Thanks Listen Current! Great stories await learners in grades 5-12 this summer and this listening comprehension program is free.

Get on board at Summer of Listening, an audio approach to learning about the real world. The program of podcasts stands to improve listening comprehension, and build a fund of general knowledge. The listening and action materials give young people experience learning via audio broadcasts that were originally crafted by news professionals. 

Listen like a pro 

Listen Current, an educational radio platform, is offering a collection of news stories over the 2016 summer break that are considered to be most interesting, relevant, and thought provoking. Most align with state and national standards across content areas. A few stories depart from subject matter that is normally taught during the school year.  

Teachers can create free accounts. Existing accounts will move to Listen Current's "premium" features until August 8. Create an account or sign in and check out this program's many features:

• Interactive transcripts
• Listening guides
• Vocabulary activities  

Sample the collection

• The most popular story about voting: Voter fraud and corruption in Ancient Athens
• The most interesting story involving camels: Political upheaval is hurting tourism in Egypt
• The most heated debate: Are Kids Too Stressed Today?
• The most exciting new discovery story: A New Human-like Species found in a South African Cave
• The most socially conscientious story about the environment: Why do bees keep declining at alarming rates?
• The most controversial story about growing up: Is there an age that is too young to get married?
• The most relevant story about bullying in the rise of the technology age: A new app that helps address cyberbullying
• The most thought provoking story about privacy: Does putting a GPS monitoring device on the car of suspected criminals violate their privacy?
• The most powerful story about culture: An independent woman explores  what it means to belong to two separate cultures
• The most critical global warming story: Who is in charge of preserving the Amazon rainforest, also known as “the lungs of the world”?
• The most motivational story of one girl making a difference in the world: Why we need more diverse representations of people in our children’s books