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A Short Story Podcast Series

"Interesting Things with JC" text on black radial background

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Link to Podcast Library or Scroll for Daily Feed

- 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 9/10/25 JC 9/10/25

1403: "September 10th, 2001"

Interesting Things with JC #1403: "September 10th, 2001" – It was just another Monday. Political scandal, lost trillions, an assassination, and a quiet war abroad, all vanished the next morning. The last ordinary day.

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

1402: "Keithroy Maynard"

Interesting Things with JC #1402: "Keithroy Maynard" – A firefighter. A father. A man who ran toward the danger when he didn’t have to. His life wasn’t only lost on 9/11, it was defined by the choices he made before it.

JC 9/8/25 JC 9/8/25

1401: "Dorothy Dandridge"

Interesting Things with JC #1401: "Dorothy Dandridge" – She broke barriers with elegance. An icon of talent, beauty, and courage, Dorothy Dandridge changed what was possible, on stage, on screen, and in history.

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

1398: "American Paint Horse"

Interesting Things with JC #1398: "American Paint Horse" – Paint horses stood out on the open plains. From Spanish explorers to Comanche warriors to modern ranchers, their bold coats and strong build made them unforgettable.

JC 9/4/25 JC 9/4/25

1397: "What is a Florida Ounce?"

Interesting Things with JC #1397: "What is a Florida Ounce?" – “Fl oz” doesn’t stand for Florida. Once everyday knowledge, now a mystery hiding on labels and measuring cups...

JC 8/30/25 JC 8/30/25

1392: "What is Calculus"

Interesting Things with JC #1392: "What is Calculus" – Born from falling apples and planetary paths, calculus transformed how we measure change. From stone counters to rocket fuel, this is the math that moves the universe.

JC 8/26/25 JC 8/26/25

1388: "How are Fossils Made?"

Interesting Things with JC #1388: "How are Fossils Made?" – Out of billions of living things, only a rare few survive as stone memories of the past. From vanished bones to insects in amber, fossils reveal life’s fragile gamble against time and chance. This episode was inspired by DR Igo

JC 8/24/25 JC 8/24/25

1386: "Water Can Boil and Freeze at the Same Time"

Interesting Things with JC #1386: "Water Can Boil and Freeze at the Same Time" – Fire and ice at once? At the triple point, water boils, freezes, and steams in a single breath. It's a scientific paradox that defies expectation.

JC 8/16/25 JC 8/16/25

1378: "The Brazilian Current"

Interesting Things with JC #1378: "The Brazilian Current" – It moves just one mile an hour, but it carries more than 50 Amazon Rivers. When warm meets cold, the ocean stirs. So does the planet.

JC 8/13/25 JC 8/13/25

1375: "The Piri Reis Map"

Interesting Things with JC #1375: "The Piri Reis Map" – A 16th-century map drawn on gazelle skin holds coastlines that match the known world...and one that shouldn’t exist. Its lines spark both historical clarity and centuries of debate.

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

1368: "The Truth About Glass"

Interesting Things with JC #1368: "The Truth About Glass" – It doesn’t rust, it doesn’t rot, and it never loses strength. From Mesopotamian beads to fiber optics, discover why glass is one of the most perfect materials we’ve ever made.

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

1367: "Loni Anderson"

Interesting Things with JC #1367: "Loni Anderson" – She wasn’t supposed to be famous. She was supposed to be Leilani. But from St. Paul to syndication royalty, Loni Anderson rewrote the script...and the stereotype.

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

1366: "Today Is a Great Day!”

Interesting Things with JC #1366: "Today Is a Great Day!" – What if saying it out loud could shift more than just your mood? The data, and the dopamine, might surprise you!

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 7/20/25 JC 7/20/25

1350: "The Kiss Cam"

Interesting Things with JC #1350: "The Kiss Cam" – What began as a quiet camera cue at Dodger Stadium became a global spotlight of truth, tenderness, and sometimes betrayal.

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 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.