Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Science Fiction

Themes: Family, Loyalty, Bravery, Identity

Avg. Episode Length: 6-7 minutes

No. of Episodes: 204 Episodes (26 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

A young girl is pulled from the water in Juneau, Alaska. The only clue to her origin, a foggy recollection of her name: “Holiday.” As time passes, Holiday grows closer to her adoptive family, and she begins exhibiting remarkable abilities. Who is she? Where did she come from? And are there others like her?

Six Minutes has been widely adopted in 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade level classrooms as part of an ELA curriculum. The fast-paced story and short episodes (5-8 minutes) support heavy classroom engagement and spark focused discussion around core issues.

Nivel: Grados intermedios

Duración media del episodio: 6-7 minutos

No. número de episodios: 204 episodios (26 horas)

Temas: Familia, lealtad, valentía, identidad

Recursos disponibles: Guía de escucha

Una niña joven es sacada de las aguas en Juneau, Alaska. La única pista de su origen es el recuerdo de su nombre: “Holiday”. Con el pasar del tiempo, Holiday se acostumbra a su familia adoptiva y comienza a mostrar habilidades extraordinarias. Pero, ¿quién es ella? ¿De dónde vino? ¿Existen otros como ella?

Esta historia de ritmo rápido y los episodios cortos apoyan la participación activa en el salón de clases y provocan una discusión centrada en los temas centrales y el plan de estudios.

Genres: Adventure, Superhero

Themes: Identity, Duty, Responsibility, Family

Avg. Episode Length: 12-20+ minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (3+ hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

12-year old Chloe is sent to live with her quirky grandmother in Morro Bay, California, only to learn that Grandma Ivy is none other than Mother Nature herself. And Chloe is next in line to assume the awesome power and responsibility of the job.

The Natureverse series is popular in 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade level classrooms, and each of the seasons – Becoming Mother Nature and Cupid and the Reaper (10 episodes each season) – can be taught independently. Becoming Mother Nature is used in classrooms as part of an ELA and Natural World curriculum. 

Genres: Adventure, Superhero

Themes: Bravery, Sacrifice, Friendship, Acceptance

Avg. Episode Length: 12-20+ minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (3+ hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

Cupid and the Reaper, the second chapter in The Natureverse saga, dramatizes the origin story of middle-schoolers Marcus Aronson and Mondo Ramirez, aka Cupid and the Grim Reaper. Can these two mismatched heroes overcome their differences and learn to harness the powers of life, death, and love? And how will Chloe react when she learns she’s not the world’s only superpowered teenager?

The Natureverse series is popular in 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade level classrooms, and each of the seasons – Becoming Mother Nature and Cupid and the Reaper (10 episodes each season) – can be taught independently. Cupid and The Reaper is used in classrooms as part of an ELA and Myths and Mythology curriculum.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Music

Themes: Coming-of-Age, Hope, Temptation, Forgiveness, Music

Avg. Episode Length: 10-20 minutes

No. of Episodes: 52 episodes (13 Hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

A re-imagined sequel to the beloved Annie stage play, this all-ages podcast – filled with music and songs over dozens of episodes – is set five years after Annie’s adoption by Oliver Warbucks in near future New York City. On the eve of Warbucks’ launch of a momentous new business, Annie, now 15, and her orphan friends must solve a shocking mystery that threatens to cripple Warbucks Industries. And Annie’s old nemesis, Agatha Hannigan, may have a role to play.

Tomorrow offers entry points for both 3rd to 5th grade levels and 6th to 8th grades  through resources designed around the famous songs from the stage play that are reimagined in the podcast, as well as other contemporary hits. This podcast has been used as part of an ELA and Music curriculum.

Genres: Adventure, Talk/Non-Fiction, Dystopia

Themes: Conservation, Responsibility, Family, Climate Change

Avg. Episode Length: 20-25 minutes

No. of Episodes: 14 episodes (5 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

In a distant future, climate change and overconsumption have made our planet a very different place. The seas have risen, resources are scarce…and animals have disappeared off the face of the earth. Most people believe they never existed at all. But 12-year-old Iowa Chapman is not most people. She’s a “collector,” devoted to learning about the past, diving deep into lakes and rivers in search of ancient artifacts. And when she discovers what might be the last remaining dog, a world of ancient secrets is revealed. Pursued by Regulators, Iowa and Doggo set off on a journey across a strange and dangerous land in search of Haven, a legendary island where some believe animals might still be living.

Stay tuned to the end of each episode, where hosts Jess Fisher and Nate DuFort talk to experts and educators about issues explored in this adventure. This podcast has been adopted by 6th to 8th grade classrooms as part of the ELA and Natural World curriculum. 

