Causes Consequences Podcast

Photograph of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles behind closed doors.
DELIVERABLES
PRODUCT 1     Your Causes & Consequences 3 Criteria Doc (on the consequences side be sure to include a minimum 3 for Canada and 3 for the world and a maximum of 6 for Canada and 6 for the world)

PRODUCT 2     Your 5 Minute Podcast Recording (audio file)

Advance and defend your opinion on the following 2 questions based on your analysis in your 3 Criteria Doc:

1. What is the most compelling cause of WW1 and the most compelling consequence of WW1 for Canada and the world?
2. How are they linked?

What is the History Podcast?


A podcast is a series of spoken word, audio episodes, all focused on a particular topic or theme.  For our History Podcast series, each student will create a short episode about the theme of Causes and Consequences of WW1.  There are 5 bonus marks available for any student that creates and submits cover art for their podcast that reflects their answers to the two podcast focus questions (the artwork can be created by hand, digitally, or using mixed media).


There are three steps to creating a podcast:


1. Planning 

2. Recording 

3. Publishing

Why Create a Podcast Project?

Podcast projects allow students to "think critically, creatively and with complexity. One of our goals is for students to approach problems in integrative ways from multiple perspectives and apply and communicate information based on their research. A podcast project experience will give students opportunities to engage in reflective learning, analytic inquiry, problem solving, creativity and communication.” SOURCE <https://www.csbsju.edu/news/history-podcasts>

This project will help you learn the skills of historians, gain deeper knowledge about a specific area of history that interests you and provide an opportunity to teach about a topic that you have researched deeply.


By finding primary sources to use, as well as several other scholarly sources, students will use these sources to write a script, in which they advance and defend an argument about their topic before recording the podcast itself.


Remember, primary sources drive the narrative and that any secondary historical sources need to wrap around these primary sources.   Beginning with primary sources allows students to exercise critical thinking skills—deciding what to include in their podcast pushes you to evaluate the merit and compelling nature of each source.


Podcast Production HINTS
Balanced Opinion

In podcasts, opinions that the podcaster expresses should be balanced with facts. To see if your podcast is doing this, focus on whether you are:

  • citing specific reasons that are based on verifiable facts.
  • using your critical thinking skills to support the rationale behind the opinions expressed.

Components to Consider

  1. In order for a podcast to successfully achieve its goals, it should be focused in its content. How focused is the content of your podcast?
  1. Are the main ideas defined and clearly understood?
  2. Is it easy to understand the information that you are trying to convey?
  3. Do you explore the key ideas promised at the outset of your podcast episode?

Audience
  • Good podcasters know who their audience is, know what they are looking for, and how content can unify their audience.
  1. Is there a clear indication of who the audience of your podcast is?
  2. How do you know this?

 

Podcast Structure
  • A well designed podcast is usually very intentional about structure.
  1. Is there a clear structure to the podcast, and can you describe it?

 

Authenticity
  • This is an element that is difficult to quantify but is often a key character in how effective a podcast can be.
  1. Are you engaged with the material in an authentic way? How is this expressed?

Adapted from "5 Elements of a Good Podcast," by Peter Thomson for Learn G2


RUBRIC