Podcasts in the Classroom
I love listening to podcasts! I get excited when a new science of reading podcast releases and I look forward to longer car rides where I can binge listen to a new series! But surprisingly, it took me a while to consider using podcasts in the classroom with my own students. Truthfully, I didn’t think of it until I saw an email from Zaner-Bloser about their website called Listenwise, a platform that curates kid-friendly podcasts in partnership with NPR. But since I’ve started using podcasts in the class, I can’t stop sharing how much I love student podcasts too!
Why Podcasts?
Podcasts are an excellent tool to bring in to an elementary classroom. Here are some of my favorite reasons why:
Podcasts can help build background knowledge and vocabulary for all students. Background knowledge and vocabulary are highly predictive of reading comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading instruction!
Podcasts promote listening comprehension, an important skill for all students. Since listening comprehension is a precursor to reading comprehension, podcasts can help students strengthen that skill long before they’re decoding complex texts on their own.
Students who struggle with decoding can still access the content of a podcast since they do not need to decode any text while listening. This is an authentic way to build student knowledge when students can read widely on their own.
Podcasts help vary the way students consume content. When mixed in with traditional texts, audiobooks, and videos, students are given another engaging way to learn new information. This is a powerful differentiation strategy.
If you want to read more about the benefits of podcasts, check out these articles from Reading Rockets and Listenwise.
What is Listenwise?
Listenwise has been my go-to website for student-friendly podcasts. They have a free and premium subscription and a large library of podcasts to explore. I have been using the Listenwise free version this school year. I did try the 30-day trial of their premium subscription and it definitely opened up more podcasts and tools for students. In the future I may save the money in my school budget for the premium version, but for now I’m making the free version work!
With the free subscription, you have access to the Current Events podcasts on the Listenwise website. Each podcast includes Listening Comprehension Questions and Discussion Themes that can help in your lesson planning. Students can also listen to the podcast at its original speed or in a slower speed option.
What does it look like in the classroom?
I use podcasts in two main ways in my own 3rd grade classroom: in my comprehension lessons and as a free choice option.
Within comprehension lessons, podcasts are a great way to hook students into a topic at the beginning of a lesson or unit. I also like using them as another way to access new or repeated information. My students love listening about something we recently studied – they make so many connections! And since podcasts do not require any decoding, ALL of my students can access the content.
When I use them within a lesson, I give students a purpose for their listening. This helps them focus their attention on the podcast. After listening to the podcast, students can give their responses orally or in writing. Here are some suggestions:
Ask a question they need to answer after the podcast.
Ask them to listen for a specific vocabulary word or phrase they’ll need to explain.
Make a statement and have them listen for evidence to prove or disprove the statement.
Tell them they have share/explain their opinion after listening.
Pull in text structure work by giving them tasks like these:
Identify something that caused things to happen (cause) and have the students identify the effect. (cause & effect)
Identify a problem and have the students listen for how it was solved. (problem & solution)
Have students listen for how two things are similar or different. (compare & contrast)
Have students identify words that describe something. (description)
Ask students to listen for the order certain events happen. (sequence)
I also like to use podcasts as a choice option. They fit perfectly into center work, as early finisher options, for morning work, and in many other places in the classroom! To make this easy, I created a resource called Podcast Posters that you can find in my TPT store. The resource includes Podcast Posters that I regularly update, as well as a response sheet for students to use after listening to the podcast. If you want to stay in the loop about Podcast Poster updates, follow me on Instagram where I share all the updates!
I’ve also included a template for making your own Podcast Posters. You can add your own title, image, description, and QR code. There are many websites out there for making free QR codes. Here are a few:
In Closing
If you’re just getting started with podcasts in the classroom, I’d encourage you to explore the Listenwise website and check out my Podcast Resources on TPT! Test out a podcast with your whole class and see how they respond! And you can always reach out to me with any questions, comments, or feedback at readingwithmrsif@gmail.com! Happy listening!
