Tag: podcast

If you have ever watched anything on Discovery or TLC or History Channel, at some point you’ve probably heard the fabulous voice of Mike Rowe. Among other projects, Mike has an awesome podcast called The Way I Heard It. He takes events or people that are well-known and adds a unique storytelling element to them that creates quite a bit of suspense. Most episodes are only about six minutes long, but they pack a powerful punch.

I was listening to one episode the other day, and I heard an amazingly interesting story that will definitely pique your students’ interest. You need to listen to “Episode 3: Clean Up on Aisle Four.” I don’t want to give away what or who the story is about, but this episode would be a GREAT little tidbit to add to your discussions somewhere in your unit about the Cold War. (I don’t want to get too specific or it might ruin the effect of the story.  Sorry!) If you want to skip the intro stuff, you can jump to the 40-second mark. The total story only lasts about four minutes, but that four minutes is enough to make an impact.

Classroom Uses

• This would be a great bell-ringer or discussion-starter to begin class.
• You could have students listen to this and complete a free-write.
• Use this to help your students develop better listening skills.
• Have students complete Window Notes on the podcast to encourage students to actively listen and then process the info.  (Here’s an example of Window Notes that I used in an earlier post.  Essentially you have them divide their paper into 4 sections.  Each section deals with a reading passage or listening exercise from different learning perspectives/styles.  Can be formal or informal.)  With Window Notes, you may want to listen to the podcast twice.

Isn’t it a great story?!  If I come across any more episodes that I think would work in class, I’ll post more later!

Photo used in accordance with licensing from Clipart.com.