Hi friends and fellows, Have you been watching any of "New York: A Documentary Film", the Ric Burns history of Gotham now being broadcast on PBS? If so, you might have seen our very own GRETCHEN SORIN (99 institute facilitator extraordinaire) in her national television debut! Gretchen talks about the ways ethnic stereotypes were spread in popular cultural imagery - the very thing she illuminated for us at the Institute. She's terrific, of course. I also wanted to tell you about a rich set of teaching and learning resources connected to the series: A website called "Learning Adventures in Citizenship." http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/index.html The site is ideal for middle-school kids, and for supporting 'active' social studies learning. It provides visual essays and primary documents relating to themes from the series, and most important, well-designed student activities that get kids investigating the history of their own town in small, do-able ways. It also has lots of contest-like opportunities for kids to submit their own work (poems, pictures, drawings, local research) to a visible archive of student products. A disclaimer: I was on the Advisory Board for the project. But that's all the more reason I'd value your critique of it. If you check out the site, let us know what you think. Cheers, Bill Tally