Podcasting with First Grade
If you have not thought of podcasting with your younger elementary school students, I encourage you to think again.
The first graders at my school had listened to the second grade podcast about animals, and had really enjoyed their story.They were especially thrilled that the second graders had received so many comments from teachers around the world. Believe it or not, but having an audience matters… even to 6 year olds.
They were enthusiastic and eager to record their own voices to get them “into other people’s computers and iPods” too.
I had started reading a chapter book called Vacation under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne from the Magic Tree House series with them.
The idea was to pretend that we were interviewing Jack and Annie, the two main characters, about their latest adventure that had taken them to Pompeii.
We read one chapter at a time and discussed as a class, what happened as we were reading. After each  reading, I typed up all the questions and answers that students had came up with. The following time I went to their classroom, we recorded these questions and answers from the “script”.
I rotated all students to be either the interviewer, Jack (boys) and Annie (girls). I also had them record several segments as a class chant together (ex. gasping, “no children allowed”), which they seemed to enjoy very much.
Recording with Garageband
I had several students at a time come to the back of the class and record directly into Garageband, while the other students were silently working on classroom work or reading a book. A few times, I also took them out into the hallway, if the teacher had another activity planned in the classroom.
- I was amazed how cooperative and attentive to what was going on with the recording in the back of the room while it was not their turn.
- Several students started to take a real interest in the editing part of the podcast too. They were verifying that I was editing out any clicking noises that were included when I stopped the recording segment, or if a word was repeated twice.
- If they were not happy with their recording, they asked to record over it for a second, third or fourth time.
- Shy and quiet students were coming out of their shell. Their classmates were surprised and impressed of these new “podcast” voices they were hearing from them.
Recording in the Hallway
Recording:
- After demonstrating the difference in the sound of their voices and fluency, students agreed to NOT read off the script.
- I read one sentence at a time to the student who was to record. I let them practice saying the sentence out loud and coached them with their volume, melody and to use different acting voices.
- Some students needed to have sentences split into parts. Putting each sentence back together made it sound seamless in the recording.
- I could tell a drastic improvement among students in their confidence level and voice expression as we progressed in the book.
After class,
- I “cleaned” the recording tracks
- added music and sound effects
The class couldn’t wait to hear the entire recording the next day. They wanted to hear the audio from start to finish, including the newest chapter clips. They begged to hear it again and again from the beginning and not only the added part. By the time we reached the end of the book they had heard the podcast over 20 times. 
Skills addressed:
- listening
- speaking
- presenting
- comprehension
- storytelling
- performance
- voice acting
- oral fluency
- media
- technology
Take a “listen” and leave a comment to these first graders who worked very hard and enthusiastically on their recording. Let them know where you are from too. We will create a google map with placemarks to show how far their voices reached.
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Thank you for leaving our first graders comments. You are making a worldwide audience real for them and are keeping them motivated. We are tracking them on our Google Map. Once you leave a comment with your location, we will add you to our Google Map.
View MJGDS- 1st Grade Podcast: Magic Tree House in a larger map
Wow! What an awesome podcast. You guys did such and amazing job! I can’t wait to play this for some of the students in my school. Keep up the great work!
Great job 1st graders! I am so impressed!!! I live in Memphis, TN. Keep up the great work!
From the frozen tundra in Minnesota, congratulations to all those fine readers. I really enjoyed listening to them and the excitement they brought to their reading.
Happy Holidays to all!
I am so impressed with all of you! We love Magic Treehouse books in our home and I often use them to help adults learn to read (so they can read to their children). You all sound so professional. I can’t wait to see what you do next!
From Bishop, CA, in the Eastern Sierra mountains…
I really enjoyed your class podcast about a favorite book here at my school! Your voices were so full of expression too. It was just like I was really listening to Jack and Annie answering questions in real life. Your explanations of hard words was terrific. I am going to encourage the first graders in my school to try this kind of recording too! Thank you for sharing your work.
Sue, in Short Hills, New Jersey
Fantastic job 1st graders! I find your ability to speak so clearly a great achievement since I have worked with middle school and high school students that could not be as clearly spoken. Keep up the great work. I hope to hear further podcasts from you.
Sorry, forgot to mention from Sterling, Kansas, USA
Hi from Elk River, Minnesota. Great job on your podcast! Keep up the good work!
