TV Smarts

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

* Today--”The Day Lincoln Was Shot” (TNN 8-10 p.m.) New movie about John Wilkes Booth’s plot to kill President Lincoln sticks close to the historical facts as outlined in the well-regarded Jim Bishop book of the same title. Lane Henricksen and Rob Morrow star. Available on video.

* Friday--”Teen Spirit” (CNN 7-8 p.m.) This episode of the “CNN NewsStand” documentary series produced with Time magazine profiles author Amelia Atwater-Rhoades, a 14-year-old from Concord, Mass., who has written best-selling books (including “The Forests of the Night”) about mythical characters. Also, “Inside the Presidency: Press Wars” (HIST 7-8 p.m., repeats 11 p.m.-midnight) Documentary about media coverage of presidential campaigns shows the role White House staffers and candidates’ advisors play in shielding their employers from the press. Roger Mudd hosts.

* Saturday--”Making It Happen: African American Masters of Invention” (KNBC 3-4 p.m.) Documentary surveys African Americans in engineering, health care, manufacturing and agriculture. Also, “Jack of All Trades” (KCOP 3:30-4 p.m.) This episode of a recently premiered live-action historical fiction adventure series presents a fanciful account of how the U.S. acquired the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon in 1803.

* Sunday--”CBS Sunday Morning: Hayden Planetarium” (KCBS 9-10:30 a.m.) This news-documentary magazine features an astronomy report from the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Also, “Revolutionary Journey” (CNN 7-8 p.m.) This documentary covers CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour’s return to Iran after 21 years to discover what the Islamic Revolution of 1979 has done to her childhood homeland and her extended family’s way of life. Also, “Freedom Song” (TNT 7-9 p.m.) Movie based on events in Mississippi during the civil rights struggle, when students helped register African Americans to vote. Danny Glover stars. For historical background, visit https://www.turnerlearning.com/tntlearning/freedomsong.

* Monday--”John Brown’s Holy War” (KCET 9-10:30 p.m.) Documentary in the “American Experience” series chronicles John Brown’s efforts to help slaves escape the South via the Underground Railroad and also to liberate them by organizing an armed uprising intended to ban slavery in the U.S. His death in 1859, while fighting U.S. troops commanded by Robert E. Lee, partially provoked the outbreak of the Civil War 17 months later. For educational materials, visit https://www.pbs.org/amex/brown.

* Tuesday--”Bridges” (HIST 7-8 p.m.) Documentary about construction methods used in building the aqueducts and arches of ancient Rome, London Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the new Japanese Akashi Kaiko, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Also, watch the construction of a wood and bamboo bridge using 12th century methods, “China Bridge” (KCET 9-10 p.m.) and visit https://www.pbs.org/nova/lostempires.

* Wednesday--”Women at War” (HIST 3-4 p.m.) Documentary on the women who served on both sides during the U.S. Civil War, including Rose Greenhow, the Confederate spy, and Clara Barton, who pioneered modern nursing practices for the Union Army and later founded the American Red Cross.

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Compiled by Richard Kahlenberg in collaboration with Crystal J. Gips, dean of the School of Education, College of St. Rose, Albany, N.Y. Columns available at https://www.latimes.com/tvsmarts.