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A Short Story Podcast Series

"Interesting Things with JC" text on black radial background

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- Episodes run 30 seconds to 8 minutes.
- Send us your episode ideas, we’ll work the topics into future recordings, and credit you.
- Homeschooling parents, teachers, and lifelong learners get priority.
- Many episodes include free curriculum materials aligned to global standards.
Legal Disclaimer
All episodes of Interesting Things with JC are provided free of charge for educational purposes under fair use, with the exception of Episode #509. The series, including its associated curriculum and materials, may not be copied, resold, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written agreement and consent from JimConnors LLC. Unauthorized commercial use, reproduction, or distribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved © JimConnors LLC.
- 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 in these cities:
  Detroit – WCSX 94.7 HD2
  Tampa – 1010 WJBR-AM
  Charlotte – 94.7 FM and WSOC-HD3
  Fort Myers / Naples – 96.5 FM, 101.5 FM, 105.1 FM, and WXKB-HD2
  You can also stream it nationwide at PodcastRadioUS.com
Kick off class with a quick boost. Play an episode of Interesting Things with JC to get your students interested right off the bat. The short stories are easy to follow, and the free curriculum gives you everything you need to turn that spark into a full lesson with questions, activities, and real learning.
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.
Disclaimer:Interesting Things with JC and its companion curriculum are provided for educational purposes under fair use. They are free to access and share for teaching and learning, but not for resale or commercial distribution.
- Examples: Browse any episode from #1235 to the present.
- Format Update: Starting with Episode #1307, each MP3 page in the RSS includes open text at the bottom for easier access.
- Feedback: Curriculum users, your input helps improve layout and usability. Your feedback is welcomed.
- Older Episodes: If you find one without curriculum, drop me a line. I’ll prioritize building it out. The goal is for every episode to have full resources.

JC 7/2/25 JC 7/2/25

1332: "The Fighter Mafia"

Interesting Things with JC #1332: "The Fighter Mafia" – Inspired by listener Chris Woodul, we revisit a secret rebellion inside the Air Force. They weren’t antiwar. They were protruth. Their fight? Making jets that could actually win.

JC 7/1/25 JC 7/1/25

1331: "The Sheep That Stopped the Bite"

Interesting Things with JC #1331: "The Sheep That Stopped the Bite" – When venom struck and hospitals were too far, one animal quietly changed the odds. It didn’t bite back. It built the cure.

JC 6/28/25 JC 6/28/25

1328: "The Year Hitler, Stalin, Trotsky, and Freud Were Neighbors"

Interesting Things with JC #1328: "The Year Hitler, Stalin, Trotsky, and Freud Were Neighbors" – Vienna, 1913: four men, two miles apart. Before the war. Before the world changed.

JC 6/27/25 JC 6/27/25

1327: "The Impossible Coin Flip"

Interesting Things with JC #1327: "The Impossible Coin Flip" – You’re blindfolded, facing 100 coins. Ten are heads-up. Your task? Split them into two piles with equal heads...without knowing which is which. A puzzle that tests logic, not luck.

JC 6/26/25 JC 6/26/25

1326: "Patent No. 5,255,452: Michael Jackson’s Secret to the Lean"

Interesting Things with JC #1326: "Patent No. 5,255,452: Michael Jackson’s Secret to the Lean" – He leaned forward at 45 degrees in front of 40,000 people and didn’t fall. The trick wasn’t just in the shoes. It was in a patent, a plan, and a performer unlike any other.

JC 6/24/25 JC 6/24/25

1324: "A Simple Riddle 11"

Interesting Things with JC #1324: "A Simple Riddle 11" – What seems obvious at first glance might be a clever trap. In this eleventh riddle challenge, logic twists, and certainty falters. Can you see past the setup?

JC 6/23/25 JC 6/23/25

1323: "The Human Fingernail"

Interesting Things with JC #1323: "The Human Fingernail" – It's not just keratin. It's memory. Nails reveal illness, archive exposure, and timestamp trauma, layer by layer. It's one of the body's most honest records.

