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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 8/4/25 JC 8/4/25

1365: "Heterochromia"

Interesting Things with JC #1365: "Heterochromia" – One eye blue. The other, brown. Or green. Or gray. A rare twist of genetics leaves behind a quiet visual dissonance... and a beautiful biological mystery.

JC 8/3/25 JC 8/3/25

1364: "What is the Cryospheric Process?"

Interesting Things with JC #1364: "What is the Cryospheric Process?" – Frozen water isn’t just waiting...it’s working. From cracking glaciers to thawing ground, the cryosphere is Earth’s quiet engine of motion. What happens when it shifts?

JC 8/2/25 JC 8/2/25

1363: "Does the Past Still Exist?"

Interesting Things with JC #1363: "Does the Past Still Exist?" – Einstein called time an illusion. Quantum theory muddies it. But memory…memory makes it real. What if the past isn’t gone, just waiting?

JC 7/31/25 JC 7/31/25

1361: "The Metric Crescent Wrench"

Interesting Things with JC #1361: "The Metric Crescent Wrench" – Long before torque specs, there was legend. A vanished tool from 1743. The truth slips… one adjustment at a time.

JC 7/30/25 JC 7/30/25

1360: "Invisible Ink"

Interesting Things with JC #1360: "Invisible Ink" – It wasn’t magic. It was chemistry. Messages hidden in sweat, milk, even matchbooks...when speaking could mean death, science spoke instead.

JC 7/29/25 JC 7/29/25

1359: "The Runit Dome"

Interesting Things with JC #1359: "The Runit Dome" – In the middle of the Pacific, a concrete dome holds the aftermath of 43 nuclear blasts. But it was never built to last. And the ocean is rising.

JC 7/23/25 JC 7/23/25

1353: "Interglacial Period"

Interesting Things with JC #1353: "Interglacial Period" – We’re not at the end of an ice age. We’re in a brief warm pause. From orbit to solar cycles, Earth’s climate has rules, and we may be breaking them.

JC 7/22/25 JC 7/22/25

1352: "The Soto Dolmen in Trigueros, Spain"

Interesting Things with JC #1352: "The Soto Dolmen in Trigueros, Spain" – Hidden beneath an earthen mound lies a solar-aligned tomb older than Stonehenge, carved with symbols that still whisper across 5,000 years.

JC 7/21/25 JC 7/21/25

1351: "Mitochondria"

Interesting Things with JC #1351: "Mitochondria" – They power your body, track your ancestry, and may even hold the secrets to aging. These microscopic engines have a story 2 billion years in the making.

JC 7/18/25 JC 7/18/25

1348: "Ozempic Venom"

Interesting Things with JC #1348: "Ozempic Venom" – Before it became a billion-dollar weight loss drug, it was just spit from a venomous lizard. This is the unlikely journey from desert predator to medical marvel.

JC 7/17/25 JC 7/17/25

1347: "Kola Superdeep Borehole"

Interesting Things with JC #1347: "Kola Superdeep Borehole" – They weren't looking for oil. Or hell. Just answers. What Soviet scientists found beneath the crust changed our view of Earth forever...and nearly broke their drill.

JC 7/15/25 JC 7/15/25

1345: "Flash Floods"

Interesting Things with JC #1345: "Flash Floods" – A few hours of rain. A 30-foot wall of water. How does that happen, and how do you survive it? This is not just weather. It's terrain. It's physics. It's personal.

JC 7/13/25 JC 7/13/25

1343: "The Cochno Stone"

Interesting Things with JC #1343: "The Cochno Stone" – Buried beneath a quiet hill in Scotland lies a prehistoric mystery: a massive carved stone etched by hands we’ll never meet, speaking a language we still don’t understand.

JC 7/12/25 JC 7/12/25

1342: "Jumping Out of a Moving Car"

Interesting Things with JC #1342: "Jumping Out of a Moving Car" – Hollywood shows the jump. Real life shows the landing. At 30 mph, the road isn’t forgiving...it’s final. This episode collides speed, fear, and physics.

JC 7/10/25 JC 7/10/25

1340: "Ellesmere Island in Canada"

Interesting Things with JC #1340: "Ellesmere Island in Canada" – Where frost bites the wind and ancient landscapes refuse to blink, Ellesmere is more than remote, it's myth made real.

JC 7/9/25 JC 7/9/25

1339: "Zoroastrianism"

Interesting Things with JC #1339: "Zoroastrianism" – Before angels had wings and Satan had a name, there was a battle between light and darkness. This ancient faith shaped empires, and echoes through ours.

JC 7/8/25 JC 7/8/25

1338: "Don't Skip Lunch"

Interesting Things with JC #1338: "Don't Skip Lunch" – It’s just lunch, until it isn’t. One skipped meal can change more than your mood. It can change what you do, what you decide… even who you become.

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

1336: "Iceland Has No Trees"

Interesting Things with JC #1336: "Iceland Has No Trees" - You’ve heard it before: “There are no trees in Iceland.” But is that true? This episode takes a quick dive into the history behind the claim and what really happened. Curriculum related to this episode is available free on the website.

JC 7/5/25 JC 7/5/25

1335: "The Housefly That Didn't Drown"

Interesting Things with JC #1335: "The Housefly That Didn't Drown" - A housefly slips beneath the surface. No drama, just biology...fine hairs, a bit of wax, and a bubble of air. It's not designed to dive, but sometimes, it doesn’t drown either.

JC 7/3/25 JC 7/3/25

1333: "Why Doesn't South America Have Hurricanes?"

Interesting Things with JC #1333: "Why Doesn't South America Have Hurricanes?" – The water’s warm. The ocean’s the same. But hurricanes almost never hit South America. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not what most people think.