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A Short Story Podcast Series

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    • Episodes vary in duration from 30 seconds to 8 minutes.

    • All episodes are royalty free in their entirety—except for #509.

    • If you have an idea for an episode, please reach out to our team and we’ll happily schedule the topic for a future recording.

    • Priority is given to homeschooling parents, teachers, educators, and lifelong learning professionals.

    • Select episodes now include free curriculum materials at the bottom of the episode page, designed to support open education initiatives, teachers, classrooms, and homeschool use. These materials are aligned to multiple educational standards globally.

    • The podcast is currently in common carriage on the Podcast Radio Network.

    • In London, you can listen to the Podcast Radio Network over the air on DAB+ and access its variety of podcasts and audio content directly through your DAB+ radio.

    • In the USA, you can listen to "Interesting Things with JC" on Podcast Radio US over the air in various cities: in Detroit on 93.5 FM and WCSX-94.7 HD2, in Tampa on 1010 WHFS-AM, in Charlotte on 94.7 FM and WSOC-HD3, and in Ft. Myers/Naples on 96.5 FM, 101.5 FM, 105.1 FM, and WXKB-HD2.

  • Curriculum Summary for Educators, Homeschoolers, and Lifelong Learners

    Interesting Things with JC now features free curriculum materials to go with select episodes, created for teachers, homeschool families, and curious learners of all ages.

    Each episode includes a modular micro-lesson designed to support a 30 to 45 minute class. Curriculum content appears at the bottom of the episode page in easy-to-use expandable sections.

    Each lesson includes:

    • Lesson overview (title, grade level, subject area, learning objectives)

    • Key vocabulary with phonetic spelling and plain-language definitions

    • Core story content based on the Precise Storytelling Framework

    • Full podcast transcript

    • Student worksheet with comprehension and writing prompts

    • Teacher guide with pacing, strategies, and discussion tools

    • Quiz and assessment rubric

    • Standards alignment across multiple global frameworks

    We are currently piloting lesson alignment to:

    Approved Standards – High-Level List

    • NGSS – Next Generation Science Standards

    • CCSS – Common Core State Standards (ELA and Math)

    • C3 Framework – College, Career & Civic Life (Social Studies)

    • ISTE Standards – Technology and Digital Literacy

    • NCAS – National Core Arts Standards

    • CTE Career Clusters – U.S. Career & Technical Education

    • ACRL Framework – Higher Ed Information Literacy

    • Bloom’s Taxonomy – Cognitive Learning Objectives

    • UDL – Universal Design for Learning (Accessibility Support)

    International Academic Equivalents (Content-Only)

    • UK National Curriculum – Key Stages 3–5 (England)

    • AQA / OCR / Edexcel – UK Exam Board Specifications

    • IB (International Baccalaureate) – PYP, MYP, DP (academic subjects only)

    • Cambridge International – IGCSE, AS/A-Level (non-political content areas)

    All lessons are open educational resources (OER) and designed with homeschool flexibility in mind.

    • To review examples, check out any episode from #1235 to today, just scroll down.

    • If you intend to feature the series on your podcast or use it in your broadcast feed as interstitial content, please tag us on social media and/or send us an email.

1241: "The Day the Sky Erased the Map"

Interesting Things with JC #1241: "The Day the Sky Erased the Map" –On April 3, 1974, a record-setting storm system spawned 148 tornadoes across 13 states. More than 330 lives were lost, entire towns vanished, and America’s understanding of severe weather was forever changed. From twin F5s to meteorological breakthroughs, this episode unpacks the day the sky turned against us.

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History, Podcast, Social, Sports JC History, Podcast, Social, Sports JC

1235: “Three Turns to Freedom”

Interesting Things with JC #1235: “Three Turns to Freedom” – This episode gallops through the untold history of barrel racing—a sport born from rebellion. It wasn’t always about speed. It was once a pageant. But through three turns and a cloverleaf path, women rode their way from sideline spectacles to national champions.

A special thank you to Maxine from Ripon, California, for inspiring this story!

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1233: "Notification Hijacking – How Hackers Take Over Your Phone and Accounts"

Interesting Things with JC #1233: "Notification Hijacking – How Hackers Take Over Your Phone and Accounts" - You trust your phone. You trust your alerts. But what if one message, one vibration, wasn’t what it seemed? This episode exposes a chilling method hackers use to silently bypass your defenses and take over everything. You won’t see it coming.

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Podcast, Science, Social JC Podcast, Science, Social JC

1232: "What is Geographic Tongue?"

Interesting Things with JC #1232: "What is Geographic Tongue?" – This episode explores the unusual condition known as geographic tongue, a benign but bizarre pattern of red patches and white borders that shift across the tongue's surface. Discover who it affects, what causes it, and why it's not something to fear.

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1224: "Ghost in the Coffee Shop – How Nearby Hackers Hijack Your Phone in Real Time"

Interesting Things with JC #1224: "Ghost in the Coffee Shop – How Nearby Hackers Hijack Your Phone in Real Time" - You’re at a café, scrolling your phone. You don’t see the hacker nearby, but they see you. Loved ones, friends, strangers, they could all be hackers looking to steal your data in public places, without ever touching your phone. The hidden dangers of IMEI skimming and device tracking are all too real.

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1223: "The Silent Heist – How a Simple Notification Can Unlock Your Entire Digital Life"

Interesting Things with JC #1223: "The Silent Heist – How a Simple Notification Can Unlock Your Entire Digital Life" - Could a single notification be the key to your entire digital identity being stolen? Hackers don’t need malware, they just need to manipulate your notifications, cache, and cloud backups to silently hijack your accounts. This could even be a loved one, friend, or even employer! Think your phone is safe?...Think again....

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