Genres: Adventure, Science Fiction

Themes: Time Travel, Pirates, Comparative Literature, Mystery, Courage, Overcoming Obstacles

Avg. Episode Length: 25-30 minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (5 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

Meet James Hawkins, 13, who helps his mom run a motel in modern day Montauk, Long Island. When a mysterious man washes up on the beach, James and his new friends, the twins Morgan and Max from New York City, begin to suspect that the disoriented Billy Bones is, in fact, a pirate from the 18th century. As they follow clues to Billy’s origin, James, Morgan and Max are pursued across the sea by a ruthless treasure hunter and are sucked into a temporal vortex leading back nearly 300 years and into a swashbuckling adventure they never could have imagined.

As part of the ELA curriculum, classrooms can compare and contrast this modern reimagination of the classic novel with the original and easy-to-follow abridged versions. Appropriate for 6th to 8th grade levels.

Genres: Mystery, Supernatural

Themes: Jealousy

Avg. Episode Length: 10-15 minutes

No. of Episodes: 8 episodes (2 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

Commemorating the recent 200th anniversary of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Hollow is a modern take on the timeless story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. When three 6th graders at Sleepy Hollow Middle School stumble upon a real-life ghost story, they find themselves on the trail of the Headless Horseman himself. Is he truly a terrifying ghoul, or has he been misunderstood for all these years?

Regardless of the time of year, introduce your 6th to 8th grade classroom to this modern spin on one of the original ghost stories and earliest examples of American fiction as part of the ELA and Comparative Literature curriculum. 

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Science Fiction

Themes: Teamwork, Loyalty, Bravery

Avg. Episode Length: 10-25 minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (3 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

Mars Patel’s crush, Aurora, went missing five days ago, but no one else seemed alarmed until his best friend, Jonas, disappeared too. Right in the middle of a Code Red at H.G. Wells Middle School. Students can join the adventure as Mars leads his friends Caddie, Toothpick and JP in search of their lost pals. But instead of answers, the clues they discover lead to the billionaire, Oliver Pruitt, and to a more incredible adventure than any of them could have imagined.

This show has been widely adopted in 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade level classrooms as part of an ELA curriculum.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Science Fiction

Themes: Bravery, Coming-of-age, Family, Deception

Avg. Episode Length: 10-25 minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (3 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

The incredible adventure that took a sharp turn at the end of Season One blossoms in the second season of the Peabody Award winning podcast, as old mysteries deepen and new ones are revealed. Mars must contend with a brand new band of super-special characters whose shadowy goals and interests may not be aligned with him or with each other. Yet their discord threatens to lead to complete failure, and for Mars the price of failure skyrockets. Warning: Spoilers on the show page!

In Season Two, the new setting and journey will springboard students into deep and long lasting discussions of big ideas, related topics and powerful themes that will align with the ELA curriculum. Mars Patel has been widely adopted in 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade level classrooms.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Science Fiction

Themes: Meaning, Existence, Governance, Society, the Capabilities of Children, Loss

Avg. Episode Length: 10-25 minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (3 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

The ultimate cliffhanger at the end of Season Two is the pickup of Season Three. Mars and his friends find themselves whipsawed, but by who? Or what? Is Oliver Pruitt pulling the strings once again? Or is the story being driven by a new someone… or something? Warning: Spoilers on the show page!

Popular in 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade level classrooms as part of an ELA curriculum, Season Three leans into issues and themes of personal agency and responsibility, and encourages students to ask and answer big questions at the heart of their coming-of-age journeys.

Genres: Mystery

Themes: Inquiry, American History, Adolescence

Avg. Episode Length: 15-20 minutes

No. of Episodes: 10 episodes (3 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

Before he was Benjamin Franklin, legendary inventor and statesman, he was just Ben, a boy in colonial Boston with an adventurous spirit, a curious mind…and a penchant for getting into trouble. Meet our most endearing Founding Father at 13, a charming rebel only beginning to discover the ageless sayings and brilliant inventions that would make him famous. When Ben and his friends stumble upon a mysterious letter leading to a legendary treasure, he’ll have to use his wits and bravery to outsmart the cruel British governor of Massachusetts.

Students from the 6th to 8th grade level will develop deeper levels of inquiry and understanding as they dive into this historical fiction narrative, filled with jumping off points for discussions about American Colonial history and more as part of both the ELA and History curriculum. In between Seasons One and Two, students can listen to a leading Ben Franklin scholar provide a short, absorbing overview of the real-life historical character over four bonus “mini-episodes”.

