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.
493: "Nutrition and the Aging Process"
Interesting Things with JC #493: "Nutrition and the Aging Process" - proper nutrition is an important factor in reversing the aging process and improving the overall health of our bodies. By making healthy eating choices and incorporating a variety of nutrient-rich foods into our diet.
492: "Telomeres and Aging"
Interesting Things with JC #492: "Telomeres and Aging" - We might be able to control aging through gene therapy in the near future.
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.
483: "A Story Written by ChatGPT"
Interesting Things with JC #483: "A Story Written by ChatGPT" - ChatGPT is a prototype of an AI chatbot made by OpenAI. It focuses on being easy to use and communicating. The chatbot is built on the GPT-3.5 architecture and uses a huge language model that it learned through reinforcement learning. This story about a woman named Alice and her flying machine was written by ChatGPT on 6 Dec 2022. This is a Royalty Free Educational/Informational recording available for fair use.
Please visit https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/ to learn more about this revolutionary breakthrough in AI development.
480: "Stan Munro - Toothpick World"
Interesting Things with JC #480: "Stan Munro - Toothpick World" - He combines technical blueprints, satellite imagery, building owners, and drone footage to build authentic toothpick buildings.
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.
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!
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.
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".
463: "Possible Habitable Super-Earth Discovered"
Interesting Things with JC #463: "Possible Habitable Super-Earth Discovered" - 105 lightyears away from Earth, scientists have discovered two Super-Earth planets near the star LP 890-9. They believe that one of these two planets could support life.
Delrez L. et al, Two temperate super-Earths transiting a nearby late-type M dwarf, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2022
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.
461: "Where Traditional Kampo Medicines of Japan Came From"
Interesting Things with JC #461: "Where Traditional Kampo Medicines of Japan Came From" - Researchers from Japan and China, led by Professor Toshihiko Matsuo of Okayama University's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, conducted a thorough review of available Chinese, Japanese, and English literature in order to shed light on a long-standing mystery.
460: "Scientists Create a Miniature Universe"
Interesting Things with JC #460: "Scientists Create a Miniature Universe" - A group of physicists utilized a "quantum field simulator" to model an expanding ultracold atom cosmos, in a lab.
Viermann, Celia & Sparn, Marius & Liebster, Nikolas & Hans, Maurus & Kath, Elinor & Parra-López, Álvaro & Tolosa-Simeón, Mireia & Sánchez-Kuntz, Natalia & Haas, Tobias & Strobel, Helmut & Floerchinger, Stefan & Oberthaler, Markus. (2022). Quantum field simulator for dynamics in curved spacetime. Nature. 611. 260-264. 10.1038/s41586-022-05313-9.
459: "Crystals That Generate Electricity From Heat"
Interesting Things #459: "Crystals That Generate Electricity From Heat" - A new study shows that simple changes to a synthetic copper mineral's composition can give it a complex structure and microstructure, laying the groundwork for properties that could change the way industry generates electricity.
#RoyaltyFree #Educational
451: "Vitamin D Deficiency"
Interesting Things with JC #451: "Vitamin D Deficiency" - Vitamin D's main job is to keep the right amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, which is important for keeping bones strong. Experts say that our modern way of life is one of the primary causes of vitamin D deficiency.
449: "International Sandwich Day"
Interesting Things with JC #449: "International Sandwich Day"—Every year on November 3, the unofficial holiday commemorates the birthday of John Montagu and the naming of the Sandwich!
447: "Princeton Physicists Find Room-Temperature Quantum State".
Interesting Things with JC #447: "Princeton Physicists Find Room-Temperature Quantum State".
445: “World Record Jack-O-Lantern”
Interesting Things with JC #445: “World Record Jack-O-Lantern” - A gardener in Minnesota is turning the biggest pumpkin ever grown in the United States, which weighs 2,560 pounds (1,186 kg), into the biggest jack-o'-lantern ever made.
427: "Roy Hamilton"
Interesting Things with JC #427: "Roy Hamilton" infused the Great American Songbook with soul by fusing semi-classical technique with passionate traditional black gospel. Many singers covered his 1955 hit "Unchained Melody."