The Learning Channel, which already airs an issues show for teachers and plans to unveil a preschool programming block next month, has announced a new curriculum-based program for elementary schools.
“TLC Elementary School’’ will make its debut on Jan. 5 on the cable channel, airing commercial-free from 4 A.M. to 5 A.M. on Tuesdays for taping by teachers.
The program is designed to aid kindergarten through 4th-grade teachers with five- to 15-minute video segments that can be incorporated into classroom activities.
The segments cover language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics and, officials said, might include features about how things work or stories of classic tales of literature.
The new service will complement the daily offerings of “Assignment Discovery,’' from the Learning Channel’s sister network, the Discovery Channel. That service provides middle school and high school teachers with two 15-minute documentaries in different subject areas at 9 A.M. Eastern time each weekday.
The National Teacher Training Institute for Science, Television, and Technology will expand to 10 new training sites this year.
The institute is a partnership of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public station WNET-TV in New York, and Texaco Inc.
The institute, which conducted training at 10 other sites last year, trains classroom teachers in better methods for teaching science with instructional television and videos.
The new training sites are in Phoenix; Atlanta; Carbondale, Ill.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Fargo, N.D.; Portland, Ore.; Nashville; Austin, Tex.; and Salt Lake City.
The new Scholastic Aptitude Test and the pre-S.A.T. will be explained by their sponsor, the College Board, in a one-hour interactive show on the cable channel Mind Extension University.
“Testing in the 90’s: P.S.A.T/N.M.S.Q.T. and S.A.T.’' will air at 5 P.M. Eastern time on Nov. 9 on ME/U. The show will focus on samples of verbal and mathematics questions from the new tests, which will be administered for the first time next October.
Several College Board officials will take phone calls from viewers during the show.
The new season of National Geographic specials begins on Nov. 18 with “Mysteries Underground,’' an exploration of caves. It airs at 8 P.M. Eastern time on the Public Broadcasting Service.
Other specials this year are “Lost Kingdoms of the Maya’’ (Jan. 20), “Keepers of the Wild’’ (Feb. 17), and “Survivors of the Skeleton Coast’’ (April 14).--M.W.
