PodCraft: English Through Podcasting, Grades 8-9
Find Your Voice, Tell Your Story
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
September 30 - November 18
Tuesdays, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. PST
Course Description:
In today’s world, your voice is one of the most powerful tools you have and podcasting is one of the most exciting ways to share it. PodCraft: English Through Podcasting is not just about listening to and analyzing podcasts; it’s about learning to think, create, and communicate like a 21st-century storyteller. In this course, you will strengthen your speaking, listening, and writing skills while mastering essential skills for the future: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and digital communication.
Through hands-on projects, you’ll explore the art of storytelling, learn from the most popular podcasts, write scripts with clarity and style, and record and edit your own podcast episodes. Most importantly, you’ll discover how to express your ideas with confidence and make your voice heard.
By the end of the course, you won’t just have improved your writing and communication skills, you’ll have created something real, something that belongs to you, and something that has the power to reach others. This is your chance to step up, speak out, and share your story with the world.
Podcasts that will be explored and analyzed throughout this course include The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel, Tai Asks Why, The Middle School Mind, Smash Boom Best, Past & The Curious, Circle Around.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Instructor Biography:
Hanan Mahmoud brings over 13 years of teaching experience to the classroom, with a special passion for working with middle schoolers, the age group she calls her “sweet spot” for creativity, growth, and discovery. She holds a CELTA certification from Cambridge and a Master’s degree, blending her expertise in language teaching with advanced pedagogical strategies.
As a UCI Writing Program Fellow, Hanan incorporates a full spectrum of writing techniques into her courses, designing learning experiences that are not only academically rigorous but also highly engaging and relevant. She believes in empowering students to find their voices, express themselves with confidence, and connect their learning to the world around them. Her classrooms are collaborative, innovative, and filled with opportunities for students to thrive as communicators and creators.
In today’s world, your voice is one of the most powerful tools you have and podcasting is one of the most exciting ways to share it. PodCraft: English Through Podcasting is not just about listening to and analyzing podcasts; it’s about learning to think, create, and communicate like a 21st-century storyteller. In this course, you will strengthen your speaking, listening, and writing skills while mastering essential skills for the future: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and digital communication.
Through hands-on projects, you’ll explore the art of storytelling, learn from the most popular podcasts, write scripts with clarity and style, and record and edit your own podcast episodes. Most importantly, you’ll discover how to express your ideas with confidence and make your voice heard.
By the end of the course, you won’t just have improved your writing and communication skills, you’ll have created something real, something that belongs to you, and something that has the power to reach others. This is your chance to step up, speak out, and share your story with the world.
Podcasts that will be explored and analyzed throughout this course include The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel, Tai Asks Why, The Middle School Mind, Smash Boom Best, Past & The Curious, Circle Around.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Apply strategies for intonation, pacing, and pronunciation to strengthen audience engagement and intelligibility.
- Analyze authentic podcast episodes to identify genre conventions, rhetorical techniques, and structural elements.
- Evaluate how voice, tone, and sound design contribute to meaning and audience impact.
- Compose scripts, outlines, and episode notes that demonstrate organization, precision, and purpose-driven language.
- Adapt writing for different genres (narrative, informational, persuasive, interview-based) within the podcast medium.
- Use audio recording and editing tools to produce polished podcast episodes, integrating music, sound effects, and transitions as appropriate.
- Demonstrate adaptability and innovation in transforming ideas into multimodal products.
- Work effectively in teams to brainstorm, plan, record, and revise podcast episodes, practicing active listening and constructive feedback.
- Recognize the importance of voice as a tool for identity, self-expression, and participation in civic and cultural discourse.
Instructor Biography:
Hanan Mahmoud brings over 13 years of teaching experience to the classroom, with a special passion for working with middle schoolers, the age group she calls her “sweet spot” for creativity, growth, and discovery. She holds a CELTA certification from Cambridge and a Master’s degree, blending her expertise in language teaching with advanced pedagogical strategies.
As a UCI Writing Program Fellow, Hanan incorporates a full spectrum of writing techniques into her courses, designing learning experiences that are not only academically rigorous but also highly engaging and relevant. She believes in empowering students to find their voices, express themselves with confidence, and connect their learning to the world around them. Her classrooms are collaborative, innovative, and filled with opportunities for students to thrive as communicators and creators.