Meet the Lab is a collection of educational resources made for middle school science classrooms. The collection connects learners to relevant real-world issues, cutting-edge research, and the human element: people working together to research, innovate, and solve problems using science. ​​Visit the Educator Resources page at https://pbswisconsineducation.org/meetthelab/educator-resources/ for a guide to each lab, with standards supported, guiding questions, and more.

This courageous justice seeker’s path would take her from Milwaukee to Germany, where belief in equal rights would lead her to join the resistance working against Hitler and the Nazis.

Resources available for exploring this story include:
- A short animated video with captions and transcripts in English and Spanish
- A short biography book accessible as a slide deck, with per-page audio for listening along, and maps of key locations in the story
- Questions that can be used for conversation, reflection, and connection with the story
- A historical image gallery full of primary and secondary sources to explore
- A guide for activating the media with learners that includes story stats, extension activity ideas, and standards supported

This story is part of Wisconsin Biographies, a collection of educational media resources for grades 3-6. Explore the full collection at pbswisconsineducation.org/biographies.

When this problem-solver learned that a landfill in her Sauk County community was closing much earlier than it should, she got to work. Her activism and effort ended up making big changes in the world of plastics recycling.

Resources available for exploring this story include:
- A short animated video with captions and transcripts in English and Spanish
- A short biography book accessible as a slide deck, with per-page audio for listening along, and maps of key locations in the story
- Questions that can be used for conversation, reflection, and connection with the story
- A historical image gallery full of primary and secondary sources to explore
- A guide for activating the media with learners that includes story stats, extension activity ideas, and standards supported

This story is part of Wisconsin Biographies, a collection of educational media resources for grades 3-6. Explore the full collection at pbswisconsineducation.org/biographies/about.

Meet the Nervous System Engineers—a team of scientists at the Ashton Group who make nervous system tissue to find treatments for nervous system diseases and injuries.

Resources available for learning about this lab include:
• Interactive cards designed to introduce students to scientists in a more personal way
• A video with a personal story that explains why the lab's research matters in real life
• Questions to consider that will spark connection, reflection, and conversation
• An interactive video experience where you can ask questions of scientists in the lab and learn about their research
• An inquiry-based activity that focuses on doing science, using some of the same science practices that the lab uses
• An educator guide with information about standards alignment, curriculum connections, and tips for using the media resources

These resources are part of Meet the Lab, a collection of educational resources for middle school science classrooms.

How can a sculpture shape ideas about a well-known leader and the ending of slavery?

After Thomas Ball learned that President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated in 1865, he decided to make a statue in his honor. His work helped form Lincoln’s legacy as ‘The Great Emancipator,’ but a closer look at the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation and responses to the sculpture help shape a more complex story about the freeing of enslaved people.

This episode is part of The Look Back, a series made for learners in grades 4-6 that explores eras from Wisconsin’s history through artifacts. The collection is hosted by historians who model an inquiry process: sharing artifacts, asking questions, visiting archives and museums to learn more, telling the story of their findings as they go, and making connections to our lives today.

How can a bike help us travel through time?

When bikes became available to more people in the late 1800s, they offered a way of getting around for lots of people who couldn’t afford a horse. While cars have grown in popularity over the years, bikes continue to be used for recreation, sport, and travel. What’s more, bicycle production has put Wisconsin on the map.

This episode is part of The Look Back, a series made for learners in grades 4-6 that explores eras from Wisconsin’s history through artifacts. The collection is hosted by historians who model an inquiry process: sharing artifacts, asking questions, visiting archives and museums to learn more, telling the story of their findings as they go, and making connections to our lives today.

Resources in several subject areas with an emphasis on play, child development, belonging and inclusion, and social and emotional learning for ages 2-5. Educators and caregivers can search subject areas including English language arts, math, science, social studies, and social and emotional learning.

Resources with an emphasis on play, child development, belonging and inclusion, and social and emotional learning, grades K-3. 

The PBS Wisconsin Education team creates and curates great educational resources, while connecting with Wisconsin’s most valuable resource – teachers. Our network of resource developers, teaching and learning advisers includes partners like PBS, but more importantly, it includes innovative educators and organizations throughout Wisconsin – a network that grows stronger with every project and idea.

Explore our high-quality, cost-free PK-12 resources at pbswisconsineducation.org.

A collection of educational media resources that features the stories of people who have shaped Wisconsin's history. Stories span a range of eras, areas of impact, and identities of individuals featured. Themes in the collection focus on community builders, innovators of industry, justice seekers, land protectors and leaders in government.

