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Table of Contents

HOW TO…	ELEMENTS of Action and Adventure	CHARACTER PROFILES
CLUES	BIG IDEAS (themes + takeaways)	SKILLS, STRATEGIES, STANDARDS

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Characters

Clues

Big Ideas

Standards

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How to Use this Listening Guide

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LISTENING COMPREHENSION:

Note-taking can be a valuable way for you to ‘hold on’ to information, especially because processing information in an auditory way can be a challenge. Here are some things to consider before listening …

How can you, as a listener, make the information visual?
What is your learner style or preferences? When can you sit back and relax? When will you need to jot your thoughts while you are actually listening?
What will you process independently? What will you process with a partner? With your teacher and classmates?

TIPS and TRICKS:

Not sure when to jot something down? Listen for information that is new, interesting, presented in a different way, or confirms/contradicts your theories or ideas.
Focus on one thing at a time … character development or theme or ?
Listen for a key quote to think about with a partner.
Pay attention to different voices … picture them in your mind … visualize!
How can sound effects help you visualize the events?

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Elements

of Action and Adventure

Race against time	Hero	Thoughts	Setting	Villain	Rising Tension	Choices/ expectation
Physical Risk	Disaster	Main character flaw	Secondary character flaw	Plot twist	Foreshadowing	Mood

You may wish to take notes on any of the following podcast story elements. OR … use this as a ‘bingo’ board and mark off when you hear these elements being used in Cupid and The Reaper.

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Elements

of a Hero’s Journey

Take notes on the Hero’s Journey as Mondo and Marcus embark on this action and adventure story by clicking each square. Follow the prompts below each of the 12 stops of the journey.

1. Ordinary World

2. Call to adventure

3. Refusal of the call

4. Meeting the mentor

5. Crossing the 1st threshold

6. Tests, allies, & enemies

What is the hero’s world like at the beginning of the story?

What happens to launch the hero into this adventure?

Does the hero refuse to go? If so, why?

Who helps the hero figure things out? Share more about this.

When does the hero figure out this is happening whether they like it or not?

How do the other characters affect the hero?

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Elements

of a Hero’s Journey

Take notes on the Hero’s Journey as Mondo and Marcus works their way through the challenges of the story.

Do you notice any patterns?

How does this structure help you predict the outcome?

7. Approach- Fails?

8. Ordeal- life or death?

9. Reward

10. The road back

11. Resurrection

Does the hero try and fail? How so? What does she do when she fails?

What happens when the story reaches a life-or-death point?

What does the hero receive as a reward?

How does the hero attempt to return to his or her normal life?

What is the final test?

12. Return with the solution

What knowledge or wisdom does the hero bring back with her?

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CHARACTER PROFILES

Getting to know the characters in this podcast is like getting to know people in real life.

As a listener, you will want to ‘get to know’ the primary and secondary characters to understand more about how the plot unfolds, and how the mystery might be solved. Understanding people is an important skill as a reader, listener, and in life.

The following pages in The Listening Guide will help you understand character development. Determine which pages will be most effective for you as a listener …

you may not need all the pages included here.

SOME IDEAS:

You may wish to zoom in on 1-3 characters while your partner in class focuses in on a different few characters and you meet to discuss?
You may wish to gather information in different ways -- find a visual note-taking strategy you prefer

Characters

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Clues

Big Ideas

Standards

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GETTING TO KNOW CHARACTERS!

To add more character slides, go to one below, click SLIDE and then DUPLICATE SLIDE.

Edit with the new slide with the character’s name and info!

After listening to an episode, spend some time adding to your character profiles. As podcasters, we constantly add on to our understanding of a character based on what he/she says, does, or how the character feels and acts. Did you learn something new about the character? Do you have new ideas about who this character is? Also we see characters change in different settings -- how might Mondo act at home with his mom vs. at school vs. defending his new role. These are all great things to jot down in your character profile pages.

CHARACTERS

Mondo
Marcus
Harper
Sarah
Ismail
Mr. Apep
Chloe
Felix
Principal Durant
Antonio
Martina

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CHARACTER NAME

DESCRIPTION (you might include external descriptors, internal traits and qualities, what the character wants/motives)
KEY QUOTES or SCENES (moments that teach us more about the character)
THOUGHTS TO JOT (I wonder if … Might this character act differently when … I’m assuming … In the future, this character might …)

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CHARACTER NAME

DESCRIPTION (you might include external descriptors, internal traits and qualities, what the character wants/motives)
KEY QUOTES or SCENES (moments that teach us more about the character)
THOUGHTS TO JOT (I wonder if … Might this character act differently when … I’m assuming … In the future, this character might …)

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CHARACTER NAME

DESCRIPTION (you might include external descriptors, internal traits and qualities, what the character wants/motives)
KEY QUOTES or SCENES (moments that teach us more about the character)
THOUGHTS TO JOT (I wonder if … Might this character act differently when … I’m assuming … In the future, this character might …)

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CLUES

As we listen to an action and adventure podcast, we want to hold on to important details (clues!) that will help us follow the hero’s journey (solve the problem). In Cupid and The Reaper, you might hear advice from Ismail, conversations, episode titles, or tiny descriptions that feels like foreshadowing -- those are clues!

