So much of what was popular generations ago is being recycled into pop culture today. Jurassic Park, Top Gun, reboots on top of reboots, heck even Call of Duty and Fortnite had a season where you could play as 80's action heroes. Personally, I'm not a huge fan. The original is better like 90% of the time. However, I have found one resampling of nostalgia that gets me in my feels while also adapting to the new world that it lives in. My friends, I introduce you to LEVAR BURTON READS.
The podcast series features former Reading Rainbow Host Levar Burton and takes everything that you loved about the children's show and packs it into an easily digestible podcast. They have immersive episodes that incorporate sound effects behind the readings and feature some of the best new short stories from a diverse group of authors.
Studies have show that students can retain more information when being read to and while I know everyone loves popcorn reading or standing at the front of the room and droning on while your class falls asleep, think about how great it would be to have a professional reader in your class who's life has been devoted to entertaining people. Give the kids a virtual handout to keep notes on and you can focus on classroom management.
Many of the stories are written by less recognized authors and I think it'd be quite possible for teachers to contact and get them to zoom in for one of the classes or just answer a few questions.
I know content is dead and all, but maybe new content can gain life with new delivery devices like the podcast.
https://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/
I loved Reading Rainbow as a kid and last night a butterfly flew by and both my husband and I started singing the theme song!! I'm so glad you found this podcast, I had no idea. I can't wait to figure out how to 'bring him in' to my classroom.
ReplyDeleteHi Josh! Thank you so much for sharing this is such an amazing podcast. I have already listened to a few episodes and I am hooked! It is amazing how nostalgia works in that it takes you back to being a kid again. I could see this being a great resource for students, as well as being entertaining for me. I think it would be fun to find an analytical story and apply it to a math lesson (it might not work but who knows haha)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing!
Also the comment above is from Devan haha
DeleteHey Josh, this is a great way for students to engage with reading content and potentially realize that it's a lot more enjoyable than they thought. I also think there's value as a teacher in showing your students things that got you into reading when you were younger; if they respect you enough as a person and a role model, maybe they'll check it out too!
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