Social Studies

Educator Webinar: Revolutionary Voices: Student Media-Making and The American Revolution

Description

Bring The American Revolution Youth Media Challenge to your classroom. Discover how your students can connect the foundational principles of the American Revolution to their lives today by amplifying their knowledge through media-making.

In this interactive workshop for middle and high school teachers, we’ll explore the extensive, curriculum-aligned, multimedia resources from The American Revolution classroom collection on PBS LearningMedia, created with educators and drawing on content from the film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. Workshop participants will learn how to use the resources in the collection to inspire students to create a media project for The American Revolution Youth Media Challenge, focusing specifically on audio production, a media format that can be made accessible to all learners. Participants will learn how to create a podcast in the classroom setting — no special studio or equipment required – and they will leave with a pathway to empower and share student voice beyond the classroom.

When: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 7:00-9:00 PM ET Virtual Training for Teachers via Webinar

What you’ll do:

Learn about PBS LearningMedia’s free, curriculum-aligned resources from The American Revolution classroom collection and The American Revolution Youth Media Challenge
Get hands-on experience with the basics of audio production and start your own short podcast
Discover how to guide the creation of audio projects in your classroom setting

What you’ll get:

A pathway to empower and share student voice beyond the classroom
Modifiable resources in English and Spanish
No-cost access to web-based audio tools
A copy of the presentation deck to modify and use when implementing the project in your classroom
A PDF letter of attendance–verifying two hours of attendance–to submit to your district or administration for approval towards professional development credit. (Requirements for professional development credits vary, so check with your district and/or state.)
Ongoing facilitator support for technical and classroom implementation questions, as needed

Designed by educators for educators, KQED’s well-paced workshops provide ready-to-use resources, instructional strategies, and genuine interaction with experienced and dynamic facilitators.

Speakers

KQED Education
PBS LearningMedia

KQED is a nonprofit, public media station and NPR and PBS member station based in San Francisco. As a leader in media innovation, KQED provides free standards-aligned classroom content and professional development that educators can trust. Our workshops and courses help educators in all roles, subjects and grades strengthen their media literacy skills, empower youth voices, and encourage civil discourse. Learn more at kqed.org/education.

National History Day®, a world leader in history and civics education, is a nonprofit education organization improving the teaching and learning of history. NHD reaches more than half a million students and tens of thousands of teachers each year via its international student history contest and its wide range of teacher professional development programs, curriculum tools, and other educational activities.

PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and GBH, is an online destination that offers free access to thousands of resources from PBS stations and partners. These digital tools are designed to complement classroom instruction — from videos, images, and interactives to lesson plans, articles, and primary sources. Available for free to all educators PreK through 12th grade, PBS LearningMedia offers classroom-ready content aligned to state and national standards, compatible with the tools teachers use most, such as Google Classroom, and contextualized with supporting materials. Learn more at pbslearningmedia.org.

Questions about the event? Email education@kqed.org

Educator Webinar: Visualize History with Student-Created Documentaries

Description

History documentaries transform research into powerful films that bring the past to life and help make sense of complex topics. To coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, join National History Day and PBS member station KQED, and PBS LearningMedia to explore how student-created history documentaries can help your students share their voice, knowledge, skills, and creativity.

When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 7:00-9:00 PM EST Virtual Training via Webinar

What you’ll do:

Explore ready-to-use curriculum using National History Day’s 2026 theme of Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History and the Revolutionary Era as a case study
Practice video pre-production strategies
Start a sample mini-documentary you can use as a model with students

What you’ll get:

National History Day’s documentary projects
Modifiable curriculum and resources in English and Spanish for PBS LearningMedia’s The American Revolution Youth Media Challenge (hosted by KQED)
No-cost access to web-based video tools
A copy of the presentation deck to modify and use with students
A PDF letter of attendance–verifying 2 hours of attendance–to submit to your district or administration for approval towards professional development credit. (Requirements for professional development credits vary, so check with your district and/or state.)
Ongoing facilitator support for technical and classroom implementation questions, as needed

Designed by educators for educators, KQED’s well-paced workshops provide ready-to-use resources, instructional strategies, and genuine interaction with experienced and dynamic facilitators.

