Resources From KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media gives you trusted, classroom-ready, resources you can use to engage students (log in or create a free KLRN Connect account):

Divergent Evolution (Grades 1-4)
Gain insight into the animal reproduction process known as divergent evolution, in which two related species become more and more dissimilar, with specialized features and characteristics.

How Evolution Works (Grades 6-8) 
In this lesson, students learn about natural selection, the mechanism that drives evolution. They begin by viewing short videos about the evolution of physical and behavioral adaptations in various organisms.

How New Species Evolve (Grades 9-12)
In this two-part lesson, students learn about both allopatric and sympatric speciation. First, students study allopatric speciation by visiting the Web feature Allopatric Speciation. In the second part of the lesson, students learn about sympatric speciation by studying hummingbirds and lacewing flies.

News from KLRN Education



Some rights reserved by Sean MacEntee

The Gift of Education without Limits
Sandi Wolff
Vice President of Education


My parents set educational expectations for me early. For as long as I can remember, I knew after high school I would go to a four-year college and graduate, period. They showed me how to apply for college, took me to visit some, and made sure I knew the importance of good grades and SAT scores. There was little talk of how to pay for school, but I had worked from the moment I turned 16 and my parents told me I could work my way through college.

I walked into St. Mary’s University on my first day of college wanting to be a High School art teacher. I had adored mine (and grew up watching Bob Ross on PBS) and thought it would be great to paint all day! Then, halfway through college I started working as an advertising director’s assistant and embraced computers, desktop publishing, and technology. My focus quickly changed to marketing and both my parents (who were educators themselves) encouraged me to earn a business degree. They told me I could always get a teaching degree and certification later, if I still wanted to.

I soon discovered I was good at school. After starting a family, I quickly earned a Master’s in Education and then immediately moved on to a Ph.D. in Education, concentrating in organizational leadership. I earned my Texas Teaching Certification and worked as a high school technology teacher and administrator before coming to KLRN. How did I do this financially? Well, I worked while I was in school and leveraged financial aid. I applied for scholarships and grants with my undergrad while still working about 30 hours a week. With my Master’s, I worked for a school that paid 80% of my degree. When I started the PhD program, I didn’t have any school loans, which is unusual but definitely possible.

Looking back, I think the best gift my parents gave me was the plan – even if it wasn’t mine at the beginning. The simple expectation – go to college - was clear and simple. As a young adult, I needed someone to tell me what to do. I gradually became to forge my own path and develop my education into what was right for me.

Earlier this year, I attended a San Antonio Area Foundation luncheon that featured Geoffrey Canada as the keynote speaker. Canada is a dynamic and humorous speaker, and the developer of the Promise Neighborhoods and helped cities all over the United States educate kids from “cradle through college.” He speaks of having the same expectations for all children that we would have for our own. He laughingly tells people to “think like a rich person,” when it comes to our children’s education. This statement allows us to reach without concern of economic status, which I believe is supremely important. Our place in society does not dictate who we are or what we can become.

What do you want for your kids? I think most parents want them to be happy, healthy, and educated. Education allows our kids to have choices. Can everyone afford to go to college? I believe so – we are fortunate to live in a society where we not only have options for places to receive a higher education, we also have ways that help us finance it. Some of my favorite people work in the financial aid office of the universities I have attended. Financial aid can be a college student’s best friend. Get to know the people who work in the financial aid office! They know so much and can help you focus on funding that works for you whether it is grants, scholarships, work study, or loans. Meet them prior to applying to college. Financial aid is truly there to help, independent of your personal situation.

Now it’s my turn. My daughter is now a sophomore in high school and my husband and I are planning for her future. We started telling her in middle school that we expected her to go to college. We also told her that her job was to work hard in school – academically and holistically. Our goal is that she has choices for college, without limits of location or economics, like me. We often tell her, “Wherever you get in, we’ll figure out how to get you there.” We set the expectations, show her the plan, get her involved, and help her make it happen. Isn’t that the plan for all successful ventures? If so, then we need to apply it to our kids and their education.

Resources from KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media Resources to use:

Elwood City Map! (PreK-2)
Learn where your favorite "Arthur" characters live and play by exploring this interactive map of Arthur's hometown. Click on character faces and stars to read more about each location.

Brainstorming Ideas (Grades K-5) 
Generate ideas for an original story about Arthur and complete a chart that outlines the setting, characters, problems and solutions that you will use in your story.

Get Up Close and Personal (Grades 6-12)
Examine how writing developed by studying the shapes used in ancient scripts and consider how writing can be incorporated with the visual arts. Create a sketchbook or journal of daily life using rubbings and make a layered collage.

