Learning Network: Our Student Podcast Contest and Related Webinar

A Unit Plan and Mentor Text too!

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 24, 2020

Dear Reader,

We’re running our Third Annual Podcast Contest right now for middle and high school students until May 19. To enter, students should submit a five-minute podcast on any subject they want, including sports, music, politics and literature. They can work individually or as a team, and they can create their podcasts from home.

If you’re not sure how to get started with podcasting, we just published two new resources that can help: our Podcasting Unit and our Podcasting Mentor Text. Each provides a step-by-step guide for creating an original podcast, and we offer 23 winning student podcasts as models.

Last, sign up for our free webinar on April 29 to help you learn more about our podcast contest and podcasting in general. After all, podcasting is a great way for students to strengthen their writing, research and digital media skills. We hope you’ll join us!

All the best,

Michael Gonchar, Editor

ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS contests Our Third Annual Student Podcast Contest Is Now Open We invite students to submit an original podcast and we’ll select our favorites to feature on The Learning Network. By The Learning Network student opinion How Are You Feeling About Missing Prom? Millions of students are not having the end of school year they thought they would. What spring traditions and special events have been lost or transformed at your school? By Shannon Doyne and Michael Gonchar What’s Going On in This Picture? | April 20, 2020 Look closely at this image, stripped of its caption, and join the moderated conversation about what you and other students see. By The Learning Network Film Club: ‘This Video May Not Be Real’ Can we trust what we see and hear? By The Learning Network student opinion What Does Your Accent Say About Who You Are? Are you proud of your accent? Do you have favorite slang or expressions from your city or town? How important is your accent to your identity? By Nicole Daniels weekly news quiz for students Weekly News Quiz for Students: U.S. Funding Halt, SAT Exams, Global Concert How well did you follow the news this past week? How many of these 10 questions can you get right? Compiled by Jeremy Engle and John Otis student opinion How Can You Tell a Story About Your Life Right Now Through a Few Simple Numbers? Number of times you opened the refrigerator today? TikTok videos watched? Different outfits worn this week? Show us what your day or week looks like right now by giving us some numbers. By Katherine Schulten student opinion Is Your Family Experiencing Greater Conflict During a Time of Self-Quarantine? Some conflict is normal in a family, but when we’re staying inside together for days on end, is it inevitable? By Jeremy Engle

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RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS mentor texts Making a Podcast That Matters: A Guide With Examples From 23 Students This step-by-step format takes you from finding the right topic to researching, outlining and scripting, all illustrated with examples from the student winners of our previous Podcast Contests. By Nicole Daniels and Katherine Schulten writing curriculum Unit 6: Writing for Podcasts In this unit, students explore a kind of composing that may be new to them but which draws on skills they’ve practiced all year. The sequence culminates in a creative challenge they can do from home. By The Learning Network professional development Live Webinar: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts Join us on April 29 as The Learning Network walks you through how students can strengthen their writing, research and digital media skills by creating their own podcasts. By The Learning Network current events Lesson of the Day: ‘50 Years of Earth Day: What’s Better Today, and What’s Worse’ In this lesson, students will learn about the impact and legacy of Earth Day, and consider the changes they would like to see in the next half-century. By Jeremy Engle current events Lesson of the Day: ‘The Heartbreaking Last Texts of a Hospital Worker on the Front Lines’ In this lesson, students will learn about the courage and humanity of health care professionals — and the dangers they face in battling a pandemic. By Jeremy Engle current events Lesson of the Day: ‘The Daily | The Next Year (or Two) of the Pandemic’ What is next for the United States? In this lesson, students will consider the possible paths out of the pandemic. By Natalie Proulx current events Lesson of the Day: ‘The Lost Diaries of War’ In this lesson, students will consider the power of first-person accounts in understanding history — and begin to write one of their own. By Natalie Proulx

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ELSEWHERE IN THE TIMES adolescence Helping Teens Make Room for Uncomfortable Emotions Psychological health includes being able to bear unpleasant feelings. By Lisa Damour Online School Demands More of Teachers. Unions Are Pushing Back. Educators say they want to teach from home during the pandemic, but are fighting to limit work hours and counter demands that they consider unreasonable. By Dana Goldstein and Eliza Shapiro In Denmark, the Rarest of Sights: Classrooms Full of Students Danish elementary schools have become the first in Europe to reopen after shutting down for the coronavirus. Our reporter visited one in southern Denmark, which could become a template for a post-lockdown world. By Patrick Kingsley and Emile Ducke

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