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Students create their own picture dictionary using common classroom objects. They draw pictures, label them in both their home language and English, and practice pronunciation. Great for vocabulary development and speaking skills!

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Interactive TPR (Total Physical Response) activity where students respond to basic commands in English. Use movement to demonstrate understanding: 'Stand up,' 'Sit down,' 'Touch your head.' Perfect for developing listening comprehension!

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🖐️5 TPR Games 🎲to use in your English Classes🧑‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫

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Using simple picture books, students participate in guided reading activities. They point to pictures, repeat key phrases, and answer yes/no questions about the story. Excellent for building reading and speaking confidence.

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Students maintain interactive science journals where they sketch experiments, write observations, and use academic vocabulary in context. They can include diagrams with labeled parts and simple explanations.

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Students work in small groups to act out math word problems. They create simple scripts using mathematical vocabulary and present their solutions to the class. Great for integrating speaking and math concepts!

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Using a Problem-Based Task with Fourth Graders to Create Deep Engagement in Math

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Paired reading activity using grade-appropriate biographies. Students take turns reading, discussing key details, and completing graphic organizers about the subject's life events. Excellent for reading comprehension and academic vocabulary.

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Students select age-appropriate news articles, summarize the main points, and write their opinions using academic language. They can comment on classmates' posts and engage in written discussions. Great for developing writing skills!

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Weekly challenges where students identify academic vocabulary words that appear across multiple subjects (like 'analyze' in both science and literature). They create example sentences showing different contexts.

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Students create multimedia presentations about historical events or scientific processes. They write scripts using academic language, record narration, and include relevant images. Excellent for integrating technology and language skills!

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Listen Up: A Digital Storytelling project

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Create a listening center with grade-appropriate academic podcasts. Students complete guided note-taking templates and discuss main ideas. Perfect for developing academic listening skills across content areas.

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If you haven't thought about how you might use podcasts in your teaching, take note: The percentage of people who listen to podcasts each month continues to rise, and educators are discovering lots of opportunities in listening to (and creating!) podcasts.

There are lots of benefits to using podcasts in the classroom. For one, most podcasts are free (though you'll probably have to fast-forward through some ads). And you can find podcasts on nearly every topic, from science questions to lesser-known history, and in nearly every genre, from short fiction to in-depth journalism. Plus, they address common concerns among teachers about listening skills and attention spans.

To help you get started, we've put together a list of our favorite podcasts for the classroom. Use the grade recommendations as a guide, and age them up or down as needed. Some content in these podcasts can be mature, so always preview the episodes before you share them with students. Plus, a couple are available in Spanish as well!

Quentin and Alfie's ABC Adventures
Grades Pre-K to K
Alfie and his babysitter, Quentin, visit places associated with letters of the alphabet. Through songs, friends, and activities, each letter is celebrated in the 26 episodes of the podcast. Another five episodes give special attention to the vowels!

Grades K-2
This PBS Kids podcast is hosted by Christina and Andrés, who introduce different careers in each episode. A guest describes what they do for work, and details are shared with catchy songs and activities to do while listening. They also make time to weave in Spanish words and phrases.

Grades Pre-K-5
Circle Round is an engaging, gentle storytime podcast aimed at kids. In every episode, narrator Rebecca Sheir tells a lesser-known folktale or story from around the world, helped by a rotating voice cast of talented stage and screen actors. The stories are captivating and compelling, and are nearly always accompanied by a positive message or moral. Free coloring pages are available for each story.

Grades K-5
Nothing can really match original stories from kids when it comes to absurd comedy. In each episode, the Story Pirates crew-a group of talented improvisers pretending to be pirates-read short stories written and submitted by kids and then reenact them with hilarious results. There are even original songs, famous guest stars, and interviews with the young authors about how it feels to have their work adapted. Kids can submit their stories to Story Pirates (with the help of a grown-up), which could make for a fun, real-world way to end a classroom writing unit.

Grades K-5
Wow in the World takes kids (and their grown-ups) on a journey fueled by curiosity and wonder. In this weekly show, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz explore the science behind topics that kids will love, from singing mice and wombat poop to the amazing power of a dog's nose. Teachers can get access to classroom activities and conversation starters with a membership to Tinkercast, the company that produces Wow in the World.

(and in Spanish)
Grades 1-6
Similar to But Why, this is another podcast that takes kid-submitted science questions and answers them with the help of experts. What makes this one different is that it tends to skew a bit older, both in its questions and answers, and it has a different kid co-host each week. The result is a fun show that's as silly as it is educational. Teachers can encourage students to take one of the topics and research it more completely, or to use it as a jumping-off point for science experiments and research-related questions.

(and in Spanish)
Grades 3-6
Often compared to a kid-friendly Radiolab (see below), this podcast not only addresses fascinating topics, but also tries to foster a love of science itself by interviewing scientists about their process and discoveries. The hosts don't assume that listeners have a science background-but even kids who think they don't like science may change their minds after listening to this podcast. Teaching materials for the episodes are available for purchase on the podcast's website.

