Success Stories: On the Radio

What does it mean to be "successful"? After analyzing TED Radio Hour episodes, students will discuss, reflect, draft, and create a speech/ podcast that synthesizes their ideas of success. "Success Stories: On the Radio" can be paired with core readings from Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Gladwell's Outliers. 

Essential Questions

  • What does it mean to be successful? 
  • To what extent does society play a role in our definitions and achievement of success?
  • What makes an argument effective?

Materials

  • TED Radio Hour "Success" episodes. These can be accessed at the following link: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/25/240777690/success.
  • Computers (one per student or group)
  • Audible (or comparable) software (optional, for podcast only)
  • Writing Notebooks and/or Class Handouts

Time Frame

  • Traditional Schedule: 2 weeks
  • Block Schedule: 1.5 weeks

Sequence of Activities

  1. Warm-up and Group Listening Activity (1 day)
  2. Group Analysis (1 day)
  3. Seminar and Reflection (1 day)
  4. Draft (2 days)
  5. Create podcast (3 days)
  6. Present Podcasts (1 day)



Return to top