News from KLRN Education

KLRN: A "Gold Gem" In Our Community
Elisa Resendiz
Former KLRN Manager of Community Engagement

Do you recall what you were doing in September 1962? Or were you even born? This is when your local PBS television station signed on as KLRN. This year KLRN continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary along with the accomplishments and services they have been providing the San Antonio community throughout the years. KLRN’s mission is to “use the power of telecommunications to provide quality programs and services which advance education, culture and community, to enrich the lives of people throughout South Central Texas.” This mission statement is what has guided the station and education department as we serve our community and surrounding areas, all the way to Laredo, Texas.

Twenty years ago when I stepped foot in KLRN, the station was housed at the Institute of Texan Cultures building on the second floor. Back then the education department was a staff of one person. As the years passed by the department grew to two staff members and then three and now the team consists of 10 and is housed in our current building located on Broadway. The education team is comprised of either past educators or individuals who have a passion working with families and children. KLRN provides workshops for parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles, cousins, childcare teachers, school teachers, administrators or anyone that has an interest in helping a child become successful in their formal school careers. The workshops inform the families on the importance of being the child’s first teacher and their home being their first classrooms. KLRN empowers families with early childhood knowledge, learning activities, and materials for them to start working with the child at home. KLRN also provides workshops for teachers and administrators on how they can utilize PBS programming in their classrooms and lesson plans.

For the past 50 years KLRN has provided our community with educational programming and grassroots services. KLRN is considered a “gold gem” in our community to some people and this slogan is well fitting as the symbol for a 50th anniversary is gold. KLRN has touched past generations, present generations, and will reach future generations as well as continue to serve our community and surrounding areas for another 50 years.

Resources from KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media clips to use:

Dinosaurs Have Feathers! (Grade PreK-1)
This clip highlights a few different types of dinosaurs that had feathers and shows that each of their feathers were different!

How a Dinosaur Became a Fossil (Grades 3-8)
In this interactive resource adapted from the University of California, Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology, see an animation about how organisms, such as dinosaurs, become part of the fossil record.

Dinosaurs Were Not Special, Just Lucky (Grades 7-12+)
Columbia University paleontologist Steve Brusatte thinks dinosaurs might have been 'just lucky' to have ruled Earth for so long

The Smithsonian Dinosaur Site (Grades K-12+)
Listen to a teacher explain why he thinks the Smithsonian Web site is a good resource.

News from KLRN Education



Photo Credit: Britt Reints

Parents Are a Child's First Teacher
Valerie Rios
Education Activities Coordinator, KLRN


As summer comes to an end, I look back to the quality time spent with my 10-year-old daughter, Naomi. As we prepared for a new school year, I was excited and looking forward to my daughter continuing her educational journey. But I must say she had quite a few jitters, as she just started 5th grade at a new school. Her jittery feelings of going to a new school meant not only a new campus, but also new teachers, and new friends.

Some of her concerns were, “What if I can’t make friends?” “What if I get lost on campus?” There's been a lot of “What if?” conversations around my house lately. I reassured her that everything would be OK by letting her know she would do great, she has such as sweet personality, and that she would have no problems making friends. We attended a “Meet the Teacher” night. I also took her to walk around the campus the evening prior to the first day so she could get a feel for the school.

I know that as a mother, I want my child to receive the best education she can get, to be around other students her age, and have a teacher who she learns from. I also know that as a parent it is my job to guide and direct her in the right path, sit down with her in the evenings to do homework, and talk about what she learned each day. 

I want my daughter to become a leader and to share her knowledge and wisdom that she obtains during her years in school. I want her to be able to give back to the community.

We continually remind our families at KLRN that we are the first teacher in our child’s life. We should remember that we, the parents, are the role models and setting examples are more important than just words. I like to encourage our families that attend our workshops and to read to their children every day, spend time with them, and that learning time is anytime.

Resources from KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media clips to use:

Ice Cream (Grade K-5)
In this video, watch as children experiment with a recipe that makes homemade ice-cream

3D-Cube (Grade 2-6)
Interactive game that helps students name concrete objects and pictures of three-dimensional solids (cones, spheres and cubes)

Mission US: For the Crown and Colony (Grade 6-8)
This interactive adventure games put players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a 14-year-old printers apprentice in 1770 Boston.

Documenting Glacial Change (Grade 3-12)
This collection of comparative glacier images adapted from the National Snow and Ice Data Center shows substantial changes in five Alaskan glacier positions over periods of 60 to 100 years.