Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Introducing podcasts

15 minutes

Find Out: Commonwealth Games casts

25 minutes

Take Action: Rehearse and record

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore podcasts representing athletes
create their own podcast for a specific audience centred on an aspect of the Commonwealth Games.

Success criteria

Students can:

analyse the language features of spoken media
write and present their own podcast-style spoken media.

Tune In: Introducing podcasts

Step 1

Explain to students that the Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 2022. During this time, a podcast was created to share Birmingham's story and inform people about the Games. Birmingham is an extremely multicultural city in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and holds a strong heritage in industry and manufacturing. The city is home to many people from Commonwealth countries, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, and many nations of Africa.

Step 2

As a class, listen to the trailer for the podcast Commonwealth Stories: Birmingham Live (podfollow.com/commonwealthstories/episode/930542ea39a093f343af0f128cb8d8d6a97cb8e3/view) until 2:07 mins. After listening, invite students to share what they heard in the podcast. Make a list on a whiteboard of what they heard in the snippet, such as:

a presenter’s voice explaining the background of the podcast (an introduction)
music (reggae, related to the Caribbean cultures prevalent in Birmingham)
sound effects of crowds at sporting events
sound effects for mood and atmosphere (airy sounds, strings, percussion)
voices of people talking about the Commonwealth
different accents suggesting different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Step 3

Invite the class to vote in person or via digital poll software such as Slido, PollEverywhere, or Mentimeter. Ask students the following questions:

Do you listen to podcasts?
What aspects of a podcast keep it interesting and engaging to listen to?

Suggested responses:

interviews
music
opinions of real people
‘how to’ information
jokes
advertisements and sponsorships
competitions
different people’s voices
conversation between 2 people
news
gossip
theories

Add these notes to the list you made earlier of what you heard in the Commonwealth Stories podcast.

Step 4

Listen to 2 more short podcast snippets with the class.

Commonwealth Stories: Birmingham Live - Land of Milk and Honey (podfollow.com/commonwealthstories/episode/46ef8eee0298764a4a82efb6725e8b3c512f0a79/view) - start listening at 38.02 as university student Jaspreet Singh from Punjab is introduced and discusses the Sikh community of Birmingham.
Roy and HG - Bludging on the Blindside (podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/best-of-commonwealth-games/id1506120132?i=1000638621489) - begin at 3.07, as they satirically discuss the accommodation and location of the upcoming Games.

Step 5

In pairs, ask students to identify the problem or issue these presenters are drawing their attention to in each podcast snippet. Invite students to share their thoughts with the class.

Find Out: Commonwealth Games casts

Step 1

Ask students to reflect on why people listen to podcasts, and create a list of suggestions on the whiteboard by inviting students to share their thoughts individually. Some of the suggestions might include:

for entertainment and comedy
to learn things about people or places
to be aware of political or cultural issues, or other current concerns
To place pressure on changing issues or problems in the world
to fill time, eg while driving, running, doing things
for enjoyment of stories about things that are different to their daily life
to explore new ideas, and develop informed opinions.

After reading through the list, explain to the class that research shows that about 75% of people who listen to podcasts list ‘to learn new things’ as their top reason. However, people learn from other people’s stories, jokes, experiences and anecdotes, as well as being told facts.

Step 2

Divide students into small groups and direct them to brainstorm ideas for a podcast about the Commonwealth Games. Guide students to think about the experiences of different people involved in the Games that could be considered new, interesting, and informative for an audience.

For example, a podcast titled ‘Pitch Perfect’ could explore the experiences of those who maintain and manage the stadium's conditions, or a podcast titled ‘Sponsor Me Please’ could discuss what brands are sponsoring which part of the Games and why.

Step 3

Your students’ task is to design, script and create a short podcast about any aspect of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Outline to students that their brainstorm highlighted many possible stories to focus on in the Games.

Explain to students that they need to think carefully about their audience, purpose, and style of podcast. Like any text, knowing the audience and purpose ensures that you can make informed decisions about the format, tone, and style to appeal to your target audience. Choices about style include the formal or informal language you use in your podcast, topics to cover, duration, and different types of music and sound effects you could include.

For example, the Roy and HG podcast episode is deliberately casual to emphasise the humour in their scripts. The hosts use satire to make the idea of visiting athletes staying in people’s garages ridiculous, compared to staying in an athlete’s village, which is an expectation for visiting athletes. Their purpose for making a satire of this decision could be to persuade their audience that the alternative suggestion is embarrassing and that this needs to change.

Provide each student with a copy of the Student Worksheet, and guide students through the podcast planner by taking them through a series of worked examples as below:

Example 1:

What’s it called?	Sam’s Turf Wars
What’s it about?	Showcasing the people with the expertise and equipment to make the turf perfect before a game or a cricket match.
Who is interested?	People who are interested in the technology and logistics of how sports turf and fields are maintained.
How does it work?	Format: short interview with a groundskeeper or turf manager for any turf-based sport, who chooses their favourite technique or tool and tells the audience what it does. Style: casual and action-focused. Length: 15 minutes of audio per episode, so people can listen while commuting or walking to school.

Example 2:

What’s it called?	Designing the Games
What’s it about?	Interviewing designers involved in the Games, from fashion design of uniforms to promotional design of advertising, stadium design, merchandise design, branding and more.
Who is interested?	People who love design fashion and are interested in work in the industry.
How does it work?	Format: interviews about the careers of designers involved in all aspects of sport. Career advice for emerging designers. Style: professional but inspiring short profiles of people with career advice. Length: 20 minutes of audio and video per episode.

Take Action: Research, rehearse and record

Step 1

Your students’ task is to use the internet to research any information they require to create a 1-minute promotional trailer for their podcast, outlining what the podcast is called, what it is about, and who may be interested in listening.

After researching, students must write their podcast trailer script on the Student Worksheet.

Literacy extension: For students whose podcasts are based on athletes, guide them to use the Heroes of the Games Athletes Factsheets that explore different athletes representing Australia in the Commonwealth Games.

Step 2

Direct students to rehearse reading their script before recording. Encourage students to make any necessary adjustments to their script before the final recording.

Once students have rehearsed their script, guide them to record an MP3 file on a digital device for their trailer. Students may like to edit and add sound effects to their trailer if time permits.

Step 3

Invite students to share their podcast trailers! Encourage students to provide feedback and positive encouragement to their peers.

Reflection

Lead a class discussion with students on the following guiding question:

How have podcasts impacted how sports and sportspeople are represented?

Podium Podcasts

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Podium Podcasts

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables