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 Great Caruso” (TCM 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.) This biographical movie acquaints viewers with an artist whose very name is synonymous with “tenor” and introduces them to the idea of opera. Mario Lanza stars as Enrico Caruso (1872-1921). Also, “Smallpox” (CNN 7-8 p.m.) Science documentary on the adaptive virus that claimed half a billion lives in the 20th century, despite vaccination campaigns, and now poses a threat as a weapon of biological warfare.

* Friday--”Brendan the Navigator” (Bravo 4-5 p.m.) Documentary examines evidence indicating a 6th century Irish sailor was the first European to reach America, beating the Vikings by 500 years and Columbus by a millennium. Also, “Celebrating the Green: The History of St. Patrick’s Day” (HIST 9-10 p.m.) Documentary compares the annual celebrations by Irish immigrants over 200 years with contemporary observances in Ireland.

* Saturday--”Book TV: Dancing in the Streets--Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit” (C-SPAN2 8-9 p.m.) Interview program is devoted to historian Suzanne Smith’s recent book for Harvard University Press about racial and business developments in Detroit in the 1950s and ‘60s. Also, “Tiger Shark” (CNBC 8-9 p.m.) This National Geographic Explorer documentary tracks the habits of an animal that plays an important role in maintaining the balance of the marine ecosystem.

* Sunday--”Kids Pick the Issues” (NICK 8-9 p.m.) In this Nick News Special, reporter Linda Ellerbee asks kids what issues are important to them in the presidential campaign. For additional resources, log on to https://www.allpolitics.com, a service of CNN.

* Monday--”Playing to Extreme” (A&E; 6-7 p.m., repeats 10-11 p.m.) Documentary on youth sports describes the pressures on kids from parents and coaches to excel in athletics from as young as elementary school age. Bill Kurtis reports. Also, “The Dark Horizon--India, Pakistan and the Bomb” (KABC 10-11 p.m.) Airing on the occasion of President Clinton’s visit to India, this documentary surveys 50 years of conflict that could yet lead to nuclear war between India and its neighbor Pakistan.

* Tuesday--”The Original Private Eyes: The Pinkertons” (DISC 8-9 p.m.) Documentary about Alan Pinkerton, who founded the U.S. Secret Service and a private company that has provided security services to U.S. industry since 1850. His operatives conducted espionage against the South, broke labor union strikes in the East and caught train robbers in the West. Also, “The Race to the Poles” (TLC 9-11 p.m.) This geography documentary describes 20th century competitions by Peary and Cook (U.S.), Amundsen (Norway) and Scott (U.K.) to reach frozen sites at “the ends of the earth.”

* Wednesday--”Dateline NBC” (KNBC 8-9 p.m.) Documentary on several current Oscar-nominated movies based on actual events, such as “The Insider,” “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Hurricane,” and the process by which true stories are altered for dramatic purposes.

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