A Short Story Podcast Series

Link to Podcast Library or Scroll for Daily Feed

    • 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.

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

843: 'Sojourner Truth'

Interesting Things with JC #843: 'Sojourner Truth' - Explore the impactful life of 19th-century abolitionist and women's rights advocate Sojourner Truth. Born into slavery, her powerful speeches, including the iconic 'Ain't I a Woman?' address, resonated in the fight for justice.

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

579: "Johnny Appleseed Day"

Interesting Things with JC #579: "Johnny Appleseed Day" - Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer of tree farming who planted apple trees in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, parts of what is now Ontario Canada, and the northern counties of West Virginia. Let's learn more about this legendary apple farmer!

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

360: "Jimmie's Ladder 11 - Dayton Ohio"

Interesting Things with JC #360: "Jimmie's Ladder 11 - Dayton Ohio" dates back to 1892 and was once home to one of Dayton's last horse-drawn firefighting crews, there is a former firehouse that has been converted into a bar and an amazing restaurant. If you stop by make sure to tell Mike and April JC sent you!

Please visit https://www.jladder11.com/ for more information.

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

343: "Tecumseh"

Interesting Things with JC #343: "Tecumseh" was founded in 1934 by Raymond Wesley Herrick and Charles Floyd Sage in Tecumseh, Michigan. Herrick & Sage were both tool and die maker-machinists at their own companies, which came together to create the Tecumseh Products Company.

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

318: "Cotton Candy"

Interesting Things with JC #318: "Cotton Candy" - When a dentist by the name of William Morrison and a confectioner by the name of John C. Wharton teamed up, cotton candy as we know it today was invented for the first time in 1897. Together, they built a device that spun heated sugar across a screen to give candy the familiar floss-like texture.

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