Rating: TV-Y
Audience: Preschool-Elementary School
Episode Length: 30 min
Network: Unfortunately no longer on air…but available on DVD!!!!
You might have heard that earlier in the year PBS brought back the Electric Company to their line-up for educational programming. Well, so far I haven’t had the chance to catch the modernized version of the original show that aired back in 1971. Fortunately, my dad has the DVD of the original Electric Company so I’ve been watching it instead.
The Electric Company was a show created for young kids with the purpose of helping them learn to read by watching TV. It was a product of the Children’s Television Workshop, which also created Sesame Street, and used many of the same techniques. The Electric Company was a half-hour show featuring seven adults (including Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Judy Graubart) and a few children. Unlike Sesame Street, there were no puppets (although they would use cartoons from time to time). Each episode would usually focus on one letter. They would use multiple segments throughout the show that would find different ways to shows kids how that letter can be used or how it can sound differently when used in different words (like the letter “g” with “gym” and “gum”). They would also use entertaining ways of reinforcing these lessons. One that I really enjoyed was with Bill Cosby and Rita Moreno. Bill was a milkman training Rita on her first day of work. When they got to their first house, there was a note on the door telling them how many bottles to leave, but the “ottle” of bottle was missing leaving only the “b”, so Bill and Rita had to figure out what they had to leave. After trying out “bag” and “box,” Rita finally gave up and just left one bottle of milk.
The original Electric Company is still such a fun show to watch, but it is also still really useful. The different techniques they used could still be effective even for kids today. Obviously, talking is a big part of the show, but even the dialogue is made up of very simple sentences and phrases that are easy to understand. Also, when the characters are reading different sentences, the sentences are also written on the screen, so the audience can follow along. They take their time and sound out every part of the sentence to make sure they know what they’re reading. They also use a lot of music in the show. For example, when they were teaching how to use punctuation in sentences, they used a song to explain what punctuation is; “they are the little mark that use their influence to help a sentence make sense.” Another nice thing I found in the show was how they (maybe intentionally or unintentionally) helped the audience with their listening comprehension. At the beginning of the show, Bill Cosby, under the name Gus, went to a detective to help him figure out the missing letter in a note from his wife, Gert. They eventually figured out that the “g” was missing and that Gus needed to go get gas. Then later, at the end of the show Gus and Gert were used again in another segment about the letter “g.” It helps kids make the connection between the beginning and end of the show, and help them remember all they have learned. Finally, one my most favorite things about this show are the people on it!!!! It is so fun to turn it on and see people that you know, but wouldn’t necessarily expect to see on a children’s show. Now I know, Bill Cosby makes perfect sense, but when I found out the Morgan Freeman was on the show and was called “Easy Reader” I have to admit I kind of lost it!! Everyone on the show has so much energy and just put so much into it that you know they are having fun and believe in what they are doing. Plus, their comedic timing is fantastic. It’s really just a well made show that not only fits it’s time with the clothing and lessons it teaches, but it could also be used today (even if the fashion is a little too dated for some of the younger audience). Believe me, The Electric Company will definitely power you up!!!! J
For more info on The Electric Company visit:
http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/tec/
Audience: Preschool-Elementary School
Episode Length: 30 min
Network: Unfortunately no longer on air…but available on DVD!!!!
You might have heard that earlier in the year PBS brought back the Electric Company to their line-up for educational programming. Well, so far I haven’t had the chance to catch the modernized version of the original show that aired back in 1971. Fortunately, my dad has the DVD of the original Electric Company so I’ve been watching it instead.
The Electric Company was a show created for young kids with the purpose of helping them learn to read by watching TV. It was a product of the Children’s Television Workshop, which also created Sesame Street, and used many of the same techniques. The Electric Company was a half-hour show featuring seven adults (including Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Judy Graubart) and a few children. Unlike Sesame Street, there were no puppets (although they would use cartoons from time to time). Each episode would usually focus on one letter. They would use multiple segments throughout the show that would find different ways to shows kids how that letter can be used or how it can sound differently when used in different words (like the letter “g” with “gym” and “gum”). They would also use entertaining ways of reinforcing these lessons. One that I really enjoyed was with Bill Cosby and Rita Moreno. Bill was a milkman training Rita on her first day of work. When they got to their first house, there was a note on the door telling them how many bottles to leave, but the “ottle” of bottle was missing leaving only the “b”, so Bill and Rita had to figure out what they had to leave. After trying out “bag” and “box,” Rita finally gave up and just left one bottle of milk.
The original Electric Company is still such a fun show to watch, but it is also still really useful. The different techniques they used could still be effective even for kids today. Obviously, talking is a big part of the show, but even the dialogue is made up of very simple sentences and phrases that are easy to understand. Also, when the characters are reading different sentences, the sentences are also written on the screen, so the audience can follow along. They take their time and sound out every part of the sentence to make sure they know what they’re reading. They also use a lot of music in the show. For example, when they were teaching how to use punctuation in sentences, they used a song to explain what punctuation is; “they are the little mark that use their influence to help a sentence make sense.” Another nice thing I found in the show was how they (maybe intentionally or unintentionally) helped the audience with their listening comprehension. At the beginning of the show, Bill Cosby, under the name Gus, went to a detective to help him figure out the missing letter in a note from his wife, Gert. They eventually figured out that the “g” was missing and that Gus needed to go get gas. Then later, at the end of the show Gus and Gert were used again in another segment about the letter “g.” It helps kids make the connection between the beginning and end of the show, and help them remember all they have learned. Finally, one my most favorite things about this show are the people on it!!!! It is so fun to turn it on and see people that you know, but wouldn’t necessarily expect to see on a children’s show. Now I know, Bill Cosby makes perfect sense, but when I found out the Morgan Freeman was on the show and was called “Easy Reader” I have to admit I kind of lost it!! Everyone on the show has so much energy and just put so much into it that you know they are having fun and believe in what they are doing. Plus, their comedic timing is fantastic. It’s really just a well made show that not only fits it’s time with the clothing and lessons it teaches, but it could also be used today (even if the fashion is a little too dated for some of the younger audience). Believe me, The Electric Company will definitely power you up!!!! J
For more info on The Electric Company visit:
http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/tec/
I was a big follower of EC when I was a kid.
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