PBS Learning Media Resource
Baba Babee Skazala has been airing on PBS for the past few years and is also available to STREAM ON PBS. Until May 2025, it was accompanied by a Learning Media Resource that was freely available online for use by students, educators and the public to learn about Ukrainian history during World War II. Our team diligently worked with the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), one of the nation's leading service organizations strengthening and amplifying public media's education mission, to develop the video clips and curriculum that comprise this resource. Unfortunately, while we are awaiting the renewal of PBS access to this resource, recent budget cuts to public broadcasting have delayed focus on our request to extend licensing. (To be clear, we are not paid for this license - we pay NETA which provides the resource to PBS.) While we cannot hope to have the reach of PBS, we do want this resource to be available which is why we are sharing it on our website. We hope you find it educational and share it with your network.
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE
Experience first-hand accounts of Ukrainian oral history through video clips from the documentary film, Baba Babee Skazala: Grandmother Told Grandmother, of children who, along with their families, were forced to abandon the lives they knew to become refugees in order to ensure their safety.
Learn about the little-known story of Ukrainian children torn from their homes in the crush between the Nazi and Soviet fronts in World War II. Refugees describe fleeing their home as the Soviet army approached and living in Displaced Persons Camps in Germany before being permitted to immigrate to America after the end of the war.
Discover the historical context surrounding war-torn Ukraine and review World War II's impact upon the people, culture, landscape, and political boundaries of Ukraine.
Media Gallery: Grades 9 - 12
CAUTIONS: Emotional Content; Firearms; Violence
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More About This Resource
The documentary Baba Babee Skazala: Grandmother Told Grandmother tells the experiences of Ukrainian children, now senior citizens, which are not well known outside the Ukrainian diaspora; Baba Babee Skazala seeks to change that. This documentary is the culmination of over 30 oral history interviews uncovering the experiences of these survivors, some of whom have passed away since the making of this film. Baba Babee Skazala includes previously unseen archival materials from the National Film Archives in Ukraine as well as material from the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute collection. Rutgers University professor Dr. Alexander Motyl, a renowned expert in this field, provides historic background for the film.
Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
Applicable National Educational Standards
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Grades 9-12
IV.B.2.4
To achieve this standard, students should be able to describe the various means used to attain the ends of United States foreign policy, such as diplomacy; economic, military and humanitarian aid; treaties; sanctions; military intervention; covert action.
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Grades 9-12
D2.His.2.9-12
Individually and with others, students: Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
Media Credits:
Speakers: Daria Chaikovsky, Maria Figlus, Areta Kolodiy, Bohdan Lechman, Prof. Alexander Motyl, Nestor Shust, Orysia Swystun
Editor: April Merl
© 2018 Kitsune Tale Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved
Support Material Credits
© 2022 National Educational Telecommunications Association
PRODUCTION TEAM | Baba Babee Skazala: Grandmother Told Grandmother
MATEJ SILECKY | Director
JULIE PARKER | Producer
WILL LEHMAN | Editor
KAREN EVERETT | Story Editor
ANDRIY KORVACH | Animation
EVAN YEE | Cinematography
IVAN NEBESNYY | Music Supervisor, Score & Sound Design
CURRICULUM TEAM
NOLLE BOND | Curriculum Writer
JULIE PARKER | Producer
RACHEL MORRISON PARSONS | Project Director
PROJECT FUNDED BY:
