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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 10/5/25 JC 10/5/25

1429: "Alternate and Special Uniforms in the NFL"

Interesting Things with JC #1429: "Alternate and Special Uniforms in the NFL" – From leather helmets to chrome facemasks, football’s look has mirrored America’s own evolution. This episode traces how nostalgia, marketing, and meaning collide every time a team takes the field in something new, or something old.

JC 10/4/25 JC 10/4/25

1428: "Jane Goodall"

Interesting Things with JC #1428: "Jane Goodall" – She began as a girl with a dog and a dream, and left as the voice of a planet. At 91, Jane Goodall’s story is still unfinished, because it lives in us.

JC 10/3/25 JC 10/3/25

1427: "GPS Trackers on Birds"

Interesting Things with JC #1427: "GPS Trackers on Birds" – A bird vanishes into the horizon, yet its path is traced across continents. Migration turns from mystery into maps, revealing endurance, surprise, and change in the skies.

JC 10/2/25 JC 10/2/25

1426: "The Tunnel of Whiteface Mountain"

Interesting Things with JC #1426: "The Tunnel of Whiteface Mountain" – Beneath the Adirondacks, a hidden passage carved in billion-year-old stone leads not only to a summit, but to a promise: that even those who could not climb could stand at the top of the world.

JC 10/1/25 JC 10/1/25

1425: "The Steam That Moved a Nation"

Interesting Things with JC #1425: "The Steam That Moved a Nation" – It wasn’t made for looks. It was made to pull half a mountain. At Steamtown, the ghost of American industry still breathes iron and fire. Step aboard.

JC 9/30/25 JC 9/30/25

1424: "The Mustang"

Interesting Things with JC #1424: "The Mustang" – They began here, vanished for millennia, and returned as outsiders. Now, they're icons. But the real Mustang story runs far deeper.

JC 9/29/25 JC 9/29/25

1423: "Three Kings Kaikomako"

Interesting Things with JC #1423: "Three Kings Kaikomako" – On a windswept island stripped bare by goats, one tree refused to vanish. A single survivor held the line for its entire species. Its rescue was a race against extinction, saved by one branch, one act, one chance.

JC 9/28/25 JC 9/28/25

1422: "What the Garden Gives Back"

Interesting Things with JC #1422: "What the Garden Gives Back" – Touch the soil, and something happens. Science now shows what generations already knew: dirt can calm your mind, steady your body, and heal your spirit. This episode, dedicated to Educator Kate, uncovers the hidden medicine waiting in the ground.

JC 9/27/25 JC 9/27/25

1421: "Carbonated Soda"

Interesting Things with JC #1421: "Carbonated Soda" – From 18th-century experiments with “fixed air” to the hiss of a modern can, soda has carried medicine, rivalry, and ritual into everyday life. The bubbles may vanish, but the story still fizzes.

JC 9/26/25 JC 9/26/25

1420: "Vanta Black"

Interesting Things with JC #1420: "Vanta Black" – It’s not just black, vantablack is the absence of shape itself. Discover the color that bends perception, ignites a feud, and vanishes light like a trapdoor in space. This episode was suggested and inspired by Dr Igo.

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

1419: "Stanislaw Petrow"

Interesting Things with JC #1419: "Stanislaw Petrow" – One officer. Five false missiles. A moment that could have ended the world, and the judgment that saved it.

JC 9/24/25 JC 9/24/25

1418: "What is Leucovorin?"

Interesting Things with JC #1418: "What is Leucovorin?" – It’s not a cure. It’s a second chance. A small vial with no fame, leucovorin helps the body recover when medicine goes too far, and may help language return when words are lost.

JC 9/23/25 JC 9/23/25

1417: "Dr. Green’s Light"

Interesting Things with JC #1417: "Dr. Green’s Light" – What if curing cancer didn’t require cutting, poisoning, or burning? One physicist is turning light and gold into a revolution in care.

JC 9/22/25 JC 9/22/25

1416: "Water on Mars"

Interesting Things with JC #1416: "Water on Mars" – In 1999, light from a distant planet revealed something Earth-shaking: Mars once held oceans. The data was dry. The discovery was not.

JC 9/21/25 JC 9/21/25

1415: "The 21st Night of September"

Interesting Things with JC #1415: "The 21st Night of September" – A date, a dance floor, and a nonsense phrase that changed music forever. The story behind “ba-dee-ya” might just surprise you.

JC 9/21/25 JC 9/21/25

1414: "The Real Castles and Lands of Game of Thrones"

Interesting Things with JC #1414: "The Real Castles and Lands of Game of Thrones" – Behind the dragons and politics were real castles, coasts, and ancient streets. From Icelandic rifts to Spanish palaces, fantasy rested on geology and stone. What remains when the stories fade is the land itself.

JC 9/20/25 JC 9/20/25

1413: "Rods, Cones, and Blindness"

Interesting Things with JC #1413: "Rods, Cones, and Blindness" – The cells that make vision possible are also the ones that fail when blindness strikes. But what if those same cells could help bring sight back?

JC 9/19/25 JC 9/19/25

1412: "Robert Redford"

Interesting Things with JC #1412: "Robert Redford" – He acted. He directed. He built a place where new stories could start. Robert Redford didn’t just leave a mark. He left something people could build on.

JC 9/18/25 JC 9/18/25

1411: "Acoustic Shadows"

Interesting Things with JC #1411: "Acoustic Shadows" – Sound can vanish into silence, bending away like a ghost. From battlefields to oceans to medical scans, what you don’t hear can matter most.

JC 9/17/25 JC 9/17/25

1410: "White Corn vs. Yellow Corn Chips"

Interesting Things with JC #1410: "White Corn vs. Yellow Corn Chips" – They look the same in the bowl. But one was built to blend in, the other to stand tall. Behind every tortilla chip is a story about land, taste, and time.