A Short Story Podcast Series
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Open Educational Use
Interesting Things with JC is made available for anyone to use in the service of education. Teachers, students, parents, homeschool families, librarians, tutors, and lifelong learners are free to download, copy, share, print, adapt, and reuse the episodes and curriculum materials in any way that helps people learn.
If it supports teaching, learning, or helping others understand the world better, it is allowed.
One exception applies: Episode #509, “Harry Chapin and Jim Connors,” is not included under this open educational permission.
Curriculum Availability
Full curriculum support begins with Episode #1235: “Three Turns to Freedom.” Earlier episodes without curriculum may be prioritized by request. Educators may contact JimConnors LLC, and a matching curriculum module will be created and added.
What You Are Free to Do
You may:
Download and store the audio, transcripts, and curriculum
Copy and share materials with students, families, or learning groups
Print, remix, edit, and adapt lessons for your own educational use
Upload content to learning management systems (LMS), class websites, or internal school platforms
Integrate the material into lessons, assignments, tutoring, homeschool programs, libraries, and community education
No permission is required. Credit to Interesting Things with JC is appreciated when possible, but the priority is helping people learn.
What Is Not Allowed
This openness is for education, not commercial use. The content may not be:
Sold, licensed, or packaged as a product or subscription
Rebranded or presented as original third-party work
Used as part of a paid course, monetized program, or commercial platform
Redistributed as a standalone product for profit
Any commercial, branded, or revenue-generating use requires prior written permission from JimConnors LLC. Episode #509 remains excluded from open educational use.
Rights and Intent
All content remains the intellectual property of JimConnors LLC. The intent is simple:
Use it freely to educate, teach, explain, and help people.
Just do not sell it, repackage it for profit, or claim it as your own.
Summary:
Use it.
Download it.
Copy it.
Share it.
Teach with it.
Adapt it for students, kids, classrooms, homeschools, libraries, and lifelong learning.
Click on the curriculum frame, copy the full merged curriculum standards, use them in your own GPT, iterate and improve them, and share back!
Just don’t sell it, rebrand it, or turn it into a product. Episode #509 is excluded. All rights reserved © JimConnors LLC.
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Interesting Things with JC has previously been included in curated podcast programming on Podcast Radio formats in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Podcast Radio was launched as a 24-hour broadcast concept designed to showcase podcasts on digital radio and online streaming platforms.
In the United States, the Podcast Radio US brand continues to maintain an online presence and app availability, and has been associated with radio simulcasts on licensed AM and FM signals in selected markets, though live broadcast availability may vary.
Streaming Access
Podcast Radio US and related branded streams provide online listening through their websites and mobile applications, allowing audiences worldwide to hear selected podcast programming.On-Demand Platforms
Interesting Things with JC is available across major podcast directories, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audacy, Audible, Castbox, Deezer, fyyd, GoodPods, iHeartRadio, JioSaavn, Listen Notes, Pandora, PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podverse, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube.The series is also accessible through podcast apps that index the Apple Podcasts catalog and the open podcast directory ecosystem, including TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Castro, Podcast Index–based apps, Podbean, iVoox, Podtail, Podyssey, Podcloud, Bullhorn, AudioBoom directories, and Breaker (legacy).
Social & Video Platforms
Listeners can also follow and view content on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube. -
Classroom Use
Start class with a short, clear story students can follow from the first sentence. Play an episode of Interesting Things with JC and use the accompanying free curriculum to guide a complete lesson with questions, activities, applied reasoning, and independent analysis.
Every episode from #1235 forward contains a modular micro-lesson engineered for 30 to 90 minute instructional blocks, adaptable to secondary classrooms, international schools, homeschools, tutoring programs, and lifelong learning environments.
At the bottom of each episode page, expandable sections organize all instructional assets in a structured format for educators, parents, and independent learners.
Instructional Architecture of Each Episode
Each episode is designed as a self-contained instructional unit, integrating narrative, academic standards, assessment models, and accessibility requirements into a single deliverable.
