Podcast Creator is for G4 to G8. Each student produces and publishes an 8- to 10-minute podcast episode that includes an interview with at least one guest from outside the family. It meets on alternate Sundays.
The Full Process for One Podcast Creator Episode
- Choose a topic: settle on one question the episode will answer. The more specific the scope, the better.
- Find and book a guest: the guest must be someone outside the family, such as a classmate, a teacher, or a professional in the community. Making the request is itself part of the training.
- Write an outline: prepare 5 to 8 questions, and plan follow-up questions in case the guest gives short answers.
- Record the interview: ask questions, listen, and follow up on the spot. Students learn not to interrupt while the guest is speaking.
- Edit and add voiceover: cut unnecessary material, adjust the order, and record an opening and a closing, keeping the episode to 8 to 10 minutes.
- Publish: finish the episode and publish it within the membership.
What If a Child Is Afraid to Ask for an Interview in Podcast Creator
This is the most common concern, and it is also the strongest reason to join. The first episode usually starts with someone familiar, such as a club coach or a neighbor. The teacher helps the student prepare an opening and the order of questions, and accompanies the student for the first one or two interviews. Most students can book interviews on their own after completing two episodes.
What Students Keep from Podcast Creator
Each episode is a piece of work that students can keep and share. After several episodes, a student has a small portfolio. Along the way, students build a set of transferable skills: asking questions, listening, organizing information, and editing raw material into a well-paced finished product.
What to Take After Podcast Creator
Students in G9 and above who want to keep creating content can continue with Newsroom, where groups work together to produce News Live. Students who want to practice stage delivery can continue with TED Speaker. To improve interviewing and news writing technique, see News & Screen Script Writing 101.
Podcast Creator and Future Skills Membership
Podcast Creator is for Life Lab members. Every step is logged in the Human Skills record kept with our partner nonprofit, Project Next Foundation (PNF), and in high school points toward a formal Congressional Award application (age 13.5+).
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Contact a course advisorPodcast Creator: Frequently Asked Questions
What does a finished episode look like?
Each student publishes an 8 to 10 minute podcast episode featuring at least one guest from outside the family. Getting there covers four stages: interviewing, scripting, speaking, and recording, and the published episode is a lasting piece of work.
My child is shy about interviewing someone. How is that handled?
Interviewing someone outside the family is exactly what the program trains. Scripting and speaking practice come with it, so students prepare their questions and delivery before the recording, with a teacher helping to set up the first interview or two.
Where do students find guests in Irvine?
Any guest outside the family works: a classmate, a teacher, a club coach, or someone working in the Irvine community. The first episode usually starts with a familiar person, and most students can arrange interviews on their own after two episodes.
Does the schedule work for Irvine students?
Sessions run on alternate Sundays. That every-other-week rhythm sits alongside the weekend commitments Irvine families already keep. The program is for Life Lab members only, and a member can join activities on the entrepreneurship, leadership, and fitness tracks in the same school year.
Which grades is this for?
G4 through G8. In high school, students can continue on the communication track with Newsroom and TED Speaker, applying the same interviewing and speaking skills to more formal work. The process is logged in the Human Skills record kept with our partner nonprofit, Project Next Foundation (PNF), and every member receives a growth report.