Great job 1st graders! We’ll have to try something like this at our school in Arlington, VA.
My 1st and 3rd grade daughters LOVED listening to your story. Thanks for sharing!
L, M & M in Madison, WI.
I think your voices were lovely and clear. Were you reading or were you making it up?
Well done.
Allanah King
Appleby School
Nelson
New Zealand
great story, excellent production. my 5 year old loved it.
well done everyone.
Hi 1st graders-
I loved listening to your podcast. I could tel you worked on your fluency and expression. The vocabulary learned through reading the book also showed. Magic Tree House books are fun. Thanks for sharing!
4th Grade Teacher at AIS/D
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Guys, you are really fourth or fifth graders, aren’t you? This was really good, you did not sound like me when I was in the first grade (just a little after Pompeii’s volcano!)
Seriously, wondeful job, wonderful voices, and great fun to listen to. I teach young people in Northern Thailand, I am going to have them listen to this and try to do the same kind of project. I don’t know if they will do as well as you all did…they are only seventh and eighth graders (but they are learning English).
Really, really a great job.
Thank you…or as we say here “Kawp Khun Khrap! Kawp Khun, Mak Mak.
More, more, more.
Well done! I thought podcasting would be a bit tricky for my Early Childhood School students here in Perth, Western Australia, but you did an amazing job! I can’t wait to try it! Keep up the good work.
I’m listening to your podcast in cold, cold Massachusetts. It’s so professional. Good work, Kids!
Hi! I am from Florida. Thank for this great podcast. Boys and girls you did an outstanding job and I enjoyed listening to your wonderful voices. My grandchildren love the Magic Tree House books and I will have them listen to this too. Have a wonderful holiday season.
Well done! You sound like you are having such a lot of fun. What a great way to show all that you have learned. I’ve been to Pompeii and climbed the volcano – there are still wafts of smoke and the smell of sulphur is very strong – like bad eggs! Its an amazing place; I hope you get to go there some time.
Caroline
Burravoe School, Yell, Shetland Islands, Scotland
This is why I nominated you for Edublog! You do such great stuff!
Wow-you guys did a super job of making this a very exciting interview! I enjoyed hearing this and will play your podcast for my 2nd graders on Monday! I know they will all want to read this Jack and Annie story. I especially liked your excitement and your sound effects! I hear about your podcast on Twitter! Thanks for sharing!
I work at an all boys school in Memphis, Tennessee, home of Elvis Presley!
This is so cool! You did a great job! We are in Spain and listened with our daughter.
Guess what? We went to Pompeii and took that book with us! http://www.soultravelers3.com/2008/04/pompeiiburied-a.html
Wow! Very impressive! I teach kindergarten in CA and I am inspired by all of you to try a project like this with my class. You all did such a wonderful job! Kudos to your teacher as well
Dear Students,
I am a reading specialist in California and I have to tell you that your podcast was absolutely amazing! The hard work you put into it was obvious. You came up with great questions and answers. Not only that, your fluency is truly spectacular. This sounds like it could be on TV. Your passion and excitement for this project comes shining through and it warms my heart. I hope you will make more podcasts and share them with the world because you are right, books can take us anywhere we want!
Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!!!!!!
A note to the teacher: I cannot tell you how impressed I am by this and thankful that you shared it. I also appreciate that you gave such clear directions on how to do it. I hope many teachers will follow in your footsteps. I was blown away!
Hi from Western North Carolina. I am forwarding this site URL to my son’s diversity Charter school and their technology media teacher. This is just amazing and I think all the elementary grades would be excited by this concept and eager to imitate these innovative creative efforts! Thanks for disseminating this novel idea. A real service and kudos to the students.
Frank Miller MD, Cherokee NC
I am sorry, I don’t believe you! These can not be first graders… they must be in year 6 or something, this work is just too professional
Seriously, the class have done a great job and we in Bowral Australia are mightily impressed!
Regards,
LauraW
Great interviews, first graders! I am a college professor in northwest Iowa, and I look forward to sharing your podcast with my students who are learning to teach. You will be teaching teachers! I think my first grade daughter is going to enjoy your interviews with Annie and Jack, too. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent podcast, first graders! I can tell that you really enjoyed the story Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne! You had great questions during your interviews and wonderful answers. I loved your “podcast voices” and sound effects. This was a great way to incorporate technology into reading and social studies class. I am SURE you learned so many things as you completed this project. Way to go! Keep up the good work! I teach first grade in Gettysburg, PA.
