by Laura Randazzo
8th - 12th Grade
Students need to be able to sit and listen to a passage or short audio program, take notes, recall information, and then answer critical thinking questions about the material. To help prepare our students for this challenge, I’ve scoured the internet to find high-interest, school-appropriate podcasts that fit within one class period.
In this Listen & Learn activity, students will listen to a high-quality 30-minute podcast focused on the heroic actions of Robert Smalls, a man enslaved in South Carolina who took command of a Confederate ship during the Civil War to liberate himself and his family from their captors.
The easy prep lesson materials in this download include:
• A list of suggested lesson procedures with several links to use to access the podcast online. Some of these sites allow users to download the program and keep it on their personal mp3 players, a great option if the internet isn’t always reliable in your classroom. (PDF)
• A two-page handout with questions for students to answer both while they listen to the podcast and after the program is finished (PDF & Google Drive)
• A two-page answer key to make grading easy and to provide talking points as you review the answers with your students (PDF)
This lesson, designed for students in grades 8-12, will take about 45 minutes to complete or a bit longer if you review answers/allow students to debate some of the questions.
Want more podcast-based lessons at a 20% discount?
Check out the Listen & Learn 5-Pack Bundle #1 here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Listening-Skills-Podcasts-5-Pack-Listen-Learn-Bundle-PDF-Google-Drive-CCSS-3206742
Click here for the Listen & Learn 5-Pack Bundle #2:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Listening-Skills-Podcasts-5-Pack-Listen-Learn-Bundle-2-PDF-Google-Drive-6952062
Thanks for stopping by!
Cover image credits
Robert Smalls: National Park Service, Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Headphones: Marcus Quigmire, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Listening-Skills-Podcast-Activity-Listen-Learn-10-PDF-Google-Drive-5696690