Some lovely bits of English listening practice for you (or your students)

[roddy]

Came across StoryCorps a while ago - it's a simple idea, just collecting people's stories and making them available online, either as audio or in some cases with animation. 

 

The one's I've listened to have all been short at a few minutes. They'd make nice authentic listening practice for more advanced students and there's a lovely range of (US) accents - check out the coffee on these New Jersey garbage men.  Few other highlights: 

 

Coming out in the 1950s

Traffic stop beating

Sole survivor of a bomb blast

 

You could build a whole hour long lesson around any of these. Videos are on youtube, audio I'm not sure. Some have transcripts.