Today we’re exploring the word “portal.” What does portal mean to you?
Today we’re exploring the word “portal.” What does portal mean to you?
Do you have a word you’d like us to consider for a future episode? Email us at listen@akidspodcastabout.com. And check out other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.
SIO, Ep 16
“Portal”
[INTRO]
Hi! I’m Cat Petru, and you’re listening to Sound It Out: A Kids Podcast About Words.
Here, we get to explore words — what they sound like, where they come from, how they make us feel, and how they illuminate our world.
Words are like little portals - they give us clues about the cultures that surround us.
[TODAY’S WORD]
Today’s word is “portal.”
If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you’ve heard me say this word so many times.
What do you think portal means? What images or feelings arise when you hear the word portal?
[DISCUSSION]
Portal comes from the Latin word porta, which means door or gate.
So, portal is a gateway, an entrypoint. A threshold.
What happens when we cross a threshold? We might simply be opening the gate to our home, crossing the doorway into something known and familiar.
But, often, the word portal signifies entering something new or unknown.
[EXPERIENCE & MEANING]
Have any of you read the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? It’s about four siblings who enter the magical world of Narnia through a portal in their bedroom closet.
Or, for the Harry Potter readers among us, Harry, Ron, and Hermione often travel by portkey, an ordinary object that has been transformed by a magic charm into a means of instant transportation. There’s that word port again, or door, in both portkey and transportation.
So, if a portal is an entrypoint, what do I mean when I say words are like little portals?
When we learn a new word, or learn more about a word we’ve heard before, we open a door to greater understanding. We might notice connections between words we didn’t realize were there. Or gain insight about history and culture, where our words come from, and why we use them.
We might even get curious about remembering words long forgotten, or welcoming new words into existence…
[CLOSING]
What does portal mean to you? And what other words do you notice today? Write us at listen@akidspodcastabout.com to share your ideas. And join us tomorrow, for another word!
I’ve been your host, Cat Petru. This show is produced by me, with inspiration from my teachers and friends, and support from Matthew Winner. Our executive producer is Jelani Memory. And this show is brought to you by A Kids Podcast About.
You can check out other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.