Don't Miss the Final Episodes of The Katniss Chronicles

A signed poster from The Katniss Chronicles to our class! WOW!

Last week we received a very special gift at school. The cast of "The Katniss Chronicles" sent my class an autographed poster. Needless to say, we were thrilled!

We've been listening to "The Katniss Chronicles" in my seventh period class because I had a new student join us after we had finished reading The Hunger Games. Plus, we wanted to refresh ourselves before we see the movie since it's been a year since my students read it (I had this same group last year when they were freshmen and again this year as sophomores). 

Using "The Katniss Chronicles" episodes has been very effective. My students will pick up on things that they forgot from the book and comment on the different accents, sound effects, etc.. For my student who hasn't read The Hunger Games, we'll pause the podcast when he has questions or comments. My other students are quick to answer, though they have a hard time restraining themselves from spoiling certain events.

Thumbs up for The Katniss Chronicles!

As the movie premiere for "The Hunger Games" nears, so does the end of "The Katniss Chronicles." The cast releases a new episode each week (usually on Tuesdays), with its final performance coinciding with the movie premiere, the week of March 19th.

We hope they will continue their amazing performances for Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I can't even imagine the amount of work that it takes to create each episode (I know from helping with students projects that creating even a short 3-minute podcast takes a lot of time and energy), so I do hope they can continue. I would be willing to pay a subscription if it helped.

So if you haven't listened to "The Katniss Chronicles" yet, don't hesitate. You can begin with Episode 1: The Reaping, or skip to your favorite parts in the novel. The latest episode released was Episode 14: Feast and Famine, with Episode 15: Victory in Sight debuting this week. Each week they also release bonus material--including announcements of their latest fan giveaways!

You can also chat with the cast by following them on...
Twitter: @KatnissChron
Facebook: The Katniss Chronicles
Tumblr: T.K.C.
and subscribe on iTunes

My class would like to send our sincerest thanks to the cast & crew for sending us this great *signed* poster AND for creating this magnificent ear candy each week. It truly is a treat to listen to it, so I hope you'll check them out if you haven't already.

Have YOU Listened to the Hunger Games Fireside Chat?

If you haven't listened to an episode of the Hunger Games Fireside Chat, you're missing out.

Each week, some of the best fans of the series get together and talk about all things Hunger Games, most recently the movie news that ®Lionsgate has been releasing little by little. The podcasts are hosted by Adam Spunberg and Savanna New every Monday night at 9 p.m. Central time, or 10 p.m. Eastern.

This week, however, fans are in for a special treat: a musical edition! One can't help but think perhaps the creators were inspired by Glee. Most likely a topic of interest will be Donald Sutherland's casting of President Snow.  Fans can chat along on Twitter throughout the live broadcast using the hashtag #HGFiresideChat. You may even get a mention on the broadcast.

One of the great things about their live broadcasts is that if you can't listen to them live, you can listen to them anytime via BlogTalkRadio, on their YouTube Channel, or subscribe to their podcasts via iTunes.

Listen to Episode 9, which brings together Hunger Games fans from around the world:

Listen to internet radio with Fireside Chat on Blog Talk Radio

Use the Fireside Chats in your Classroom Curriculum
1. The creators and contributers are always looking for topics of interests to discuss. Have your students create lists of topics they would want discussed on the show. They can submit them to Savanna via Twitter (@MlleNouveau) or post a comment on their BlogTalkRadio site.  

2. Have students with internet access at home participate in the chats on Twitter using the #HGFiresideChat hashtag and have them discuss with the class their experience. Did they learn anything? Did they get a "mention" on the show? Did their questions get answered?

3. Play parts (or all, if time allows) of an episode in class and have students write down responses, questions, or comments during. Require students to have at least three (or more) responses.

4. Prepare a list of your own questions for students to respond to while listening.

5. Have students create their own "Fireside Chat" podcast related to the novel(s). What topics would they talk about?

6. Research the "fireside chat" and its origination with President Roosevelt. What was its purpose? What impact did it have on our nation? 

7. Compare radio broadcasts with televised broadcasts. What are the benefits of a radio broadcast as opposed to a televised one? What are the drawbacks?

You can align these lessons with the Common Core Standards for ELA:
(Anchor) For Writing:
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
(Anchor) Speaking & Listening:
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the
organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding
of presentations.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.

Do you have additional ideas for using the Hunger Games Fireside Chats in the classroom? Post in a comment below.