The Tennessee Department of Education is partnering with PBS stations across the state to offer 1st-8th grade students up to 30 hours of standards-aligned instructional lessons per week during times of COVID-19 school closures.
"We know so many Tennesseans have grown up learning from public television and are so grateful to PBS for embodying the volunteer spirit and supporting our students in this critical way,” said Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “We are amazed by the response of PBS and Tennessee’s educators to support at-home learning during these unprecedented times.”
Beginning April 6, thirty-minute segments will air from 10 a.m.-noon CST each weekday on the main channels of each of the six PBS stations across the state-- WNPT Nashville, East Tennessee PBS, WCTE Upper Cumberland, WKNO Memphis, West TN PBS, and Chattanooga WTCI.
Additionally, viewers can watch or record up to four more hours of content that will be broadcast overnight.
Broadcast programming, developed by the Tennessee Department of Education in partnership with teachers across the state, will cover English language arts (ELA) and math for first through sixth grades. For seventh and eighth graders, recorded video lessons will be available online starting April 13.
Accompanying lesson plans and work packets will be posted on the department’s website for teachers and families to use, adapt, and build upon. Access the lesson plans and student work packets at
www.tn.gov/education/pbsteaching.
The department will also make all videos available on its YouTube channel after they air.
“It is inspiring to see so many teachers come together to make this possible, and I am honored to be a part of it to provide these lessons for not only my students but also children across the state. As teachers, we are all missing our students and being in the classroom every day together. But just because school buildings are closed, doesn't mean learning must stop,” said Jessica Alley, 7th grade ELA teacher, Christiana Middle School. “This partnership with PBS is one way we can help give all students access to learning opportunities during this unprecedented time.”
This partnership builds upon several preexisting partnerships that some school districts have with their local PBS station. Local listings will reflect individual station schedules and include programming for additional educational content.
Daytime Schedule:
o Monday— 1st and 2nd Grade ELA and Math Lessons
? 10:00 am CST- 1st Grade ELA
? 10:30 am CST- 1st Grade Math
? 11:00 am CST- 2nd Grade ELA
? 11:30 am CST- 2nd Grade Math
o Tuesday— 3rd and 4th Grade ELA and Math Lessons
? 10:00 am CST- 3rd Grade ELA
? 10:30 am CST- 3rd Grade Math
? 11:00 am CST- 4th Grade ELA
? 11:30 am CST- 4th Grade Math
o Wednesday— 5th and 6th Grade ELA and Math Lessons
? 10:00 am CST- 5th Grade ELA
? 10:30 am CST- 5th Grade Math
? 11:00 am CST- 6th Grade ELA
? 11:30 am CST- 6th Grade Math
o Thursday—1st and 2nd Grade ELA and Math Lessons
? 10:00 am CST- 1st Grade ELA
? 10:30 am CST- 1st Grade Math
? 11:00 am CST- 2nd Grade ELA
? 11:30 am CST- 2nd Grade Math
o Friday— 3rd and 4th Grade ELA and Math Lessons
? 10:00 am CST- 3rd Grade ELA
? 10:30 am CST- 3rd Grade Math
? 11:00 am CST- 4th Grade ELA
? 11:30 am CST- 4th Grade Math
Overnight Schedule:
Recorded videos covering ELA and Math for grades first through sixth will stream from 1- 5 a.m. CST Monday through Friday beginning the week of April 6th.
Online:
o Lesson plans and student work packets: www.tn.gov/education/pbsteaching
o 7th Grade- ELA and Math Lessons starting the week of April 16
o 8th Grade- ELA and Math Lessons starting the week of April 16
Other guidance documents and resources developed specifically for district and school leaders are available on the Tennessee Department of Education’s coronavirus webpage.