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, visit episode #1235 and #1237 and 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.

JC 9/23/22 JC 9/23/22

407: "Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda"

Interesting Things with JC #407: "Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda"—from amazing walking trails to exquisite pink sand beaches, it's a destination you need to see at some point in your life.

JC 9/22/22 JC 9/22/22

406: "Skin"

Interesting Things with JC #406: "Skin" is the only visible organ on your body and the largest! Also, do you know there’s something special to help pigs with dry skin?

JC 9/21/22 JC 9/21/22

405: "Narragansett Bay"

Interesting Things with JC #405: “Narragansett Bay” is a ria, or a flooded river valley open to the sea, with a rich multi-cultural history.

JC 9/20/22 JC 9/20/22

404: "Glastenbury Mountain and the Bennington Triangle"

Interesting Things with JC #404 "Glastenbury Mountain and the Bennington Triangle" - People have gone missing in this thick forest, surrounded by well-known ghost towns. Could the legendary Bigfoot of Vermont be to blame?

JC 9/19/22 JC 9/19/22

403: "The Pearls of Queen Elizabeth II"

Interesting Things with JC #403: "The Pearls of Queen Elizabeth II" - There has never been a Queen who did not wear pearls; it is a thousand-year-old tradition for Queens to do so.

JC 9/18/22 JC 9/18/22

402: "Mofongo"

Interesting Things with JC #402: "Mofongo" - It's a delectable plantain-based meal from Puerto Rican culinary history. The main ingredients and methods of preparation have roots in a multitude of civilizations, including Spanish, African, and Indigenous Puerto Rican cultures.

JC 9/16/22 JC 9/16/22

401: "The 401k"

Interesting Things with JC #401: "The 401k" - If your employer offers one, you can open this retirement account at work with the goal of assisting you in saving money for retirement.

JC 9/16/22 JC 9/16/22

400

Interesting Things with JC #400 - Numbers are all around us and play a role in everything we do…but what about the number 400?

JC 9/15/22 JC 9/15/22

399: "Westminster Hall"

Interesting Things with JC #399: "Westminster Hall" has a central role in British history; this, along with its enormous size and magnificent roof, is what makes it such an incredible structure. The Hall was the birthplace of the British state's key institutions, including Parliament, the courts, and various government agencies.

JC 9/14/22 JC 9/14/22

398: "St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh"

Interesting Things with JC #398: "St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh"—1,000 years of history in the heart of Edinburgh.

JC 9/13/22 JC 9/13/22

397: "Anglesey: Mary, Celtic Druids, King Arthur, and the Prince of Wales"

Interesting Things with JC #397: "Anglesey: Mary, Celtic Druids, King Arthur, and the Prince of Wales" - Are there connections between Royal bloodlines, ancient history, folklore, and titles of nobility? You may have to be the judge..

JC 9/12/22 JC 9/12/22

396: "Subglacial Fossils in Greenland"

Interesting Things with JC #396: "Subglacial Fossils in Greenland"—Researchers discovered well-preserved fossil plants and biomolecules at the bottom of a 1.4 km core sample from Greenland.

JC 9/11/22 JC 9/11/22

395: "Cat Paw Pads"

Interesting Things with JC #395: “Cat Paw Pads” are thick and have a lot of fatty tissue. Because their paw pads absorb shock when they jump, cats can almost silently stalk their prey.

JC 9/10/22 JC 9/10/22

394: “Accession Council”

Interesting Things with JC #394: “Accession Council” is an incredibly important meeting. The monarch is the head of state, the head of the judiciary, the head of the church, and the head of the commonwealth. This gives them enormous power, elevating the significance of their meeting actions.

JC 9/9/22 JC 9/9/22

393: "Succession Modernization"

Interesting Things with JC #393: "Succession Modernization" - As England transitioned to a democratic form of government, specifically a constitutional monarchy, its leaders made the decision to formalize power succession. Let’s review the history of Royal succession, the 1689 Bill of Rights, the 1701 Act of Settlement, and the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013.

JC 9/8/22 JC 9/8/22

392: "Mary Toft and her Baby Rabbits"

Interesting Things with JC #392: "Mary Toft and her Baby Rabbits" - in 1726, a 25-year-old Englishwoman from Godalming, Surrey, gave birth to something that shocked all of England...again...and again.

This historical account may disturb some listeners.

JC 9/7/22 JC 9/7/22

391: "Pro Football Hall of Fame"

Interesting Things with JC #391: "The Pro Football Hall of Fame," which honors the people and events that shaped the history of professional football, was established on September 7, 1963, in Canton, Ohio.

JC 9/6/22 JC 9/6/22

390: "Antarctic Midge"

Interesting Things with JC #390: There are one million insect species on Earth, but only three are found in Antarctica, this is the short story of the "Antarctic Midge".

JC 9/5/22 JC 9/5/22

389: "Queen Mary's Dolls' House"

Interesting Things with JC #389: "Queen Mary's Dolls' House" is the world's most exquisite and well-known dolls' house.

JC 9/4/22 JC 9/4/22

388: "St Dunstan in the East"

Interesting Things with JC #388: "St Dunstan in the East" - Tourists aren't that familiar with the 1000-year-old ruin, which is just a short distance from the Tower of London.