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This podcast, called We Can RLA, focuses on recognizing literature in everyday life. The host believes that literature is present in everything we do and wants to highlight these opportunities. For example, listening to music can strengthen reading and writing skills. The host suggests analyzing song lyrics to understand the artist's message and how it connects to personal experiences. They encourage using a website called Symboloo and the Genius shortcut to dissect lyrics and think about their deeper meanings. This exercise can improve overall reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Hello. Welcome to the first episode of my podcast, We Can RLA. RLA stands for Recognize Literature Anywhere. Within this podcast, I want to emphasize the importance of noticing the art of literature within everyday procedures and interests. I can understand that for some students, RLA can be a difficult subject to understand or enjoy. Yet, I find that RLA is such a broad subject that can truly be expanded in any way you wish for it to. Literature is within everything that we do, everything that we enjoy. Somehow, someway, we are incorporating our knowledge of reading and writing into our lives. Within this podcast, I'm going to highlight these opportunities so you can begin to notice them as well. For example, you may not enjoy reading or writing, but surely you enjoy listening to music. Music is something universal that everyone has a connection to, in their own ways and in their own reasons. When you listen to music, you may not realize that you are simultaneously strengthening your RLA skills. You can use songs to develop a broader comprehension and enhance your critical thinking skills. Not only can students analyze individual lyrics or sounds, but students can make predictions about the meanings of a song and then confirm or reject these predictions as they read or listen to the lyrics. Now, within the future, I want you to think about this idea and begin to think about what artists truly mean when they deliver certain poetic words and ideas. Consider what it is about these lyrics that draw you in. How do they connect to you? Can this same idea be put towards books and the expression of personal experiences? When you identify a song that resonates with you, first begin by logging on to the class Symboloo. Once logged on, click on the icon shortcut Genius. I want you to look up your chosen song and begin to dissect the lyrics. I want you to notice the way that the artist delivers their message, the figurative language that is used. Consider that the lyrics were completely taken away from the beat or music. Would the message still resonate the same with you? For example, I have been currently listening to the song New Romantics by Taylor Swift a lot. Within the song, there is a specific line that has been speaking to me. She says, life is just a classroom. Within this part of the song, I begin to think about the deeper meaning behind those lyrics. What does she truly mean whenever she is telling me that life is just a classroom? She is saying that life is an opportunity to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, giving yourself the chance to grow. After analyzing these lyrics, they have become very important to me, and I have chosen to place them as a quote within my own classroom. This is a fun exercise that you can practice daily, wherever you are, to strengthen your overall RLA skills. Not only will it expand your comprehension and appreciation for the subject, but it will open your mind to new possibilities for literature to be exposed in ways that you never knew that they could.