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A Short Story Podcast Series

"Interesting Things with JC" text on black radial background

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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 6/12/25 JC 6/12/25

1312: "Sly Stone"

Interesting Things with JC #1312: "Sly Stone" – He vanished from fame and lived in silence. Not because he was forgotten...but because he couldn’t bear being seen. A prophet of funk who chose exile over encore.

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.

JC 6/4/25 JC 6/4/25

1304: "Astigmatism Lens Flares"

Interesting Things with JC #1304: "Astigmatism Lens Flares" – At night, a single headlight can turn into a firework. What you see may not be the road, but your eyes themselves. A flaw that’s not broken. Just bent.

JC 6/3/25 JC 6/3/25

1303: "Clock It"

Interesting Things with JC #1303: "Clock It" – A phrase that started on the stopwatch now signals everything from impact to instinct. What does it really mean to clock something?

JC 6/2/25 JC 6/2/25

1302: "The Man Who Controlled a Computer with His Mind"

Interesting Things with JC #1302: "The Man Who Controlled a Computer with His Mind" – A man paralyzed from the neck down typed with thought alone. What began as science fiction became proof that the mind can still move the world.

JC 6/1/25 JC 6/1/25

1301: "Marilyn Monroe"

Interesting Things with JC #1301: "Marilyn Monroe" – She was born unnamed in a charity ward and died a global icon. Between them: factories, fame, and a fight for authorship. Her story is not what you think.

JC 5/31/25 JC 5/31/25

1300: "When the F5 Came to Pennsylvania"

Interesting Things with JC #1300: "When the F5 Came to Pennsylvania" – The funnel dropped fast. The roar came faster. Pennsylvania’s only F5 tornado left a scar on towns, science, and silence itself.

JC 5/30/25 JC 5/30/25

1299: "How to Properly Clean a Fish"

Interesting Things with JC #1299: "How to Properly Clean a Fish" – From Norwegian docks to Japanese markets, or out on the lake, cleaning fish was never just about hygiene, it was about survival, taste, and respect. The skill still matters.

JC 5/29/25 JC 5/29/25

1298: "86 Oldsmobile Cutlass"

Interesting Things with JC #1298: "86 Oldsmobile Cutlass" – It was America’s best-selling car, and a quiet accomplice in state secrets, back-alley deals, and unmarked government fleets. Beneath the vinyl and velour? A whole different story.

JC 5/28/25 JC 5/28/25

1297: "The Chain of Rocks Bridge"

Interesting Things with JC #1297: "The Chain of Rocks Bridge" – A mile-long bridge with a hard 30-degree turn. Not a flaw...a feature. Built to defy the river and time, it bent where others broke. And it’s still standing.

JC 5/27/25 JC 5/27/25

1296: "What Was Cash for Clunkers?"

Interesting Things with JC #1296: "What Was Cash for Clunkers?" – A national trade-in program meant to save the economy. Instead, it sentenced 700,000 engines to death. Fuel savings or forced extinction? You decide.

JC 5/26/25 JC 5/26/25

1295: "Get Out and Move"

Interesting Things with JC #1295: "Get Out and Move" – A simple walk does more than stretch your legs. It grows your brain, lowers your stress, and resets your rhythm. The science is moving.

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

1294: "5/25/25"

Interesting Things with JC #1294: "5/25/25" – It’s a once-in-a-century number stack, where day, month, and year align. Not a palindrome, not a mirror, but something deeper. A date that won’t come again.

JC 5/24/25 JC 5/24/25

1293: "Traditions of the Indy 500"

Interesting Things with JC #1293: "Traditions of the Indy 500" – Before the engines roar, 300,000 people stand still. Milk is chosen. Bricks are kissed. A race becomes ritual. A track becomes sacred.