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After a half day together the students left with podcast recordings ready to edit into a full podcast. The topic of hurricanes was chosen by Mr. Eve, since Hurricane Sandy affected so many students and families in the area. Students shared their experiences, listened to each other, and then translated that into their own podcast. The students split into four groups, each with a topic related to hurricanes, including causes, effects, and how people help each other afterward.


The first half of the workshop was spent learning about what makes a good audio story. We listened to a great story on Listenwise about Kendo swordfighting, and then listed the components of good storytelling. Then students learned how to create a podcast. They listened to Listenwise stories about hurricanes to gather facts and information, and then were free to create their own content based on their topic. In four groups, the students collaborated to assign roles, write the script, edit, practice, and record their own podcasts on hurricanes. Students directed their own learning and each group took their podcast in a different direction.


The end result was better than we could have expected! We’ll share the final project, which will also include a community component where students interview leaders, volunteers, and homeowners who survived Hurricane Sandy back in Lindenhurst.


Here are some takeaways as to why some of the students liked learning with podcasts…

Does this sound interesting? Try this student-directed project yourself! Choose a topic and find Listenwise stories that students can listen to for background information gathering, then let your students create a script and produce their own podcasts. Feel free to use NPR as a resource for ideas on how to write for audio and how to record. Happy podcasting! Find more podcasting resources on our teacher support center.