Podcasts in the high school English classroom are a great way to bring some surprise into your lessons. Using podcasts in the classroom provides an easy way to hit those speaking and listening standards and can be especially helpful to enhance a unit or add an additional standalone lesson at the end of the unit or end of the year. You can assign these for hybrid learning, send links for remote learning, or just use them to enhance lessons. Read on for 20 podcasts you might like to use in class.
#1: This I Believe
People from all walks of life share their core personal beliefs through this NPR podcast.
#2: The Daily by The New York Times
Keep students up-to-date on current events through The New York Times. Twenty minutes a day is a perfect timeframe.
#3: Serial
Each season unfolds a singular storyline and consists of three seasons so far. If you’re looking to practice predictions and mystery with true crime, this is a great stop.
#4: TED Talks Daily
Every weekday, Elise Hu brings a thought-provoking podcast to TED Talks Daily. Topics are wide-ranged and are given by leading thinkers and creators.
#5: Stuff You Should Know
A personal favorite, this podcast covers a variety of topics researched by hosts Chuck and Josh. There are a lot of “how stuff works” as well as topics on a variety of persons.
#6: That High School Life
Joe Ticar, a vice-principal and guidance counselor from an international German school, hosts this podcast with topics centered on high school. Topics surround life in high school.
#7: Overheard at National Geographic
This podcast focuses on science and society. This year, topics have included saving manta rays, farming, a boiling river, and turning old cell phones into helpful green guardians.
#8: Hidden Brain
This podcast looks at the patterns of human behavior, covering relationships, life, and the individual nuances that make us who we are.
#9: Inside the Admissions Office
A cool go-to if you’re interested in understanding the ins and outs of college admissions. This podcast interviews former admissions officers, admissions experts, and graduates. A great place to find tips and experiences for students applying to higher education.
#10: Reply All
“A show about the internet” – featuring stories about how people have shaped the internet and how the internet has shaped people.
#11: Stuff You Missed in History Class
What you wish history class was like in high school. Episodes air twice a week and cover the “greatest and strangest” of human history.
#12: How Stuff Works
A huge variety of topics in compacted snippets. How Stuff Works has a variety of shows so you can find just about any topic: the brain, history, tech stuff, car stuff – you name it, you can probably find it.
#13: 99% Invisible
Have you ever thought about rumble strips? Maybe not, but the 99% Invisible podcast focuses on illuminating the unnoticed parts of architecture and design that we, well, just don’t think about.
#14: Grammar Girl
Short, friendly tips to improve your writing in bite-sized episodes. Word choice guidelines and grammar faux paus will help enlighten some real-world examples for students to consider in their own writing.
#15: A Way with Words
If you’re interested in the history of the English language and how it stays a living language, this is a podcast for your class. A fun podcast that explores the changes in language – new words and sayings, oldies but goodies, slangs, family expressions, etymology, dialects, etc.
#16: Two Book Minimum
The “funnier side of reading” is explored during these podcast conversations/book reviews with Dan Wilbur.
#17: BBC: The Listening Project
There are a lot of similarities to This I Believe, in that this podcast is a collection of conversations that is actively added to via the BBC in partnership with the British Library.
#18: Lore
Award-winning real life scary stories – dark side of history, creatures, and our worst nightmares. Each episode explores a different historical tale.
#19: 60 Second Health
The latest on health and science in one-minute snippets.
#20: American Icons
Stories behind America’s greatest works of arts. Explore a number of historical figures, authors, and great literary works.
Of course you should definitely vet any podcast you choose to listen to in the classroom, just like you would vet an article or literary work. Not everything will be appropriate for your specific classroom.
Once you find a great episode that you want to use, take a look at my engaging resource to infuse podcasts into your lesson. I’ve included podcast worksheets, a Google Slides companion for digital use, and plenty of assessment ideas. Find it here for a ready to go resource to use with any podcast you find.
Happy teaching!