Core Instructional Components
Lesson overview with instructional title, grade band, subject classification, and learning objectives
Vocabulary architecture with phonetic spelling, discipline-specific terminology, and plain-language definitions
Primary narrative content constructed through the Precise Storytelling Framework for coherence, sequencing, and conceptual layering
Full verbatim transcript for reading analysis, accessibility, and text-based instruction
Student learning activities including comprehension tasks, analytical writing, synthesis prompts, and evidence-based reasoning exercises
Teacher implementation guide with pacing models, instructional strategies, differentiation guidance, and discussion structures
Assessment instruments including quizzes, performance tasks, formative checks, and rubric-aligned evaluation tools
Standards crosswalks mapping content and skills across U.S., UK, and international academic frameworks
ADA-compliant instructional media with alt text, accessibility tagging, and inclusive design
Primary-source documentation linking directly to verified historical, scientific, legal, and academic references
Homeschool and modular scheduling guidance for flexible implementation
All materials are developed through the Narrative Intelligence System, ensuring factual integrity, instructional coherence, accessibility, and age-appropriate presentation. Lessons are non-ideological and restricted to academic content.
Unified Curriculum Integration Model
Every episode is constructed using a multi-framework integration model, in which:
Narrative structure
Disciplinary content
Cognitive skill development
Assessment design
Accessibility standards
Cross-curricular competencies
are deliberately merged into a single instructional object, rather than appended as afterthoughts. This means each episode simultaneously functions as:
A structured story
A content lesson
A literacy and reasoning exercise
A research and source-evaluation activity
An assessment artifact
A standards-aligned instructional unit
United States Curriculum Architecture (Full Integration)
National Frameworks Embedded
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Scientific practices, data analysis, modeling, systems thinking, evidence evaluation
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – ELA & Mathematics
Close reading, argumentative writing, research synthesis, quantitative reasoning
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework
Disciplinary inquiry, historical sourcing, civic knowledge, geographic reasoning
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
Digital citizenship, computational thinking, information fluency
National Core Arts Standards (NCAS)
Interpretation, critique, interdisciplinary expression, creative analysis
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Career Clusters
Applied technical knowledge, workplace reasoning, real-world problem solving
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
Research literacy, source evaluation, information ethics, academic inquiry
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Cognitive progression from comprehension to analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression for inclusive instruction
Cross-Disciplinary U.S. Competencies Embedded in Every Episode
Academic literacy (reading, writing, argumentation)
Quantitative literacy and data reasoning
Media and information literacy
Digital and computational literacy
Civic knowledge and constitutional literacy (knowledge-based, non-ideological)
Research methodology and evidence verification
Critical thinking, analytical writing, and structured problem solving
Additional U.S. Integration Layers
State-level academic standards where applicable
Financial literacy and employability skills
Social-emotional competencies as academic behaviors (persistence, self-regulation, metacognition)
English language development and world-language vocabulary support
United Kingdom Curriculum Architecture (Full Integration)
National Curriculum Structure
Key Stage 3 (ages 11–14)
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
Key Stage 5 (A-Level / Sixth Form)
Disciplinary domains mapped across episodes:
English language and literature (analysis, argument, rhetorical structure)
Mathematics (numeracy, quantitative interpretation)
Science (evidence, explanation, evaluation)
History and Geography (source criticism, contextual reasoning)
Citizenship (knowledge-based civic education)
Computing and digital literacy
Arts and humanities integration
Examination Frameworks
AQA
OCR
Pearson Edexcel
Assessment alignment includes:
Command terms and performance descriptors
Extended analytical writing
Evidence-based responses
Cross-disciplinary synthesis
International Academic Programmes Integrated
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Primary Years Programme (PYP)
Middle Years Programme (MYP)
Diploma Programme (DP)
Cambridge Assessment International Education
Cambridge IGCSE
Cambridge AS & A Level
Shared instructional architecture:
Inquiry-based learning
Conceptual understanding
Global context framing
Criterion-referenced assessment
Research projects and analytical writing
Cross-Curricular Frameworks Embedded by Design
Oracy across the curriculum
Literacy across disciplines
Numeracy across subjects
Digital and computational literacy
Citizenship and civic knowledge (non-ideological)
Research methodology and information literacy
Interdisciplinary synthesis
Global Academic Equivalency Structures
European Qualifications Framework (EQF) alignment for secondary and pre-university levels
OECD competency domains (literacy, numeracy, analytical reasoning, problem solving)
International standards-referenced assessment models used across secondary education systems
Pedagogical & Assessment Architecture
Knowledge-to-application curriculum sequencing
Evidence-based reasoning and academic writing
Primary-source analysis and citation practices
Formative, summative, and performance-based assessment models
Rubric-aligned evaluation and feedback structures
Universal accessibility and inclusive instructional design
Access, Use, and OER Licensing
All instructional materials are released as Open Educational Resources (OER) and may be used, printed, adapted, or shared for teaching in classrooms, homeschools, tutoring programs, and independent study environments. Materials are provided for educational use under fair use and may not be resold or redistributed commercially.
