Forest Hill Elementary School

Student NPR Podcast Challenge

5th graders participated in creating podcasts for an NPR challenge.

5th grade students in Mrs. Hart's and Ms. Ensor's classes completed a huge milestone this year - finishing their first podcasts! 

This was a student directed inquiry task with a focus on writing, research, listening and speaking standards as well as an emphasis the POGs such as self direction, collaboration, communication, and empathy. Teachers gave the students the guidelines and constraints as presented by NPR, taught them how to use SoundTrap to create original music and pristine audio recordings, and provided them with an outline to help organize their podcast. Classes also listened to a variety of podcasts and analyzed their format. 
Mrs. Hart says, "As educators, understand that we need to provide students with the skills needed to communicate effectively with a broader audience. This was an excellent opportunity for our 5th graders and allowed them exposure to an authentic listening audience."
Here are a sampling of podcasts that were submitted to NPR:

The History of the NFL (Enzo, Dylan N., Dylan C.) 

What’s the Buzz? (Mohisha, Audrey A. & Anna) 

Positive Health (Audrey Y. & Malia) 

Depression in Minors (Clementine & Audrey C.) 

Environmental Stress (Elsa, Arya & Kayla) 

Technoblade (Kallahan, Luke & Soham) 

A Healthier Choice (Jace & Tashi)

Soccer History (Keshav, Landon, Yonghun)

Save Our Schools (Kyra, Violet, Chloe) 

Dogs and Cats with Bad Reputations (Devyn & Kieran) 

Which is Better, Cats or Dogs? (Colin & Donovan)