Speakers

KQED Education
National History Day
PBS LearningMedia

Questions about the event? Email education@kqed.org

The American Revolution Campus Conversation Webinar On-Demand

Explore the recorded video of an event hosted by PBS and Florentine Films on 11/19/25 at NYU. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Campus Conversation Partnering with New York University for the in-person and livestreamed event, filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, experts Christopher Brown and Maggie Blackhawk, and moderator Patrick J. Egan will talk about the history, the film, and its relevance today. Intended for Higher Education Faculty and Students

Watch the Recorded Event

Description

As part of the premiere week of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, PBS invites college faculty and students to an hour-long virtual discussion during which filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, experts Christopher Brown and Maggie Blackhawk, and moderator Patrick J. Egan will talk about the history, the film, and its relevance today.

Panelists

Ken Burns (Filmmaker)
Sarah Botstein (Filmmaker)
Maggie Blackhawk (Professor of Law, New York University)
Christopher Brown (Professor of History, Columbia University)

Moderator

Patrick J. Egan (Professor of Politics & Public Policy, New York University)

Event in partnership with New York University, American Association for State & Local History, American Historical Association, and Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

What You Get?

The entire conversation was recorded and is available for students, teachers, and the general public. After watching, we hope you come away with new insights about the Revolutionary era and its continued relevance; ideas for how to use the documentary as a tool to spark discussions in your campus communities; and for teachers and professors, strategies on how to incorporate these history lessons into the larger educational experience.

Screener Request Form: Continue the conversation in your classroom or campus community with this 36-minute clip reel for 5 clips.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Engagement Resource Center: Explore nine unique toolkits to engage a variety of audiences, including your campus community, with the “Revolution Reframed: Campus Engagement” toolkit.
PBS Teach 250: Visit this central hub on PBS LearningMedia, designed for educators and future educators, to find Revolutionary era content, from PBS and local PBS member stations, for their classrooms. If you work with students in grades 3-12, consider watching this webinar that is intended for their grade levels

Interested in hosting your own campus screening event for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION? Request a screening reel and find resources including discussion guides, event planners, and more at The American Revolution Engagement Resource Center.

Connecting Students to Our Shared History: The American Revolution PBS LearningMedia Educator Webinar On-Demand

Explore The American Revolution series with this on-demand archive from a virtual educator event from PBS LearningMedia: Connecting Students to Our Shared History: A Live Conversations with the Filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. The filmmakers behind THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION joined in a conversation moderated by Sharon McMahon known as “America’s Government Teacher.” You’ll hear how the film came to life, gather ideas for how to engage students in this shared history, and discover new ready-to-use classroom resources from PBS LearningMedia. This event video is for educators teaching social studies in grades 3-12, as well as other educators, including instructional coaches and curriculum specialists in social studies. This event may also be useful to anyone getting ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of United States with children and youth.

Description

Participants will learn about the process of creating a historical documentary, consider the power of visual storytelling to engage with the past, and discover opportunities to use this film in the classroom with PBS LearningMedia’s newest collection Ken Burns in the Classroom: The American Revolution. The resources in the collection will support teachers in connecting students to the Revolutionary era and its legacies today in relatable and meaningful ways. This webinar is from 11/18/25.

Watch On-Demand

What you’ll see:

Hear from all three filmmakers about their experiences creating this documentary
Consider how the perspectives of a wide variety of individuals from the Revolutionary era can help students connect to our shared history, 250 years in the making
Discover more about the Ken Burns in the Classroom: The American Revolution Collection on PBS LearningMedia at pbslearningmedia.org/americanrevolution

What you’ll get:

Access to insights from The American Revolution filmmakers
Ready-to-use, curriculum-targeted, standards-aligned classroom resources
A more expansive view of the Revolutionary era and ideas for how to engage students in this shared history, supporting critical thinking skills and the ability to connect the past to the present

About PBS LearningMedia
PBS LearningMedia, a partnership between PBS and GBH, is a transformative digital media platform for PreK-12 educators, providing free access to thousands of media-centric classroom resources from PBS member stations and esteemed partners. PBS LearningMedia delivers a dynamic mix of national and locally relevant content—including videos, interactives, lesson plans, teaching tips, and primary sources—that elevates classroom teaching and brings learning to life. Designed with teachers and subject matter experts, classroom resources are aligned to state and national standards and are compatible with the tools teachers use most, such as Google Classroom.

Social Studies

Speakers

Speakers

Panelists

Moderator

Related