Genre: Mystery

Themes: History, Adolescence, Inquiry, Adventure

Avg. Episode Length: 15-20 minutes

No. of Episodes: 8 episodes (2.5 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

Before he was Benjamin Franklin, legendary inventor and statesman, he was just Ben, a boy in colonial Boston with an adventurous spirit, a curious mind…and a penchant for getting into trouble. Meet our most endearing Founding Father at 13, a charming rebel only beginning to discover the ageless sayings and brilliant inventions that would make him famous. In Season Two, Ben finds himself in the middle of another high-stakes mystery, this time as a teenager in 1720 New York City. When Ben’s prospective boss goes missing, the investigation leads him to an even darker secret, and takes him from the townhouses of the New York gentry to the mean streets of a diverse and ever-changing city.

Students from the 6th to 8th grade level will develop deeper levels of inquiry and understanding as they dive into this historical fiction narrative, filled with jumping off points for discussions about American Colonial history and more as part of both the ELA and History curriculum. In between Seasons One and Two, students can listen to a leading Ben Franklin scholar provide a short, absorbing overview of the real-life historical character over four bonus “mini-episodes”.

Genre: Non-Fiction, Made for Educators

Avg. Episode Length: 8-20 min

Topics: Classroom Ideas, Pedagogy, Resources

Teachers Passing Notes is a podcast from Gen-Z Media created for educators and hosted by Donnie Piercey, a fifth grade teacher from Lexington, Kentucky and Alisa Cooper de Uribe, a first grade bilingual teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Each week, they bring on inspiring teachers to talk about some creative lessons, practices, and ideas that have been successful in their classrooms or schools.

Donnie was the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, and Alisa was the 2021 New Mexico Teacher of the Year.

Genres: Instructional, Non-Fiction

Topics: Writing Basics, Podcast Equipment, Editing, Collaborating

Avg. Episode Length: 5-10 minutes

Resources Available: Workbook

Jess from GZM Shows is learning how to make a podcast, and she’s taking you along for the ride! Join her as she learns from her friends in the industry aspects of planning, pre-production, production and post-production…from picking a good title and theme music to RSS feeds and everything in between! In funny-yet-informative 5-10 minute episodes, entire classrooms or kids and adults of all ages can tune in to learn how to make their own show – and be motivated to think about exactly what kind of show they want to make!

Genres: Non-fiction, Game Show, Comedy

Themes: Inquiry, Evidence, Persuasion

Avg. Episode Length: 20 minutes

No. of Episodes: 200+ episodes (50 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

The Big Fib is an entertaining and educational podcast that delights families and classrooms around the world. In the era of fake news, kids need to consider how to tell what’s true from what’s false. And what better way to do that than a fun game show that puts kids in the driver’s seat, adults on the hot seat, and a sound-effects robot strapped to the roof? Each week, a kid interviews two “experts” in a particular topic, one of whom is a genuine, credentialed expert, the other a liar.

This hilarious and fast-paced game show is appropriate for kids of all ages and can be used as part of a Digital Citizenship curriculum. The show teaches kids to ask insightful questions, weigh the evidence before them, and trust their gut. Be sure to visit the show page to see playlists of Topics featured on the show, organized by category: Transportation, Animals, Food & Nutrition, Performing Arts and so much more.

Genre: Improv, Non-Fiction, Comedy

Themes: Social Emotional Learning, Acceptance, Curiosity

Avg. Episode Length: 15 minutes

No. of Episodes: 50+ episodes (13 hours)

Resources Available: Listening Guide, Explore Board, Choice Board, How To Use Videos

On his private space station high above Earth, Professor Burkhead has begun conducting a ground-breaking social experiment. Each week, his “Unifier” pairs together two unlikely creatures and puts them in a room together — perhaps an accountant and a giant squid, one week; a porcupine and a ballerina the next. Trapped together, the two very-surprised subjects are gently encouraged to talk, debate, and get to know each other. Maybe each of them learns something new about themselves in the process. And week after week, Burkhead collects new data.

This podcast will provide great talking points for kids of all age to learn about how everyone, regardless of their backgrounds or interests, can learn from each other. This podcast has been incorporated into ELA and Social Emotional Learning curriculum at schools.

Genres: Science Fiction, Humor

Themes: Kindness, Inclusion, Friendship, Trust, Working Together, Healthy Media Diets, Identity

Avg. Episode Length: 14-18 minutes

No. of Episodes: 25 Episodes (6 hours 40 minutes total listening)

Resources Available: Lesson plans, teacher guide, mind map, pick-a-word

An epic social media fail brings together fallen mega-influencer Preen and the geeky outcast Sav who discover that their “perfect” future world is quite broken. But JEF, the A.I. that runs things, thinks body mods, upgraded friend packs and chasing “chieves” can fix everything. Can the kids of today help Sav and Preen take down JEF and save the future with tips on kindness, friendship and really connecting?

The fast-paced, hilarious story, and fun, research-based teaching materials and web activities, support heavy classroom engagement and spark focused discussion around core wellbeing and mental health issues as part of the SEL and ELA curriculum in schools. This podcast has been recommended for use in 3rd to 6th grade classrooms.