Great job! So when can you do a podcast on place value in math? Can you do one and have visuals too?
Oops. I live in Delaware.
Great job on your podcasts and your research! I look forward to passing these along to the students in my schools!
I am from Sparta, NJ 07871
Excellent work, you guys! My kids love the Magic Treehouse series and are jealous that they didn’t get to do what you have done here when they were in first grade. I’m even sharing your work with my university graduate students… they are learning that first graders can really do amazing things when they are encouraged to. You should give your teacher a big “high five”!
Well done… (from Rochester, NY)
wonderful kids! you all are reading so well! ur teacher must be a very lovely teacher, she does so lovely things for you keep ur good work up
waiting to listen to more of ur lovely voices
Hello, first graders, from Southfield, Michigan. I can tell that you worked very hard on your podcast. Great work!
Hello
Excellent work. I loved your podcast. I’ve become your greatest fan.
Eva
Your podcast was great! My second grade enjoys The Magic Tree House Books. Maybe I should try something like this with them, you are inspiring me!
Congratulations! Excellent work! Buenos Aires Argentina
WOW!! I can’t believe you are in 1st grade – are you sure you aren’t in 4th grade?? You came up with some terrific questions and did a great job answering the questions as Jack and Annie. You are so expressive too, and it was a great idea to include explanations of difficult words. I’m so impressed. I am going to share this with my 5th grade students tomorrow – I’m sure they will love it too. They will probably want to do a podcast like you!
Congratulations from New York City.
Great job! I enjoyed listening. The sound effects were really fun. I will share your podcast with students at my school this week. I’m sure they will love it too. Keep up the great work!
Felicidades from Snowy Mountains of Colorado
Awesome job Jacks, Annies and interviewers!
Guess what? I have experience acting as Jack also! One time we changed our whole elementary school in NJ into Jack and Annie’s adventures! The front of the school was decorated like their tree house and each classroom was a different time and place that Jack and Annie visited. We even had a room that was Pompei! When students visited the rooms they learned all about Jack and Annie’s adventures and the places and time periods where they traveled.
I hope you get a chance to read more Magic Tree House Books and make more podcasts. Learning is lots of fun, isn’t it?!
WOW! I’m in Maryland and thought you all were terrific. You made me want to learn more about Pompeii! Keep up the great work and remember to thank your teacher for coming up with such an exciting idea for a lesson!
Hello from Beijing, China.
Wow, what a wonderful podcast. I love the Magic Treehouse books. We have many of them in our Library here at our school.
Your voices were very clear and exciting to listen to.
I am going to have my Grade 3 class listen to your podcast and maybe we will make one also about one of our favourite books.
Thanks for sharing with the world.
I loved your podcast! All the time and work you put into it really showed.
Wow, you did a great job first graders! I am amazed but the quality of this podcast, it is an excellent performance, well done!
Alice Ayel from Weimar, in Germany.
Hello from Northern Virginia (very close to Washington, DC),
I enjoyed listening to your podcast. I will have to share it with the first grade teachers at my school so they can let their students listen to it too.
I liked how you spoke so clearly and with enthusiasm. I liked the different emotions I heard in your voices (for example, surprise & exasperation). You “played” your parts well.
Kudos to you all!
Aloha from Honolulu, Hawaii!
Maika’i loa (Excellent in Hawaiian) I can’t wait to share this with the students at my school. You were wonderful. Mahalo for sharing your time and talents!
Hana hou! (do it again!)
G’day !st graders from Sydney, Australia!
I loved hearing your interview with Jack and Annie – it’s been a long time since I was in school, but we never got to do such fun projects and your voices are all so clear.
Well done and keep it up!
David
Great project idea! The First Graders did a great job on the questions and answers. I will share this with the teachers in my district and hopefully soon we will be making podcasts, too. Keep up the great work! I am from Lemont, IL.
Wow! This is wonderful. First graders, you did a great job. I love how your read with expression and fluency. The retelling of the story was very interesting.
Thanks for sharing from Portsmouth, Virginia.
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