TV Smarts

Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included in the public school curriculum and on standardized examinations. Here are some viewing tips:

* Today--”Flea-bitten Bargain” (KCET 3-3:30 p.m.) Live-action “Wishbone” series introduces children to classic literature. Wishbone, a terrier, experiences the downside of instant gratification in an episode based on Goethe’s “Faust.” Also, “Mary Jane Colter: House Made of Dawn” (KCET 10-11:30 p.m.) Documentary on the life and work of Colter, who, almost 100 years ago, began developing a distinctive Western style of architecture now ranked with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

* Friday--”Call of the Wild” (AMC 7:30-9 p.m.) Movie based on Jack London’s partly autobiographical novel about men and women caught up in the gold rush on the Yukon-Alaska border at the end of the last century. Clark Gable and Loretta Young star.

* Saturday--”Teen Summit: Why Is Infidelity Important?” (BET 3-4 p.m.) Rebroadcast of an award-winning special for younger viewers that elicited a flood of e-mail from parents and children. Guest host is Ebony Smith. Log on to www.msbet.com/channel/teen.

* Sunday--”Science & Technology Week” (CNN 1:30-2 p.m.) This science news report looks at the robotic technology being used to remove asbestos from a building on 34 acres at the Pentagon. Also, “Secrets of the Great Wall” (TLC 10-11 p.m.) Documentary explains how Chinese engineers built a 4,000-mile-long wall across deserts and mountains, as well as a signaling network along its length, beginning in 220 B.C.

* Monday--”Life by the Numbers: Seeing Is Believing” (KCET 2-2:30 p.m.) Initial program in a documentary miniseries describes how mathematical calculations are used by artists, movie makers and computer virtual-reality designers. The series continues Tuesday at 2 p.m. with “The Numbers Game,” on the role of mathematics in sports, and Wednesday at 2 p.m. with “Patterns of Nature,” about how biologists use mathematics.

* Tuesday--”Juarez” (TCM 11:15 p.m.-midnight.) Movie based on the life of Mexican President Benito Juarez, who confronted a French invasion of his country while Abraham Lincoln faced a Confederate secession in the United States. Mexico’s victory over the French is celebrated by the holiday known in this country as Cinco de Mayo (May 5).

* Wednesday--”Signs From God: Science Tests Faith” (KTTV 8-10 p.m.) Scientists, theologians and forensic pathologists examine incidents related to the rising belief in faith healing, spiritualism and reincarnation.

Compiled by Richard Kahlenberg in consultation with Crystal J. Gips, dean of the School of Education at the College of St. Rose, Albany, New York. Columns available at www.latimes.com/tvsmarts.