Lesson 2: Listening to Podcasts

Overview: Students will listen to a few examples of podcasts and radio stories, gaining first-hand knowledge of the different formats of popular podcasts.

Students will be able to:

• Critically analyze the content and format of podcasts
• Understand that podcasts vary greatly
• Acknowledge that there is not one “right way” to tell a story
• Practice active listening and perspective-taking

 

Targeted PTD Behaviors:

• Community Building
• Collaboration

Activities:

• Podcasts Walkabout (40 minutes)
• Class Discussion (20 minutes)

What you need:

• Computers, tablets or another listening device for students to use

What students need:

• A pencil and paper

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Part 1: Podcast Walkabout

Divide students into small groups (3-5 students per group, depending on class size). Assign each group one podcast to listen to, and send them out on a “walkabout” (e.g., walk around the halls and/or to a corner of the classroom) while listening to the episode as a group.

NOTE: We encourage educators to select a podcast or specific episode that they believe best meshes with their particular set of students. However, a few of our recommendations include:

• Modern Love “R We D8ting? | With Krysten Ritter”

• The Daily “The Right to Bear Arms”

• Still Processing “Take a Knee if You Agree”

• Kind World: A Different Window

• Hidden Brain: How Labels Can Affect People’s Personalities and Potential

 

Part 2: Class Discussion

After each group has finished listening to their respective episode, bring all students back together for a conversation about what they may have liked or disliked about the podcast that they just heard.

Before wrapping up, have students consider:

1. What types of sounds do podcasts include?
   • Students should understand that podcasts vary greatly — but most include a host and can include sounds from interviews, audio from events, audio from movies or TV, and sounds from the world around them.
2. What are some of the ways that podcasts can be structured or broken-up using music?
   • Students should walk away from this discussion understanding that there isn’t one right way to tell a story. Some podcasts use narration from a host or a reporter, others feature a conversation between a group, others might be a one-on-one interview between two people. The structure of a podcast fits its content.

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