JC 6/20/25 JC 6/20/25

1320: "Why Do People Install Wall Plugs Upside Down?"

Interesting Things with JC #1320: "Why Do People Install Wall Plugs Upside Down?" – The outlet on your wall might be upside down, or exactly how it should be. From 1960s regulations to hospital safety tweaks, this small detail sparks a surprisingly charged debate.

JC 6/18/25 JC 6/18/25

1318: "Spring Water"

Interesting Things with JC #1318: "Spring Water" - Before plastic, pipes, or purification, there was only the spring. From Paleolithic migrations to bottled luxury, this episode traces water’s oldest story rising untouched from the earth.

JC 6/17/25 JC 6/17/25

1317: "Do You Drink More Through a Straw?"

Interesting Things with JC #1317: "Do You Drink More Through a Straw?" – A simple straw changes everything. From soda cups to hospital beds, it silently drives us to drink more faster, sweeter, and without even noticing.

JC 6/16/25 JC 6/16/25

1316: "Cranberry Pills"

Interesting Things with JC #1316: "Cranberry Pills" – Before it became a wellness trend, cranberry extract was military medicine. In 1943, the U.S. Army turned to bog-grown berries as a field-tested infection fighter.

JC 6/15/25 JC 6/15/25

1315: "The Rongorongo Script"

Interesting Things with JC #1315: "The Rongorongo Script" – When the last person who could read it died, an entire symbolic language was silenced. But the tablets still speak, if only we could understand them.

JC 6/14/25 JC 6/14/25

1314: "Could a Hidden Parasite Make You a Mosquito Target?"

Interesting Things with JC #1314: "Could a Hidden Parasite Make You a Mosquito Target?" – You feel fine. No symptoms. But to a mosquito, you suddenly smell irresistible. Could a silent parasite be changing your scent, and turning you into the perfect host?

JC 6/11/25 JC 6/11/25

1311: "Not Broken, But Injured"

Interesting Things with JC #1311: "Not Broken, But Injured" – A girl gets detention. What doesn’t get recorded? The trauma behind her behavior. A landmark study rewired how we ask: not what's wrong...but what happened?

JC 6/10/25 JC 6/10/25

1310: "Can Your Eyes Predict How Long You’ll Live?"

Interesting Things with JC #1310: "Can Your Eyes Predict How Long You’ll Live?" – They don’t just show how you feel, they may show how you’re aging. From limbal rings to iris clarity, your eyes might be telling more than you think.

JC 6/9/25 JC 6/9/25

1309: "The Cornea That Turned to Cone"

Interesting Things with JC #1309: "The Cornea That Turned to Cone" – It starts with a blur. One eye, then the other, bends the world into chaos. Thank you to Jim Stennett for suggesting today’s topic. What if your vision was quietly collapsing?

JC 6/8/25 JC 6/8/25

1308: "Hyperion"

Interesting Things with JC #1308: "Hyperion" – Deep in a fog-drenched forest, a 379-foot redwood reaches the edge of biology’s limits. But getting close could destroy it forever.

JC 6/7/25 JC 6/7/25

1307: "The Device That Proved We Don’t See With Our Eyes"

Interesting Things with JC #1307: "The Device That Proved We Don’t See With Our Eyes" – In the 1970s, two devices changed how we understand vision, not by restoring sight, but by re-routing it. The brain adapted, the world opened, and it all began at home.

JC 6/6/25 JC 6/6/25

1306: "Cocoa and Cancer"

Interesting Things with JC #1306: "Cocoa and Cancer" – Before war, Aztecs drank it. Now, scientists study it. High-cocoa chocolate may do more than taste good, it may help the body rebuild.

JC 6/5/25 JC 6/5/25

1305: "Pozzolanic Concrete"

Interesting Things with JC #1305: "Pozzolanic Concrete" – In Roman hands, ash became architecture. Beneath harbors and inside domes, this ancient concrete didn’t just endure, it healed.