Literacy in the 21st century isn’t just about reading and writing—it’s also about listening. That’s why I created a free guide filled with 17 podcasts that are perfect for the high school English classroom, along with tips and teaching ideas to help you make the most of them.
If you’ve ever wished for a resource that blends relevant content, real-world voices, and student engagement all in one, this is it.
Why Use Podcasts in the English Classroom?
Podcasts have become a major part of how students consume media today—right alongside videos, music, and social media. They’re a rich, flexible tool for developing active listening, critical thinking, inference skills, and even empathy.
This guide takes the guesswork out of where to start. Whether you’re building background knowledge for The Crucible with Unobscured, adding suspense to your lessons with Limetown, or inspiring discussion and connection with personal stories from The Moth, this free resource has something for every unit and teaching style.
What’s Inside the Free Guide?
Here’s a sneak peek at just a few of the 17 curated podcast recommendations included in your free download:
🎙 Lore – Dive into dark historical tales, perfect for gothic and horror units.
🎙 How I Built This – Introduce themes of resilience and leadership with real entrepreneur stories.
🎙 The Moth – Spark personal narrative writing or SEL discussions with authentic, emotional storytelling.
🎙 LeVar Burton Reads – Engage students with beautifully narrated short fiction and follow-up reflection activities.
🎙 Solve – Turn students into detectives in an interactive murder mystery podcast that sharpens inference skills.
🎙 Scoundrel – Uncover the true stories of historical villains—including the real Gatsby.
🎙 Imagined Life – Use immersive biographical storytelling as an alternative way to teach research and nonfiction.
Plus, you’ll find suggested episodes, listening sheets, thematic connections, and links to ready-to-use resources and blog posts for even more support.
Make It Easy to Implement
This isn’t just a list. The guide includes classroom-ready tips for how to:
✅ Use podcasts for warmups, sub plans, or early finishers
✅ Connect episodes to core texts like Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
✅ Differentiate listening tasks for mixed-level classes
✅ Incorporate SEL, literary analysis, research, and creative writing
Whether you’re podcast-curious or already have a few favorites, this guide will expand your toolkit and energize your students.
Ready to Download?
📥 Grab your free guide here and bring fresh voices, meaningful stories, and media literacy into your classroom—all without having to hunt down the best episodes yourself.
👉 Download the Free Podcast Guide for High School English Teachers
Let this be your go-to resource for inspiring discussion, building listening skills, and making literature come alive in new and exciting ways.
Around the World With Mrs. C 