Episodes from #1235 forward include complete curriculum packages. Older episodes without micro-lessons can be prioritized for conversion. Beginning with Episode #1307, each MP3 page in the RSS feed includes open instructional text for direct access to transcripts and curriculum materials.
Educator and homeschool feedback is actively incorporated to refine instructional clarity, alignment, and usability. Please do not hesitate to reach out - or iterate upon these instructions to improve the framework. Please share open iterations back for continual improvement.
187 - Interesting Things: B E I J I N G
As the Olympic games draw to a close, let's look at some of the more interesting things about the city of Beijing. It is China’s second-most populous city after Shanghai, estimated at 20.4 million people. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. The first city erected on the spot, Jicheng, was founded in 1045 BC and was the capital of the Ji Kingdom.
186 - Interesting Things: 133rd Seabees of WW2
The original Naval Construction Battalion 133 was commissioned at Camp Perry, Williamsburg, Virginia in 1943. They rebuilt the air station, docks and more in Hawaii and then they moved onto Iwo Jima landing with the first waves, suffering the largest casualties of any Seabee unit in history. The invasion of Iwo Jima began on February 19, 1945. Its important to remember, given time change and the international date line, the first waves started landing February 18th, 1945 around 7pm EST. They have yet to receive the Presidential Unit Citation for their bravery on Iwo Jima.
185 - Interesting Things: The Kelpies of Scotland
The Kelpies stand 100ft tall & weigh 300 tonnes each. The works of art have become iconic after being modelled on icons of times gone by, with names from mythological transforming beasts, that possess the strength & endurance of 100 horses.
184: “Whale Heartbeat”
Interesting Things with JC #184: "Blue Whale Heartbeat" - A 2019 study unveiled surprising facts about the heartbeat of the blue whale, Earth's largest animal.
183 - Interesting Things: Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was a 16th century Renaissance-era world famous Polish astronomer, who proposed that the Sun is the center of the solar system and that the planets circle the Sun. Copernicus also noted that Earth turns once daily on its own axis and that very slow long-term changes in the direction of this axis account for the precession of the equinoxes.
182 - Interesting Things: Library of Congress
The Library of Congress in Washington DC is essentially both the national library of the U.S. and the country's oldest federal cultural institution. Though it consists of only three buildings, it is the largest library in the world with more than 170 million items.
The Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division holds 600,000 volumes in the non-Roman script languages of the region. The oldest written material in the Library is a cuneiform tablet dating from 2040 B.C.
179 Interesting Things - China's Child Policy
China officially ended its one-child policy on January 1, 2016, with the signing into law of a bill allowing all married couples to have a second child as it attempted to cope with an ageing population and shrinking workforce.
178 Interesting Things - Mary Was Real...and so was the lamb
Mary Sawyer, an 11-year-old girl in Boston, was followed to school one day in 1817 by her pet lamb, and she remembered her lamb all her life. The hand-reared lamb had little affection for its fellow sheep, preferring horses and cows as companions. But above all, the sheep loved Mary. It's attachment to Mary was similar to that of a lamb to it's own mother.
177 Interesting Things - Annie Moore - First Immigrant Through Ellis Island
On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore, a 17 year old girl from County Cork, Ireland, made headlines as the first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island. She is honored by statues on both sides of the Atlantic at Ellis Island National Monument, New York Harbor and at the Cobh Heritage Centre, County Cork, Ireland.
After you enjoy this podcast, please visit AnnieMoore.net to learn more.
174 Interesting Things - Michelle Lesko - Fastest Time to Eat a Bowl of Pasta
The bowl had to contain 100 grams of pasta (uncooked weight) and at least 50 grams of sauce.
Every noodle entering the mouth had to be delivered via fork. You could use fingers to push noodles onto the fork, but could not lift or otherwise manipulate the bowl to facilitate noodle consumption.
26.69 seconds later, setting a Guinness World Record, Michelle Lesco easily surpassed the old mark of 41 seconds set four years ago by Canadian Pete Czerwinski for pasta eating.
173 Interesting Things - Sri Lanka
Known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, 40 miles off the coast of southeast India in the Indian Ocean within the Bay of Bengal. Sri Lanka is 25,332 mi², just slightly larger than the US state of West Virginia. Scholars actually believe that Sri Lanka and India were once connected by a land bridge thousands of years ago, but it has since been washed into the ocean.
Buddhism is Sri Lanka's major religion, practiced by over 70% of the population. Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity make up the remainder. If you're looking for one of the most diverse, highest concentration of cultural spots within a small area, look no further than Sri Lanka.
172 Interesting Things - 1400 Tonnes of Dynamite, story of the SS Richard Montgomery
The SS Richard Montgomery is an American warship from the second world war that sunk in the river Thames just outside of London. Her cargo contains 1400 tonnes of dynamite and other explosives. If the ship ever explodes, it will take the city with it. On board is an assortment of more than 9,000 US-made explosives (around 1,400 tones). These include 286 giant 2,000lb ‘blockbuster’ bombs, 4,439 1,000lb devices and more than 2,500 cluster bombs. Cluster bombs would have been transported with their fuses in place, leaving them more prone to accidental detonation.
171 Interesting Things - Samuel Clemens pen name Mark Twain
On February 3rd, 1863 Samuel Clemens used the pen name Mark Twain for the first time in a Virginia City newspaper, the "Territorial Enterprise". Before using the pen name Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens had previously used the names “Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass”, “Sieur Louis de Conte”, “John Snook” and just “Josh”.
169 Interesting Things - Year of the Tiger
The Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is always celebrated on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice. In 2022 this falls on February 1st, when we will usher in the Year of the Water Tiger.
In ancient times, the Chinese legend goes, the Jade Emperor held a race among all the animals. The 12 first animals to cross the finish line would get to be honored forever as the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Tigers are known as a symbol of strength and bravery, and people born in the year of the Tiger are said to have these traits as well. 2022 is going to be a good year for Tigers to get married, fall in love, or get promoted!
168 Interesting Things - STS-107 Space Shuttle Columbia
STS-107 was the disastrous 113th flight of the Space Shuttle program, and the 28th and final flight of Space Shuttle Columbia. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 January 2003 and during its 15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes, 32 seconds in orbit.
On February 1st, Columbia began re-entry as planned, but the heat shield was compromised due to damage sustained during the initial ascent. The heat of re-entry was free to spread into the damaged portion of the orbiter, ultimately causing its disintegration and the loss of all on board.
Columbia was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in March 1979. Two years later, April 12, 1981, it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center to become the first shuttle to fly in orbit.
The crew of its final voyage were 3 Mission Specialists; David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, a Payload Specialist and Commander; Ilan Ramon and Michael Anderson, Shuttle Commander; Rick Husband, and Shuttle Pilot; William McCool.
Arlington National Cemetery is the home of a Columbia memorial which is dated and has an outline of a Shuttle.
166 Interesting Things - Tea Bags
The tea bag was invented accidentally when New York merchant Thomas Sullivan sent out tea samples in silk bags and customers put them directly into teapots.
164 Interesting Things - 29,000 Rubber Duckies Lost at Sea
January 10th, 1992 - A container ship from Hong Kong was trapped in a terrible storm. As the waves tossed the ship around, 29,000 rubber duckies escaped their container but were reclaimed by Davey Jones. Believed to have been lost at sea, they began washing ashore, and they are still finding land all over the world 30 years later!
160 Interesting Things - Agent 355
Agent 355 was a female spy who worked directly for George Washington during the American Revolution, and was one of the first spies for the United States. Her real identity is still unknown to this day.
159 Interesting Things - The Ozarks and the Blue Man
The Ozarks are an incredible region of the United States, popularized by tourism and the Netflix series. It's home to a rich history as well as vast and unique population, with interesting local folklore. One such story is that of the Blue Man who is believed to have made this region home.
157 Interesting Things - Whistling Village of KongThong
KongThong is located in a beautiful lush region of Meghalaya. It's in this village that a unique language based on music exists. When a child is about to be born, the mother starts preparing a unique tone for her child. No two people have the same tone and is inspired by the sounds of birds and nature. They use this for their whole life to communicate.