Tennessee Department of Education to begin Airing Video Lessons Statewide on PBS, April 6th

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Education is partnering with PBS stations across the state to offer 1^st-8^th grade students up to 30 hours of standards-aligned instructional lessons per week during times of Coronavirus (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,” Schwinn stated.

Beginning Monday, April 6th, 2020 thirty-minute segments will air from 10:00am to 12:00pm CT 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 13th.   

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:  

Monday— 1^stand 2^nd Grade ELA and Math Lessons 

• 10:00am CT- 1^stGrade ELA 
• 10:30am CT- 1^stGrade Math 
• 11:00am CT- 2^ndGrade ELA 
• 11:30am CT- 2^ndGrade Math 

Tuesday— 3rd and 4^thGrade ELA and Math Lessons 

• 10:00am CT- 3^rdGrade ELA 
• 10:30am CT- 3^rdGrade Math 
• 11:00am CT- 4^thGrade ELA 
• 11:30am CT- 4^thGrade Math 

Wednesday— 5^thand 6^th Grade ELA and Math Lessons 

• 10:00am CT- 5^thGrade ELA 
• 10:30am CT- 5^thGrade Math 
• 11:00am CT- 6^thGrade ELA 
• 11:30am CT- 6^thGrade Math 

Thursday—1st and 2^ndGrade ELA and Math Lessons 

• 10:00am CT- 1^stGrade ELA 
• 10:30am CT- 1^stGrade Math 
• 11:00am CT- 2^ndGrade ELA 
• 11:30am CT- 2^ndGrade Math 

Friday— 3^rdand 4^th Grade ELA and Math Lessons 

• 10:00am CT- 3^rdGrade ELA 
• 10:30am CT- 3^rdGrade Math 
• 11:00am CT- 4^thGrade ELA 
• 11:30am CT- 4^thGrade Math 

Overnight Schedule: 

Recorded videos covering ELA and Math for grades first through sixth will stream from 1:00am- 5:00am CT Monday through Friday beginning the week of April 6th.  

Online:  

• Lesson plans and student work packets:  tn.gov/education/pbsteaching 
• 7th Grade- ELA and Math Lessons starting the week of April 16th
• 8th Grade- ELA and Math Lessons starting the week of April 16th

Other guidance documents and resources developed specifically for district and school leaders are available on the Tennessee Department of Education’s coronavirus webpage: https://www.tn.gov/education/health-and-safety/update-on-coronavirus.html.