A Short Story Podcast Series
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Interesting Things with JC is free to use for teaching and learning under fair use. Educators, homeschooling parents, librarians, and lifelong learners have broad rights to use the episodes and curriculum in any instructional setting. One exception applies to Episode #509: “Harry Chapin and Jim Connors”, which is not covered under this open educational permission.
Full curriculum support begins at Episode #1235: “Three Turns to Freedom”. Any earlier episode without curriculum can be prioritized by request. Educators may contact JimConnors LLC directly, and a matching curriculum module will be created and added to the site.
Teachers and homeschooling families are welcome to use, play, share, print, and adapt all eligible episodes and curriculum materials for lesson planning, instruction, student assignments, LMS uploads, and any other direct educational activity. No special approval is required for everyday classroom use. Crediting the show is appreciated when possible.
This permission does not extend to commercial activity. The episodes and curriculum may not be repackaged, resold, redistributed as a standalone program, or presented as original work by any third party. Any commercial or branded use requires prior written consent from JimConnors LLC. Episode #509: “Harry Chapin and Jim Connors” follows its own restrictions and is excluded from open educational use.
Educators may freely use the content in classrooms, homeschools, co-ops, tutoring programs, library settings, and adult education. They may revise or adapt curriculum pages, print transcripts, share episode links, or integrate materials into their lessons as needed. What is not allowed is turning the work into a paid course, selling derivatives, posting content under another brand, or redistributing the series as a separate product.
Summary:
Free for education.
Not for resale.
Not for commercial repackaging.
Episode #1235: “Three Turns to Freedom” and onward includes full curriculum.
Older episodes can receive curriculum by request.
Episode #509: “Harry Chapin and Jim Connors” is excluded.
All rights reserved © JimConnors LLC. -
Interesting Things with JC is available on the Podcast Radio format in the United Kingdom and the United States. Listeners can tune in on the radio in select cities or stream the station online from anywhere.
United Kingdom – Podcast Radio (UK)
Podcast Radio is a 24-hour all-podcast station based in London. It broadcasts on DAB+ digital radio across London and several other supported UK regions, with full worldwide access through its online stream.
Interesting Things with JC is included in Podcast Radio’s curated programming lineup.
Listeners in the United Kingdom can hear the station on DAB+ receivers in covered areas, through the Podcast Radio website, or through the station’s online and mobile streaming platforms.
United States – Podcast Radio US
In the United States, Interesting Things with JC airs as part of Podcast Radio US across four regional markets. The format is carried on HD Radio channels and FM translators.
Detroit, Michigan: WCSX 94.7 HD2 and 93.5 FM
Tampa Bay, Florida: 1010 WJBR AM
Charlotte, North Carolina: 94.7 FM and WSOC HD3
Fort Myers and Naples, Florida: WXKB HD2, 96.5 FM, 101.5 FM, and 105.1 FMNationwide listening is available through the station’s website at PodcastRadioUS.com.
Streaming Access
Podcast Radio UK and Podcast Radio US both offer live streaming through their official websites and mobile platforms, allowing listeners worldwide to hear Interesting Things with JC as part of the network’s curated programming.
The show is also available across major podcast and audio platforms, including Podcast Radio, Podverse, Headliner, Amazon, Apple, Audacy, Audible, Castbox, Deezer, fyyd, GoodPods, iHeartRadio, JioSaavn, Listen Notes, Pandora, PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube.
In addition to audio platforms, listeners can follow and stream content on social media through Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube.
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Start class with a short, clear story your students can follow from the first sentence. Play an episode of Interesting Things with JC and use the free curriculum to guide a full lesson with questions, activities, and applied learning.
Every episode from #1235 forward includes a modular micro lesson designed for a 30 to 45 minute class period. At the bottom of each episode page, you will find expandable sections that organize all curriculum materials for teachers, parents, and homeschool families.
Each lesson includes:
Lesson overview with title, grade band, subject area, and learning objectives
Key vocabulary with phonetic spelling and plain language definitions
Core story content created through the Precise Storytelling Framework
Full podcast transcript
Student worksheet with comprehension and writing activities
Teacher guide with pacing notes, strategies, and discussion tools
Quiz or quick check assessment with a scoring rubric
Standards alignment across multiple national and international frameworks
ADA compliant alt text for all instructional media
Links to approved primary sources used for fact checking
Guidance for homeschool adaptation and flexible scheduling
All curriculum materials are created through the Narrative Intelligence System to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and age-appropriate delivery. Lessons stay free of ideological frameworks and focus on academic content only.
Standards Alignment
Interesting Things with JC aligns each micro lesson with the following approved educational standards:
United States National Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts and Mathematics
College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3 Framework)
International Society for Technology in Education Standards (ISTE Standards)
National Core Arts Standards (NCAS)
Career and Technical Education Career Clusters (CTE Career Clusters)
Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy (ACRL Framework)
Bloom’s Taxonomy for Cognitive Learning Objectives
Universal Design for Learning Guidelines (UDL Guidelines)
Additional United States Alignment Areas
Alignment to state and provincial academic standards when content applies
Media and Information Literacy standards
Social Emotional Learning and 21st Century Skills frameworks
Financial Literacy and Employability Skills standards
English as a Second Language and World Language vocabulary support when applicable
International Academic Equivalents (Content-Based Alignment Only)
United Kingdom National Curriculum, Key Stages 3 to 5
AQA, OCR, and Edexcel Examination Board Specifications
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, and Diploma Programme (IB PYP, MYP, DP)
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education and Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level (Cambridge IGCSE and AS/A Level)
Access, Use, and OER Licensing
All lessons are published as Open Educational Resources and may be used, printed, or shared for teaching and learning in classrooms, homeschools, and tutoring environments. Materials are provided for educational use under fair use and may not be resold or distributed commercially.
