Welcome to pie plus, our magazine with extra learning worksheets - updated weekly
Competition time why not try and win free membership?
Take a text 30 activities for teachers to use with reading texts
Information sheets to help you make the most of our site
How to find a specific podcast
May news and
Competition to win free pie membership
Hooray for May, we say! There's something special about the last month of spring and knowing summer is just around the corner.
In the UK they are getting ready for the event of the year, the coronation of Charles III. Remember, we have a podcast for level 1 called The coronation which compares his coronation with that of Elizabeth back in 1953.
As the days get longer we have another podcast for beginners as well. What time do we get up in the morning? Find out in Daylight hours.
Our second podcast this month is about a subject that seems to be everywhere at the moment: AI. For this level 3 podcast we find out what it is, and whether we should be concerned. What do you think? As always lots of worksheets to go with the podcast.
Our previous level 2 podcast was about hands: well, telling the difference between left hand and right hand. This time we're talking about feet, or rather playing a sport with our feet: football (or rather 'footie' as we Brits like to say). This time we discuss some fun football expressions in Back of the net. Listen and find out which team may win the Treble, and who is 'as sick as a parrot'!
The sidebar for the levels is where you can find the Podcasts of the Month, these are podcasts from our archives which we think you mustn't miss! They include The merry month of May, New Arrivals and Knit one, purl one.
Also in the sidebar you'll find the Podcasts for May, these podcasts are linked to special days. We have podcasts for International Midwives Day on 5 May, International Day of Families on 15 May, International Museum Day on 18 May and World Bee Day for 20 May. We'll include a few more later in the month.
Remember that while most podcasts are free, podcasts 1 - 99 are for members only. Each podcast has essential transcripts, worksheets and extra materials for teachers and learners and with over 2000 to choose from, so Join pie now!
Richard and Jackie
The pie team
Competition time
Claudia, from Italy, was the lucky winner of last month's competition. She correctly said that Richard described the Taj Mahal as (c) absolutely amazing
For this month's quiz just answer this question:
Which direction does the beehive face? Is it a) east b) west or c) south? The answer is in this level 2 podcast / video: Buzz buzz.
Write your answer on our Contact us page. Remember to tell us your name and where you are from. One winner gets free pie membership for 3 months. Good luck! Answers by the end of the month.
We have our own facebook page. Please like us and meet us there - and why not write some suggestions for podcasts, we'd love to hear from you!
Take a text
Take a text is a collection of 30 activities that you can do with your course book readings. There are 23 pre-reading activities, and 7 post-reading activities.
Each activity has information on what it practises, its uses, preparation before the class and clear instructions on what to do in class. There are also example texts used from a variety of course books so the activities are super clear.
Who is the book for?
■ It's ideal for new teachers. We remember not knowing what a 'jigsaw' reading was, or a 'dictation race'. We also remember thinking that we could do a lot more with a text in a course book, but not knowing what exactly. Over the years we have collected loads of exciting ideas, and these are what we want to share.
■ It's great for more experienced teachers too. Having so many ideas collected together means that it's a practical, easy reference book and one that should remind teachers of tasks they may have forgotten about. We're sure there are some new ideas included too!
Is it free?
Almost! It's just 9 Euros.
Students' information worksheets
To help you make the most of the site. There are more information worksheets for teachers on the teachers' page.
► Using PayPal (pdf 60KB) How to find your pie log in details and how to cancel your subscription. For everyone.
► Listening to the podcasts (pdf 23KB)Ten top listening tips to help you to listen to and understand real conversations. For members.
► Watching the videos (pdf 23KB)Eight great ideas on how you can watch the videos and understand the podcasts better. For members.
► Using the webquests (pdf 205KB)An explanation of the words and phrases we use on our webquests. For members.
► Natural spoken English 1 (pdf 55KB)Tasks to help you recognise the key features of natural spoken English. For members.
► Natural spoken English 2 (pdf 35KB)This worksheet helps you recognise fillers - and encourages you to use them yourself. For members.
Find a podcast
Over 600 podcasts! There are now three ways to find a podcast. One, go to the extras page where they are listed under topics. Two, type a topic into the search box (on the left). Three, by browsing the new lists of podcasts which we have compiled for each level:
►Level 1 list
►Level 2 list
►Level 3 list
And we have podcasts linked to special days throughout the year: ►Special days list
If you have a school subscription why not copy the lists and put them on the notice board for all your teachers to read.
PS Fill in the blanks as new podcasts come out until we renew the lists. (Lists last updated July 2021)
