resources
Just for teachers! The American Narrative series (recordings) look at Ken Burns in the Classroom resources like Ernest Hemmingway and Ali. Join the discussion!
Questions?
Email Emily Leute.
