Listen Current: Leveraging public radio for learning

1. Evocative Writing: When you have no pictures to show your readers what you are talking about, radio reporters must rely more on carefully chosen words that allow listeners to form pictures in their minds. In this profile of a politically active 11-year-old, the words bring the main character to life. Listening is a great mode of delivery for informational “texts”. Public radio stories can be a great example of spoken academic language.
2. Emotion: Both print and radio reporters interview people for their stories. But only in radio do you hear how someone sounds when they voice their thoughts or opinions. You can hear if they are angry, sad or scared. This gives students a powerful connection to the speaker. In this look at unequal policing the emotion is raw and clear.
3. Pacing: Radio announcers use techniques in their voicing that keep you listening. They create drama with their voice. They speed up or slow down to guide your ear through the story. This story takes you to a little league watch party in Chicago, and its artful pacing keeps you engaged and wanting more.
4. A Sense of Place: Audio stories often take the listener into the story with ambient sound that makes you feel like you are in a different place. A story about antibiotics and chickens starts in a hatchery where little chicks are peeping.
5. Length: In under 5 minutes, public radio stories give students lots of the background they need to understand the story. But they also leave them wanting more, asking questions. And that’s where we want, right? Wanting more. In just four minutes students can get an overview of the Scottish independence referendum and consider how this will impact Scotland’s future.

While sign-up and access the stories and teacher resources is free, Listen Current is looking for teachers interested in beta testing a premium version that will include transcripts, online graphic organizers, differentiation strategies, a teacher dashboard offering the ability to create assignments and metrics to track student progress, the ability to edit questions and assignments.   To volunteer to offer feedback, write to at warren@listencurrent.com.