Lesson Plan: Around the World in 80 Podcasts
As I site here in the United Lounge waiting for my flight to London on behalf of MusicFirst, I am reminded of world travel - especially since I have trips coming up to Thailand and Vietnam this Fall. I love experiencing different cultures, and of course their music, and I was reminded of a lesson plan that I wrote as a part of the Podcasting Across the Curriculum publication that I wrote titled Around the World in 80 Podcasts. The lesson and project are perfect for students Grades 4 and up, and can easily be taught in any subject area. What follows is the lesson plan and project overview. I hope that you can use it with your students in the new school year. Enjoy!
Objectives
PROJECT: Around the World in 80 Podcasts
Subject Area: All subjects
Suggested Grade Levels: Elementary/Middle School/High School
Suggested Length of Time: 3-5 class sessions (if done during class), 5-10 days if done outside of class time.
Materials
Suggested Resources
Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage: https://folklife.si.edu/expand-your-cultural-education/smithsonian
Smithsonian World Music Pedagogy Courses: https://folkways.si.edu/world-music-pedagogy-courses
Bradshaw Foundation: https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/
Field Museum: World Cultures: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/educators/learning-resources/world-cultures
Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/places
PBS Learning Media – World Cultures Collection: https://thinktv.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/world-cultures-pbskids/
Around the World with Ayla – student-created podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3lhK8EHdOXm9XjHEcIfPlW
Around the World with Mr. Clark podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4eKIulCjxyHWRPMcm3h6Ro
Free QR code generator: https://www.qr-code-generator.com/
GENERIC PODCAST GRADING RUBRIC
STUDENT PROJECT GUIDE "Around the World in 80 Podcasts"
Teacher Procedure
Project Description: Around the World in 80 Podcasts
This project, which focuses on cultural diversity and awareness, is perfect for a school-wide multicultural festival or celebration, world history unit, foreign language class, music class, or art class. Students will work in small groups to create a podcast about an assigned country that will provide the listener with information about the country, its history, its people, its culture, its language, its food, and any other interesting facts. The focus of the podcast can be adapted to fit the type of class this project is assigned in.
Students will research their given country, write a script using the Draft>Edit>Revise process, include representative music (if available), and answer the questions included in the Project Requirements.
The students will also find an image of the country’s flag to be used when distributing the podcast. Teachers can create a bulletin board that includes those flags and add a QR code next to each flag so that other members of the school community can easily listen to information about that country. There are many other creative ways to disseminate these podcasts, including adding them to the school or class website.
Around The World in 80 Podcasts
The world is an amazing place. With over 7.7 billion people living in 195 different countries, speaking over 7,000 different languages, the world is very diverse, and that diversity makes it a fascinating place to live. Have you ever visited a foreign country? Did anyone in your family immigrate to the United States? Does anyone in your family speak another language? Do you speak another language? What makes each country special? What makes them similar or different than where you live?
In this project you will work in small groups to produce a podcast about an assigned country. You will research that country using the resources provided to you by your teacher. Your podcast should inform the listener about various aspects of the country’s culture, history, and people. You can include traditional music in your podcast, as well as stories, myths, descriptions of the food, famous people, famous sites, and any interesting information that you think your listeners need to know about the country. Have fun, be creative, and try to fulfill all the requirements listed below.
Project Requirements:
· Your podcast should be 5-10 minutes in length and should include the following information about your assigned country:
The name of the country
Population of the country
Geographic location
Language(s) spoken
Historical highlights
How did the country form?
Who is the political leader of the country?
What kind of government do they have?
What is the country known for?
Cultural highlights
What kind of foods do they eat there?
Traditional stories or myths
Interesting facts about the country
You will write a script using the Draft>Edit>Revise process with your teacher.
Once your script is approved, you will record your podcast in Soundtrap.
Your podcast episode should include an image of the flag of the country.
Your podcast may include audio clips of traditional music (if available).
When you have completed your podcast, submit it to your teacher for assessment and distribution.
If you’d like a printable project guide for this lesson/project, just click HERE.