Episodes from #1235 forward include complete curriculum materials. If you find an older episode without a micro lesson, reach out and it will be moved to the front of the build queue. Starting with Episode #1307, each MP3 page in the RSS feed includes open text at the bottom of the page for quick access to transcripts and curriculum notes.
Teacher and homeschool feedback is always welcome to help improve clarity and layout.
495: "Sled Dog Racing"
Interesting Things with JC #495: "Sled Dog Racing" - Sled dogs are bred and trained for racing, and different breeds are better suited to different racing conditions. Alaskan Huskies, Siberian Huskies, and Samoyeds are among the most popular breeds for sled dog racing.
494: "Genomics and AI"
Interesting Things with JC #494: "Genomics and AI" - An exciting development in genomics has been the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and interpret large amounts of genomic data.
490: "Heart Disease and Gray Hair"
Interesting Things with JC #490: "Heart Disease and Gray Hair" - An observational study found that the amount of gray hair in adult men is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
489: "Fortune Cookies"
Interesting Things with JC #489: "Fortune Cookies" - the fortune cookie is technically not from China!
486: "A Few Fast Facts About Sea Otters"
Interesting Things with JC #486: "A Few Fast Facts About Sea Otters" - The fur of the sea otter is the densest of any mammal.
485: "Rocky and Benihana"
Interesting Things with JC #485: "Rocky and Benihana" - Teppanyaki restaurants originated in Japan in the late 1940s and were brought to the rest of the world by one man's vision.
Ref - https://www.benihana.com/
482: "Sampson the Shire Horse"
Interesting Things with JC #482: "Sampson the Shire Horse" - Sampson was born in 1846 in Toddington Mills, Bedfordshire, and grew into the largest horse ever recorded. By the age of four, he weighed 3,359 pounds, that’s 1,524 kilograms, and stood more than seven feet tall, about 2.13 meters. Known as “Mammoth,” this Shire horse embodied the immense power and size that made the breed famous for heavy farm, brewery, and coal work.
481: "Louis vs Walcott - December 5th 1947"
Interesting Things with JC #481: "Louis vs Walcott - December 5th 1947" - American boxer Joe Louis faced Jersey Joe Walcott in New York City to defend his heavyweight crown.
Ref - https://www.thefightcity.com/joe-louis-vs-jersey-joe-walcott-i/
478: "Dragonfly Fakes Death to Avoid Coitus"
Interesting Things with JC #478: "Dragonfly Fakes Death to Avoid Coitus" - Extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly to evade male coercion.
Thank you to Rachael Nelson for suggesting today’s topic.
Ref: Khelifa, R. (2017), Faking death to avoid male coercion: extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly. Ecology, 98: 1724-1726. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1781
475: "2 New Minerals Discovered in Meteorite"
Interesting Things with JC #475: "2 New Minerals Discovered in Meteorite" - The minerals were discovered within a slice of the ninth-largest meteorite ever discovered, the El Ali meteorite, which crashed in Somalia in 2020.
474: "Nanorobotic Antibodies"
Interesting Things with JC #474: "Nanorobotic Antibodies" - Professor Yanay Ofran has developed the first nanorobotic antibodies, tailored to combat cancer, now in human trials.
473: "The House at the Bottom of Gardner Lake"
Interesting Things with JC #473: "The House at the Bottom of Gardner Lake" - During the winter of 1895, a family attempted to transport their home across a frozen lake, but it fell beneath the water!
472: "Black Olives"
Interesting Things with JC #472: "Black Olives" - Green table olives are made edible by putting them in lye, while black olives turn black by being exposed to air!
470: "Big Turkey!"
Interesting Things with JC #470: "Big Turkey!" - The largest turkey ever measured weighed 86 pounds (39kg) in London on December 12, 1989
469: "I-35 Little Czech Bakery"
Interesting Things with JC #469: "I-35 Little Czech Bakery" - They sell fresh Czech pastries, coffee, travel pillows, and tamales, and is a typical Texas rest stop too. A poster in the store says that each week, the Czech Stop bakes with more than 1,200 pounds of cream cheese, 9,000 pounds of flour, 750 gallons of milk, 2,400 pounds of butter, 1,300 pounds of sausage, 2,100 dozen eggs, and 2,500 pounds of American cheese.
They’re the home of Kolache (pronounced "koh-LAH-chee") and klobasnek (pronounced "klo-BAH-snik") which are Czech pastries that is wildly popular in Texas.
468: "Public Glass Bathroom in Sulphur Springs Texas"
Interesting Things with JC #468: "Public Glass Bathroom in Sulphur Springs Texas" - Using the restroom is typically a private activity but in Sulphur Springs Texas you can find the only public bathrooms in America, with see-through walls!
467: "1940 Houston Municipal Airport Terminal Building"
Interesting Things with JC #467: "1940 Houston Municipal Airport Terminal Building" - A sleek art deco masterpiece!
466: "The World's Largest Cowboy Boot Sculpture"
Interesting Things with JC #466: "The "World's Largest Cowboy Boot Sculpture” is 35 feet, three inches tall. It measures 30 feet long, 9 feet wide, and weighs 10,000 pounds and lives in San Antonio, Texas.
465: "Calvin Klein"
Interesting Things with JC #465: “Calvin Klein” Limited was a startup coat boutique in the York Hotel that opened in 1968 with $10,000. The original Calvin Klein collection was comprised of "young, uncomplicated coats and dresses".
462: "Aztec Medicines"
Interesting Things with JC #462: "Aztec Medicines" - The Aztecs are famous for their ancient pyramids and chocolate recipes, but their medicines may have been as advanced as drugs used today.