Try to listen for 1-3 new or interesting detail-clues from each episode to jot down. Be on alert and ‘clue in’ to certain parts of the podcast.

As you keep listening, pay attention to PATTERNS in the clues or NEW INFORMATION that confirms or contradicts what you already know. This is how you make sense of the Clues and understand how all the parts fit together!

Predictions

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COLLECTION OF … Gather clues along with Mondo and his friends.

EPISODE 1: Love and Death

Type here

EPISODE 2: Arrows and the Scythe

Type here

EPISODE 3: Zombies and the Teacher

Type here

EPISODE 4: Dad and The Dance

Type here

EPISODE 5: Selfies and The Spell

Type here

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COLLECTION OF … Gather clues along with Mondo and his friends.

EPISODE 6: Breaking News and The Rainbow

Type here

EPISODE 7: Avengers and The Swimming Hole

Type here

EPISODE 8: Lost Loves and Chaos

Type here

EPISODE 9: Family and Friends

Type here

EPISODE 10: The End and The Beginning

Type here

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Podcast listeners (that’s you!) will grow new insights as you advance through the episodes. Adding up Clues will lead you to a theory.

Check in on your theories as you listen.

Episodes 1-3 I used to think… But now I’m realizing….

Episodes 4-6 I used to think… But now I’m realizing….

Episodes 7-10 I used to think… But now I know that ____ is true. I know because…

THEORIES!

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BIG IDEAS

(questions, themes, and takeaways)

Take some time thinking and responding to the “Questions to Ponder.” These are big questions that will leave you questioning yourself and life!

Read through the prompts on the next slides.

Once you choose one you can ‘write long’ about, begin writing your response. Remember that when writing about your ideas, you’ll want to support them with text evidence. Is there a scene or part of the podcast that you can include in your response? Be specific.

TOPIC G

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Episode #1

The show starts off with a lot of action. Harper is almost killed. How might foreshadowing be used to set her character’s role from the start.

QUESTIONS to ponder

We listen to stories to grow our own thinking and perspectives in life.

Consider the following big questions posed throughout some of the episodes.

Type your response here

Episode #2

Mondo and Marcus are coming to terms with their new roles. What would you do in their position? How would you handle it differently?

Type your response here

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QUESTIONS to PONDER

Respond to the prompts below.

Episode #4

Mondo’s parents have a big part in the show. Would your parents have reacted like they did throughout the chaos?

Type your response here

Episode #10

What do you think about Harper’s new role? Were you surprised? Does it fit her? What predictions do you have for her?

Type your response here

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PROMPT: Mondo and Marcus have powerful abilities. What do you think about the way they are choosing to use them? Do you think Marcus should be interfering with his parents marriage? Do you think Mondo should be ignoring his duties the way he did?

Type here.

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PROMPT: What do you think Mr Apec’s motives are in this episode?What about his past, his relationship with Mother Nature? Do you think he should be bringing her back from the dead? How does Chloe’s role in season two add to this plot line?

Type here.

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PROMPT: This podcast touches on some very heavy topics…love and death. Share some ways that you have connected with those two themes in your life.

Type here.

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PROMPT: Who is Ismail? Why is he in both seasons? Is he to be trusted? Who do you think he is talking to in the last episode? What is his mystical role?

Type here.

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PROMPT: Final thoughts for season two….What did you think of the story? The ending? Where do you think the story is going in season 3? What do you hope happens?

Type here.

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PODCAST Review and PREDICTIONS …

How many stars would you give the podcast? Why?

What do you predict might happen in Season 2 of Becoming Mother Nature?

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SKILLS, STRATEGIES,

STANDARDS

We have included some of the key anchor standards from the Common Core Standards, as well as some of the key skills and strategies that students will apply while listening and comprehending a podcast.

Not all standards can be addressed at once. In this particular season of Cupid and The Reaper, you will find that students will likely experience many different standards while listening. This particular guide will help students hold on to those skills, strategies, and standards.

Each grade level, teacher, and classroom combination of students is unique. Please adapt in any way you see fit for your own learners.

Teachers and Families … this is curated for YOU!

TOPIC H

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SKILLS

STRATEGIES

STANDARDS

-Listening Comprehension!

-Understand parts of a mystery

-Collect important detail-Clues over a series of episodes

-Develop a theory

-Revise theories once new information is added

-Zoom in on important phrases, moments, scenes

-Solve a mystery

-What else would you add?

-Collecting thoughts while listening to a story

-Talking with classmates to add on to my own thoughts

-Revisiting ideas/theories to grow new insights

-Combining thoughts with text evidence to form new ideas/inferences

-Rereading my notes to look for patterns

-What else would you add?

Anchor Standards for Reading Literature

Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1/ .R.2/.R.3

Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.8

Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration:: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1/.SL.2/.SL.3

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4

Anchor Standards for Writing

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4 / CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9

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