With each story you'll find:
- A short animated video (3-8 minutes)
- Questions to spark reflection, connection, and conversation
- A short digital biography book (accessible as a Google slide deck) with per-page audio, glossary terms, images, and maps
- A historical image gallery
- An educator guide with extension activity ideas and standards supported

How can the recording of events each season and each year in nature make us “see” the earth and climate change?
We write things down to remember and share them with others. Having learned from her father, Nina Leopold Bradley reflects on the importance of writing down and keeping records of the observations of sights and sounds that come with arrivals and changes each season. Learn how participating in phenology can change the way you see the world around you and reveal the effects of a changing climate.

This story is part of Climate Wisconsin, a collection of educational media resources for middle and high school classrooms from PBS Wisconsin Education.

Facilitating conversations among students is something teachers do all the time. But what happens when discussions become personal? When we begin to talk about politics, it’s easy for emotions to enter and often derail a conversation.

Discover what two Wisconsin educators have to share about the methods they use to navigate politically-charged conversations inside his classroom in a short video and companion essay in the post on the aka Teacher blog.

Hosted by PBS Wisconsin Education, and created with and for Wisconsin educators, the aka Teacher blog offers a space for exploring the many hats educators today wear, and the topics that aren’t covered in teacher preparation programs.
Blog posts include videos featuring educators around the state, and resources you can share with learners and use to continue your own learning.

Contemporary powwows bring together Native Americans from many different Nations, providing opportunities to gather and celebrate. Learn how Dylan Jennings, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, dances the Men’s Traditional dance, which for him, mimics hunting movements.

This resource is part of The Ways, a collection of educational media resources for middle and high school classrooms from PBS Wisconsin Education.

Explore the full collection: https://pbswisconsineducation.org/theways/about/

In “Prayers in a Song” Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Tall Paul (Paul Wenell Jr.) raps about his struggle to learn his indigenous language, Anishinaabemowin. Learn about his journey toward a deeper understanding of his Native identity.

This resource is part of The Ways, a collection of educational media resources for middle and high school classrooms from PBS Wisconsin Education.

Explore the full collection: https://pbswisconsineducation.org/theways/about/

Richard Hildner Armacanqui and Juan Tomás Martínez are two musicians based in Madison, Wisconsin who weave together their experiences, travels, and cultures to make their eclectic music.

This resource is part of Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin; a collection of educational media resources from PBS Wisconsin Education and Wisconsin School Music Association. These resources can be used to explore connections between music, identities, cultures, and emotions. The collection includes video interviews with Wisconsin musicians, performances, audio files, and educator guides designed to help activate the media with learners in grades 4-8.

How do bunk beds hold the history of agricultural production in Wisconsin?

After World War II, agricultural production in Wisconsin was growing, and farms needed more workers. Large companies brought in workers from southern states to harvest fruits and vegetables, which spurred the creation of migrant worker camps. Harsh working conditions and poor accommodations led workers to organize and demand better from their employers.

This episode is part of The Look Back, a series made for learners in grades 4-6 that explores eras from Wisconsin’s history through artifacts. The collection is hosted by historians who model an inquiry process: sharing artifacts, asking questions, visiting archives and museums to learn more, telling the story of their findings as they go, and making connections to our lives today.

This Latino activist’s big heart made him a natural community builder and justice seeker for Latinos in Milwaukee.

Resources available for exploring this story include:
- A short animated video, with versions in English and Spanish and captions and a transcript available for each version
- A short biography book accessible as a slide deck, with per-page audio for listening along, and maps of key locations in the story, also available in English and Spanish
- Questions that can be used for conversation, reflection, and connection with the story
- A historical image gallery full of primary and secondary sources to explore
- A guide for activating the media with learners that includes story stats, extension activity ideas, and standards supported

This story is part of Wisconsin Biographies, a collection of educational media resources for grades 3-6. Explore the full collection at pbswisconsineducation.org/biographies.

When we talk about teaching, oftentimes the focus is on what students need to learn, or how they learn it, but another important component that can support positive learning outcomes is where students learn.

Discover what Wisconsin sixth grade teacher, Jacalyn Mueller about how she designed the physical space of her classroom to create a learning environment that became conducive to her students’ content learning and mental health in a short video and companion essay in the post on the aka Teacher blog.

Hosted by PBS Wisconsin Education, and created with and for Wisconsin educators, the aka Teacher blog offers a space for exploring the many hats educators today wear, and the topics that aren’t covered in teacher preparation programs.
Blog posts include videos featuring educators around the state, and resources you can share with learners and use to continue your own learning.

Chauntee Ross and Monique Ross are two sisters from Milwaukee who make music together as SistaStrings. They combine their classical training with gospel and other influences to tell stories of their lives today through music. They connect their own experiences to their ancestors and to the next generation—their young performance students.

This resource is part of Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin; a collection of educational media resources from PBS Wisconsin Education and Wisconsin School Music Association. These resources can be used to explore connections between music, identities, cultures, and emotions. The collection includes video interviews with Wisconsin musicians, performances, audio files, and educator guides designed to help activate the media with learners in grades 4-8.