Who can be in EatYourRadio?

photo courtesy Max Young

TRAINING MANUAL LINKS – WHOWHATWHENWHEREWHYHOW?

Q:  How old are Eat Your Radio reporters?  

A:  Most student reporters are in the 5th grade.  Some are older.  Some are younger.

DETAIL:  In elementary school, as long as you’re old enough to use recording equipment responsibly, you can be part of Eat Your Radio.  Fifth grade is an especially good age for doing Eat Your Radio.  Sometimes 4th graders, and even 3rd graders, do a good job taking care of radio equipment and cameras.  But if you like to fiddle with things, or to grab things fast, then you just might break the equipment!  We try to use sturdy equipment, but it’s still better to hold it carefully.  So if you like to fidget with stuff, be sure a grown-up is right next to you, OR ask a reporter to hold the microphone, or the camera, and interview you.  Older students, even middle school and high school students, have done stories for Eat Your Radio.  We share grown-up stories, too.  But we usually do that with kids helping with the interviews or having them explain what the adults are talking about.

Q:  Do I have to read and speak well for Eat Your Radio? A:  Eat Your Radio is GREAT for students of any ability and any skill.

DETAIL:  Eat Your Radio is all about making stories, telling about them, writing about them, listening to them, watching them, doing them.  All these are great ways to improve how well you speak, read and write.  Recording what you say and hearing other people record themselves are wonderful ways to learn that everyone says great things sometimes, and also, everyone stumbles in what they say sometimes, and can learn how to do it better.  One neat thing about radio and video recordings is that if you make a mistake, you can make a new recording.  You can read a script, and practice so that you read it smoothly, or you can just talk off the top of your head, and learn how to make up the story in your mind and share it when you talk.  With sound editing software, you can even take out “Ums.”

TELL YOUR TEACHERS:  Eatyourradio is great for regular classes, gifted classes, and for students in English as a Second Language Classes, and Literacy classes, and classes where someone has a special need.

Q:  What if I’m bored and looking for extra things to do?

A:  Students who get all their work done fast LOVE Eat Your Radio.

DETAIL:  If your teachers say you have extra talents and gifts, Eat Your Radio is a great way to share them.  You can tell stories and investigate topics through Eat Your Radio.  You can teach other students how to do that, too.  Some students in the 5th grade even help with sound editing and posting stories to the web.