Grades 3-8
This fun and fast-moving spin-off of the popular Brains On! podcast is in a kid-friendly debate format. A kid judge listens to and scores the rousing, fact-based arguments of two contestants. With episodes like "Piranhas vs. Venus Flytraps" and "Pizza vs. Tacos," kids will be hooked, and they won't even notice that they're learning how to defend their ideas along the way. Use Smash Boom Best in a persuasive writing or speech unit, or as a fun addition to your science or history class!

Rebel Girls: Growing Up Powerful
Grades 4-8
Based on the hit book series, these short episodes focus on growing up, puberty, mental health, and more. There are expert interviews and a lot of variety. The biggest downside is that free episodes are limited, but if you're teaching these topics, this podcast could be a great companion piece of content!

Grades 6-12
Science Friday with Ira Flatow covers a variety of complex science topics, from the first Apollo moon landing to climate change and how exercise affects the heart. On the show's website, listeners can access full episodes or choose from a selection of shorter segments from the episode. Related articles and videos are also available to supplement the audio. For teachers, there are free STEM activities, lessons, and resources.

Grades 6-12
One of the largest oral history projects of its kind, StoryCorps has recorded the stories of over 250,000 people in the United States. Students at just about any grade level or in any subject area can use the interviews in a variety of ways, including as writing prompts, discussion topics, primary sources for research projects, and more. Students also can record their own stories. StoryCorps Education provides teachers with free lesson plans and support to use StoryCorps in the classroom.

Stuff You Missed in History Class
Grades 6-12
Little-known history comes alive three times a week in this fascinating, comprehensive podcast from the people at HowStuffWorks. With a focus on weird events, overlooked stories, and underrepresented groups, this popular series is educational, too. The extensive archive is easily searchable by topic. Teachers can find supplemental material for lessons on the civil rights movement, European history, World War II, and much more.

Grades 6-12
This popular NPR radio show and podcast combines personal stories, journalism, and even stand-up comedy for an enthralling hour of content. Host Ira Glass does a masterful job of drawing in listeners and weaving together several "acts" or segments on a big, relatable theme. Teachers can browse the education resources on the show's website to learn how other teachers are using This American Life in the classroom. Many episodes feature mature concepts and swearing, so always preview the episodes before sharing with students.

Grades 6-12
This I Believe was a radio series on NPR (now archived) that focused on the writing, sharing, and discussing of people's core beliefs through short personal essays. In the classroom, teachers can use This I Believe to get students to write about their own experiences. Personal experiences, beliefs, and values can make a rich foundation for classroom discussions, but you'll want to make sure you've created a safe space for sharing. A companion book and website offer plenty of resources for teachers and students to work on personal essays.

A Slight Change of Plans
Grades 8-12
This podcast is all about "who we are and who we become in the face of big change." Many episodes feature an interview with someone who has had an intense experience and emerged stronger on the other side. Other stories are less intense and lighter. There are some ties to history, mental health, difficult choices, and more.

Grades 9-12
Part of the New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning project observing the 400th anniversary of American slavery, this audio series is challenging, thought-provoking, and an essential resource for teaching about the history and legacy of slavery. Consider pairing the series with the 1619 Project Curriculum from the Pulitzer Center.

Grades 9-12
Another excellent resource for learning about race and culture, this NPR podcast looks at news and history through a multiracial, multigenerational, and multicultural lens. Although some episodes might not be appropriate for younger students, the creators of the podcast have created a playlist of kid-friendly episodes.
Frannie Ucciferri contributed to this article.

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25 Great Learning Podcasts for the Classroom | Common Sense Education

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Add diverse voices and fresh content to your lessons with free, high-quality podcasts.

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Structured academic conversations using sentence frames and content-specific vocabulary. Topics rotate between science, social studies, and literature. Students practice asking and answering questions using academic language.

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Students explore textbooks and academic articles to identify and explain the purpose of text features (headings, captions, graphs). They create their own examples using academic content. Great for developing reading comprehension strategies!

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Step-by-step guidance for writing academic paragraphs and essays. Includes templates for topic sentences, supporting details, and conclusions. Students practice using transition words and academic vocabulary in their writing.

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Graphic organizers involve the intentional manipulation of information by the learner through processes such as repetition, elaboration, and reorganization of the material in such a way that the new information is able to be stored in the learner's memory and accessed for retrieval. The organizers listed under each subject were determined to be useful for working with material relevant to that subject; however, these templates are transferrable to other subject areas as well. Please download the templates for use with your learning and test preparation.

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Graphic organizers involve the intentional manipulation of information by the learner through processes such as repetition, elaboration, and reorganization of the material in such a way that the new information is able to be stored in the learner's memory and accessed for retrieval.