A fifth-grade art podcast gives students a small-group setting to closely examine artwork and share their ideas.

Meera Ramanathan

We had a fantastic discussion where we all felt safe, validated, and successful in our responses. I came back feeling inspired to create that same feeling for my students. I started the Elementary Art Talk podcast with fifth-grade students at my school in December 2022.

• Close Looking — I wanted my students to look at artwork and take their time to spot the different details in the work using art vocabulary.
• Talking without Making — Students come into my art classroom knowing that once we discuss artwork(s) as the “hook,” we will move into creating art inspired by it. With the podcast, they can leave when theyʼre done talking about an artwork!
• Student Voice — This gives students an opportunity to say what they think about a work of art in a small-group setting and lets me know their point of view.
• Participation — Students who typically don’t participate in class discussions have participated in the podcast since it’s a small-group setting.
• Collaboration — This encourages students to work toward the common goal of talking about a specific artwork together.

I pitched the idea to my principal and explained the benefits of a podcast—he gave me the go-ahead right away.

The classroom teachers knew which students could stay after school on days when I would typically record the podcast. They were also helpful in contacting parents who they thought would be a good fit and letting me know each week which students from their classes would participate.

I check to make sure students have permission to participate in the podcast, since I have them introduce themselves by name, and we would be sharing the episodes publicly.

Since I usually record every other Wednesday, I make sure I have the artwork selected and ready a week in advance. I choose works that are appropriate for fifth graders (no nudity or violence), capture their attention, and offer a narrative that students can explore and build a story around.

I use Google Slides, with the title of the artwork, artist, and year displayed on each slide for that week’s episode. I display this on my Smartboard and keep my personal laptop on a table beside where I sit with my students. I use the software Screencastify to record the audio while the artwork is displayed on the screen. I give students a piece of paper inside a sheet protector so they have the format to introduce themselves and sentence starters to help them talk about the artwork. We use Visual Thinking Strategies, along with compare-and-contrast activities, depending on the number of artworks we are discussing.

I remind students to turn their phones off before we start recording so there are no additional sounds. I encourage students to use appropriate language and refer to the visual supports around the classroom. I remind them to use art vocabulary by looking at the word wall in class.

I remind students not to fidget, tap the table, or giggle. I set a timer to keep each episode between twelve and sixteen minutes. I also check in with the office to see if there are any announcements that I need to plan around. Finally, I put a sign on the door to let other students and staff know that we are recording.

I upload the completed recording to my fifth-grade art Google Classroom, art teacher website, Instagram, and X with a snippet from the episode to pique the listenerʼs interest.

My students let me know they have enjoyed participating in the podcast. Here is some of the feedback I have received from my fifth graders: “I have learned how to articulate my words when it comes to art,” “I like how we can agree on different things and disagree on one thing and also be nice about it,” and “I like how you can see many different kinds of art around the world.”

The podcasting journey has been a great one! I have enjoyed looking for artwork to use with my fifth graders, listening to what they have to say, making connections with their lives, and taking pride in their participation. My plan is to encourage more participation this year and continue recording episodes featuring diverse artists from different parts of the world.

Meera Ramanathan is a project resource teacher at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy in San Diego, California. mramanathan@sandi.net

Podcasting at the Elementary Level