Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides is a truly beautiful, Finnish-German 2001 documentary about artist Goldsworthy, a Scotsman whose medium is nature itself and whose preferred studio is the outdoors, particularly where water forever flows, rises, and/or retreats. The soft-spoken, secluded Goldsworthy is seen hard at work making ephemeral sculptures out of bits of ice in the trees, or building tall, mysterious cones from loose rock, which stand like spiritual sentinels in forests and on shorelines, overgrown by plants or swallowed daily by high tides. Filmmaker-cinematographer Thomas Reidelsheimer goes to great and sometimes inexplicable lengths to make visual corollaries to Goldsworthy's ideas about underappreciated relationships between light, color, movement, balance, and fluidity of form in the real world, making Rivers and Tides a lively and always surprising cinematic gallery. Some of Goldsworthy's most miraculous natural installations—stone walls that snake through hundreds of feet of forest and stream, for instance—show up in the last half-hour. —Tom Keogh

GLOBAL ISSUES FOR STUDENTS provides an in-depth analysis of current world problems. Special features include: Spanish language track, discussion questions and activities, chapter select, and closed-captioning.

The Middle Ages is commonly referred to as the period between the fall of the Roman Empire in Western Europe and the Renaissance, and in this lively program, students will delve into a comprehensive overview of the people, places and events that defined this period. From Charlemagne through the legendary Crusades and the horrific Black Death, students will garner a feel for the era — focusing on the three distinct eras of medieval time. Grades 4-8.

Grades 4-8. There was a time when some bacon fat and flour were thought to heal a bad bruise, and internal bleeding was remedied by wearing a dried toad around ones neck. In The Doctor, students will get the lowdown on the life of a doctor practicing during the Middle Ages. Focusing on the different beliefs and practices carried out by members of this important profession, this lively program investigates the role religion and social status played in curing everyday maladies, while delving into the horrors of the infamous Black Death.

Grades 4-8. With their code of chivalry and the legendary adventures of King Arthur, much has been romanticized about the lives of knights. But what were they really like? Were all of their exploits necessarily for the greater good? In The Knight, students will get the lowdown on the lives of these armor-clad warriors of the Middle Ages, focusing on the role they played in the society of the time. Explore the ever-changing protection and weaponry employed by the knights, the reasons behind their participation in tournaments and the storied history of the Crusades.

Grades 4-8. Buying and selling goods to the general masses may not seem very exciting, but being a merchant in the Middle Ages ensured one a life filled with adventure. In The Merchant, students will explore the lives of these well-traveled entrepreneurs, whose trade in life generated the need for building medieval towns. Get a firsthand account of what it was like to be the wife of a merchant, and follow the path young boys pursued to learn a craft. Explore the role of the guilds and learn why the cathedrals of the period are lasting reminders of the wealth and dedication of these traveling craftsmen

They were religious men who often lived sequestered from society in self-contained monasteries. In The Monk, students will learn about monastic life in the Middle Ages, exploring the simple lives led by monks, often devoid of many luxuries of the period. Get a firsthand look at the monasteries, structures that often provided more safety than life in the surrounding areas plagued by war, violence and hunger. Discover how these monks spent their time within the monastery walls, how one became a monk, and the role they played in the Crusades.