Nice To Meet You

Each week, Professor Burkhead beams two creatures – one human and one animal – onto his space station high above earth for an experiment in his “Unifer” machine. Will they get along, and what will they learn from each other?

NICE TO MEET YOU SYNOPSIS

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: Improv, Non-Fiction, Comedy
Themes: Social Emotional Learning, Acceptance, Curiosity
Avg. Episode Length: 15 minutes
No. of Episodes: 50+ episodes (13 hours)

OVERVIEW OF CLASSROOM MATERIALS

Hey Educators! You’re excited to use Nice to Meet You in class, and maybe you’re asking yourself where do I start or what’s the best way to listen? The answer is that thousands of teachers across the United States and Canada use Gen-Z Media podcasts in dozens of different ways for multiple grade levels, classroom-wide, for breakout groups, to reward learning, and as homework. To the right, you’ll find customized materials that support a flexible and powerful staged approach to engaging with the podcast, which also aligns with common standards. And they’re free!

The Listening Guide offers a simple and effective way to guide your students through themes of story and character development, help guide their search for clues and evidence, and encourage their development of bigger ideas. It is available in both digital and printable versions, and is designed to be simple and intuitive to use. The accompanying video demonstrates ways to use the Listening Guide in more detail.

The Explore Board is a resource for students both before they start listening to the podcast and while listening. The Explore Board resource, customized to each podcast, introduces students to concepts, themes and topics of the podcast and helps them hone skills for deeper learning engagement with the podcast. Because you may have specific ideas you want your students to explore while listening, the Explore Board can be easily edited so that you can tailor it to fit student and classroom needs. A separate video, “Workflow Options,” and accompanying text instructions on the “Where Do I Start” page lays out the simple steps for modifying and sharing the Explore Board and other resources. Microsoft users, there are instructions in that video for you too, explaining how to convert these resources to OneDrive.

The Choice Board is a resource for students to use after they have finished listening to the podcast. The Choice Board, customized to each podcast, takes a deeper dive into major themes, concepts and topics introduced in the podcast. The Choice Board features a combination of anchor assignments and lighter exercises, so you’ll find helpful direction and support for every student. Like the paired Explore Board to support student engagement before and during listening, the Choice Board can also be easily edited so that you can tailor it to fit student and classroom needs. A separate video, “Workflow Options,” and accompanying text instructions on the “Where Do I Start” page lays out the simple steps for modifying and sharing the Choice Board and other resources. Microsoft users, there are instructions in that video for you too, explaining how to convert these resources to OneDrive.

Here is a handy link to a PDF of Standards associated with Becoming Mother Nature classroom engagement.