Highlights Archive

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

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

One Year at WXXI — Thank you, Rochester • A message from WXXI President & CEO Chris Hastings

When I arrived a year ago, I said our work would be about Bringing Us Together as neighbors, as makers, and as a community that believes in the power of public media. I meant it then, and I feel it even more today.

This year has been one of learning and listening. I moved my life here and you welcomed me fully in schools and theaters, churches and coffee shops, boardrooms and living rooms, at The Little and on the air. You shared what WXXI means to you and what you hope for next, and I’ve carried every one of those conversations with me.

We also faced a challenge none of us expected: the sudden loss of federal funding. Together, we rolled up our sleeves and launched the Close the Gap campaign. And by October, because of thousands of gifts large and small, we did it. I’ll never forget the donor who made a transformational gift to honor both me and my predecessor — and then told me she liked my sneakers. I’ve kept that story close because it captures the spirit of this community: generous, joyful, and rooted in real relationships.

To our members, donors, foundation partners, sponsors, board, staff, and volunteers — thank you. You believed in WXXI when it mattered most. You reminded us that public media belongs to the public. The fight to save public media is not over but you gave us the time to re-imagine how we serve during these times of change and we are thankful for your sustaining support!

As we head into the holiday break, I hope each of you has a moment to rest, to take pride in what we’ve accomplished together, and to feel the power of community that makes Rochester so special.

I am grateful to be here. I am grateful to serve you. And I am excited for what’s ahead — together.

Sincerely,

Chris Hastings
President & CEO, WXXI Public Media

P.S. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our daily news podcast. It’s a powerful way to stay connected to the work you make possible. Click here to listen and subscribe.

Rick Steves Art of Europe: Michelangelo to Monet • WXXI-TV

Join Rick Steves for the greatest-hits party celebrating Europe’s art and creative geniuses, from Leonardo to Van Gogh.

Rick Steves Art of Europe: Michelangelo to Monet airs Friday, November 28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the PBS and WXXI apps.

Across the two-hour special, Rick traces Florence’s bold “rebirth” after Europe’s medieval struggles; marvels at the over-the-top churches, palaces, fountains and canvases of the Baroque period; and examines the pioneering Impressionist works that captured the joie de vivre of the late 1800s.

A Celebration of Hanukkah • WXXI-TV

Host Geoffrey Baer takes you on a fun exploration of the time-honored traditions of this joyous Jewish holiday.

Great Performances: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary airs Sunday, December 7 at 8:30 p.m. WXXI-TV

Geoffrey shares how Hanukkah came to be, the significance of the season’s cherished dishes, and the ways families continue to celebrate together across generations. Along the way, Geoffrey provides an overview of Hanukkah in popular culture, weaving in his holiday memories through childhood home movies. And, because food plays such a meaningful part of every Hanukkah observance, he also heads into the kitchen with experts to try his hand at creating seasonal culinary delights – including latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (filled donuts) – while explaining how these dishes connect to Hanukkah’s history.

Fleetwood Mac: The Dance • WXXI-TV

Recorded in 1997, this concert marks the return of the band’s most successful line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, who had not released an album together since 1987’s Tango in the Night.

Fleetwood Mac: The Dance airs Wednesday, December 3 at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the PBS app and the WXXI app.

The group performs “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain,” “Landslide,” “Gold Dust Woman,” and “Gypsy.” The USC Marching Band joins in on “Tusk” and “Don’t Stop.”

Repeats December 7 at 4:30 p.m.

Ball and Vase • WXXI-TV

Follow this ailing professor and magician named Ed Coleman during the holidays.

Ball and Vase airs Friday, December 5 at 10:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the PBS app and the WXXI app.

Ed is a 92-year-old, widowed World War II veteran who lives alone in a small apartment in Hoboken, N.J. He has been all but forgotten, but Ed has one thing that keeps him going – an upcoming visit by his grandson on Christmas. When a change in those plans finds Ed alone at a local pub he used to visit with his late wife, he discovers one last opportunity to reconnect with the world.

Repeats December 13 at 5:30 p.m., December 21 at 5:30 p.m., and December 27 at 10:30 p.m.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Live at the El Mocambo • WXXI-TV

An intense, high-powered performance from Stevie Ray’s early days, featuring “Testify,” “Texas Flood,” “Wham!,” “Pride and Joy,” and his fiery interpretation of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return).”

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Live at the El Mocambo airs Saturday, November 29 at 10:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Filmed at the intimate El Mocambo club in Toronto, Canada, the program showcases the acclaimed rock and blues musician’s raw performance and his virtuoso guitar playing. Repeats December 5 at 9 p.m. ad December 6 at 4:30 p.m.

Deconstructing the Beatles • WXXI-TV

Acclaimed “Beatle-ologist” Scott Freiman guides you, step by step, on an educational journey through several of The Beatles’ milestone albums and the fascinating stories that accompanied them.

Deconstructing the Beatles airs Tuesday, December 2 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI and PBS apps.

No matter how much you know about the Beatles, there’s something new here for you. Episodes include “The Beatles Come to America,” “Deconstructing Rubber Soul,” and “A Trip Through Strawberry Fields.”

Repeats Sunday, December 7 at 10:30 p.m.