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A Short Story Podcast Series

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- 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.
- Beginning with Episode #1307 we’re shifting to an open text format at the bottom of every MP3 page in the RSS. This should allow greater ease of access.
- If you are using the curriculum your feedback is greatly appreciated, that’s how iterations like this continue to drive changes in the layout, and useability.
- 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.

JC 5/23/25 JC 5/23/25

1292: "Corvette ZR1"

Interesting Things with JC #1292: "Corvette ZR1" – It began in silence, surfaced in power, and kept evolving, each version redefining what a Corvette could be. ZR1 isn't a trim. It's a line in the pavement.

JC 5/22/25 JC 5/22/25

1292: "Improvise, Adapt, & Overcome"

Interesting Things with JC #1292: "Improvise, Adapt, & Overcome" – Born in the field, refined by necessity, this Marine Corps mantra isn't about slogans. It's about survival when the plan fails. Where does grit come from?

JC 5/21/25 JC 5/21/25

1290: "Love, Possibility, & Awareness"

Interesting Things with JC #1290: "Love, Possibility, & Awareness" – What if love wasn’t something you fall into...but something you wake up to, over and over again? One couple's quiet evolution becomes a profound meditation on presence.

JC 5/20/25 JC 5/20/25

1289: "Linoleum"

Interesting Things with JC #1289: "Linoleum" – It wasn’t plastic, it wasn’t trendy, and it was never meant to be beautiful, yet it quietly defined an era. What happens when something lasts too long to be noticed?

JC 5/19/25 JC 5/19/25

1288: "Don't Put Dawn in the Dishwasher!"

Interesting Things with JC #1288: "Don't Put Dawn in the Dishwasher" – It’s iconic, beloved, even lifesaving. But the moment Dawn dish soap enters the wrong machine, all that trust turns into foam and costly regret.

JC 5/18/25 JC 5/18/25

1287: "The Six Flags Over Texas"

Interesting Things with JC #1287: "The Six Flags Over Texas" – Six governments. One land. From conquistadors to confederates, Texas has been shaped by a tug-of-war few remember, but every child unknowingly inherits.

JC 5/17/25 JC 5/17/25

1286: "Where do you find a Left Handed ScrewDriver?"

Interesting Things with JC #1286: "Where do you find a Left Handed ScrewDriver?" – Some tools are built for precision. Others are built for the person holding them. But one? It’s built for something else entirely.

JC 5/16/25 JC 5/16/25

1285: "The Serpent That Watches the Sky"

Interesting Things with JC #1285: "The Serpent That Watches the Sky" – A 1,348-foot serpent lies hidden on an Ohio bluff...coiled not for strike, but for story. No bones. No gold. Just dirt, sun, and the memory of a people who mapped the sky by hand.

JC 5/15/25 JC 5/15/25

1284: "Strawberries and Garlic are Companion Plants"

Interesting Things with JC #1284: "Strawberries and Garlic are Companion Plants" – They grow in silence, side by side, one sweet, one sharp. But together, strawberries and garlic create something nature alone couldn’t plan.

JC 5/14/25 JC 5/14/25

1283: "The Strange Strength of Mixed Emotions"

Interesting Things with JC #1283: "The Strange Strength of Mixed Emotions" – What if emotional health isn’t about staying positive, but embracing every feeling? A surprising link between biodiversity and mental resilience. This Story was inspired by Dr. Igo.

JC 5/13/25 JC 5/13/25

1282: "May 13, 1981 – The Attempted Assassination of Pope John Paul II"

Interesting Things with JC #1282: "May 13, 1981 – The Attempted Assassination of Pope John Paul II" – A gentle gesture saved his life. A bullet reshaped a continent. In the heart of the Cold War, one unarmed man became too dangerous to ignore.

JC 5/12/25 JC 5/12/25

1281: "Wild Horse Hooves Explained"

Interesting Things with JC #1281: "Wild Horse Hooves Explained" – No blacksmith, no stable, just hooves hardened by motion, rock, and time. Discover how wild horses stay sound while domesticated ones require constant care.

JC 5/11/25 JC 5/11/25

1280: "The Sword in the Stone of Saint Galgano"

Interesting Things with JC #1280: "The Sword in the Stone of Saint Galgano" – A knight lays down his weapon, not in battle, but in surrender. Eight centuries later, the blade still stands. What if the greatest strength is choosing to let go?

JC 5/10/25 JC 5/10/25

1279: "The World’s Smallest Army"

Interesting Things with JC #1279: "The World’s Smallest Army" – They wear Renaissance colors, they carry halberds, but behind the pageantry is something real, a small, sworn force that once saved a Pope, and still might.

JC 5/9/25 JC 5/9/25

1278: "1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport"

Interesting Things with JC #1278: "1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport" – It didn’t rumble. It resonated. Buick’s Riviera Gran Sport arrived with European elegance and left a dent in American bravado. Not a muscle car...an answer to them.

JC 5/8/25 JC 5/8/25

1277: "Insulin’s Legacy - The Untold Stories"

Interesting Things with JC #1277: "Insulin’s Legacy: The Untold Stories" – A miracle drug born of compassion, then swallowed by conflict. This is the story behind the needle, and the price we still pay for what was once meant to be free.

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

1276: "What is SubTropolis?"

Interesting Things with JC #1276: "What is SubTropolis?" – Deep beneath Kansas City, an entire business district thrives in total darkness. It’s not science fiction. It’s real estate strategy, redefined underground.

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

1275: "When the Man Comes Around"

Interesting Things with JC #1275: "When the Man Comes Around" — Johnny Cash’s final original song is a thunderous reckoning, layered with biblical prophecy and personal truth. This episode unpacks the meaning behind the words, drawing from scripture, theology, and the twilight of a legend's life. A haunting look at how one man stared down eternity and turned it into song.

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

1274: "Texas is Bigger than You Think"

Interesting Things with JC #1274: "Texas is Bigger than You Think" – A single state with five time zones of attitude. From blizzards to beaches, skyscrapers to sandstorms. Texas doesn’t stretch across the map. It bends it.

JC 5/3/25 JC 5/3/25

1272: "Steve’s Lava Chicken – Guinness Book Record for Shortest Charting Song"

Interesting Things with JC #1272: "Steve’s Lava Chicken – Guinness Book Record for Shortest Charting Song" - An 11-second Minecraft chant just broke the rules of music charts, streaming metrics, and what counts as a song. It wasn't polished. It was viral. And now, it's immortal.