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Educational and fun audiobooks for children and families. A variety of genres await and each podcast comes with podcast specific questions assessing retrieval, sequencing, SPaG, prediction, inference and note taking skills. Ideal as an independent classroom activity, intervention exercise OR homework task.
Episodes
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Women In Sport:50 fearless athletes who played to win ep.11
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Episode 11 - Mariana Pajón, Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, More Women In Sport and Conclusion
Mariana Pajón
Why might Mariana have been the only girl in the races?
Which part of her body did she have to keep strong?
How many people ride in a BMX race?
Why do you think the fourth lane was not her favourite?
Katie Ledecky
Who was her first swimming teacher?
What would be a synonym for ‘ethic’?
How old was Katie when she qualified for her first Olympic Games?
Which event was her most intense? Why might this be?
Simone Biles
Why do you think ‘The Biles’ is named after her?
Who adopted Simone as a child?
Research what a ‘double layout’ and a ‘handspring’ are.
Why was 'the pressure on’ before the Rio Olympic games?
More Women In Sport
How many of these had you heard of before? Why do you think you had/hadn’t?
Out of this section, who has done something you would like to achieve?
Make a list of 5 other sportswomen that might have been included in this section. Try to make sure they are from different spheres of sport
Write your own 3 minute script about someone you have been inspired by in this section (1 minute is about 180ish words)
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Women In Sport:50 fearless athletes who played to win ep.10
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Episode 10 - Mithali Raj, Kelly Clark, Lindsey Vonn, Ronda Rousey and Ashley Fiolek
Mithali Raj
What is a synonym for ‘standby’ – be careful as this is one word not two !
Why did the team not always have access to proper equipment?
In which discipline was Mithali ranked number 1 at?
Which cricketing prize did she become the first woman to win?
Kelly Clark
When did Kelly starts skiing?
What is the other word the author uses for ‘height’?
Why did Kelly not train as much as she possibly should have leading up to the 2006 Olympics?
How do you think Kelly felt after her first run at the 2010 Olympics?
Lindsey Vonn
When was her first Olympics?
How old was Lindsay when she first became overall champion?
Which bone did she break just before the 2010 Olympics?
Why did Lindsay get extra recovery time? Do you think she would have competed otherwise?
Ronda Rousey
In which sport did Ronda first become a champion?
In which year did Ronda debut in MMA?
What was the name of the women’s fighting organisation she joined?
How long was Ronda’s shortest ever match?
Ashley Fiolek
Who in Ashley’s family also took part in motocross?
Why is hearing important to motocross riders? What did Ashley use instead of sound?
What does WMA stand for?
Why was the televising for races problematic for Ashley? Do you think this situation was fair?
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Women In Sport:50 fearless athletes who played to win ep. 9
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Episode 9 - Ellen Macarthur, Melissa Stockwell, Serena Williams, Danica Patrick and Nicola Adams
Ellen Macarthur
How old was she when she first went on a yacht?
In 1996, what place did she gain in the race across the Atlantic Ocean?
What injury did she sustain during the Equator race? How might this have affected her ability on the boat?
Put into your own words what a ‘circular economy’ is.
Melissa Stockwell
How did Melissa become injured?
What is a ‘prosthetic’?
Name the three parts to a (para) triathlon.
Why do you think she had to ‘change legs’ for each stage of the paratriathlon?
Serena Williams
Who was her very first coach? Do you think you would like this?
Which year did Serena win her first US open title?
What is a ‘Serena Slam’?
Why was her win at the 2017 Australian Open seen as ‘breaking a taboo’? Why do you think this was seen as unusual?
Danica Patrick
What happened when on Danica’s first go-kart trip?
Which three years was she the Grand National Champion at karting?
Why do you think so few women have competed in motor sports?
How many laps did she lead the 2005 edition of the Indy 500?
Nicola Adams
When was the ban on women’s boxing lifted? Why do you think it had been banned previously?
Why did Nicola – and her mum – need to work so many jobs?
How did she fracture her spine in 2009? Why might this been seen as ‘ironic’?
Why was her Olympic win in 2012 a landmark moment in women’s boxing?
Sunday Sep 20, 2020
Women In Sport:50 fearless athletes who played to win ep. 8
Sunday Sep 20, 2020
Sunday Sep 20, 2020
Episode 8 - Manon Rheaume, Deng Yaping, Valentina Vezzali, Katherine Grainger and Influential Sports Teams
Manon Rheaume
Which position did she play in?
What happened in the match when she was hit in the face with a puck?
Do you really think the men would feel ‘embarrassed’ about not scoring against a woman player?
Name two of the pro hockey teams she played for
Deng Yaping
Why did the table tennis community not always take her seriously?
What medals did she win at the 1992 Olympics?
How old was she when she retired? Do you find this surprising?
What did she concentrate once she was no longer competing?
Valentina Vezzali
What are the names of the 3 types of fencing weapons?
Why was the 2008 Olympics different for her as a person?
Which medals did she win in 2012? Why was this significant?
Find the word that means ‘voted for’ in the final part.
Katherine Grainger
In which subject does she has a PhD?
Where did she win the Eva Bailey Trophy, and what was it for?
Who was her partner at the 2012 Olympics?
Why do you think she decided to make a ‘comeback’ in 2016?
Influential Sports Teams
Which sport did the Bloomer Girls participate in?
Find out what ‘bloomers’ are and why that might have been their nickname?
At which university would you have found the Tigerbelles?
Who was their coach?
How many people watched the 2015 Women’s Football World cup?
Do you think it is fair that men and women are paid differently for playing exactly the same game?
Which countries did some of the Olympic refugee team come from?
Why would the Olympic committee allow them to participate even though they probably would not win?
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Women In Sport:50 fearless athletes who played to win ep. 7
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Episode 7 - Kim Soo-Nyung, Kristi Yamaguchi, Layne Beachley, Mia Hamm and Lisa Leslie
Kim Soo-Nyung
How many medals did she win at the Seoul Olympics in 1988?
Who beat her in the 1992 Olympics? Do you think this made the result easier or harder to take?
How old was she when she decided to retire? Do you think people thought this was a wise decision?
Considering she won a Bronze medal on her ‘comeback’ do you think the sport was worse off without her?
Kristi Yamaguchi
What was the history of Kristi’s family in America?
Do you think skating was thought as a suitable sport for her? What physical problems did she have?
Who was her skating partner? Why might they have parted ways?
“The melodies were written on her skates” How does this describe how she danced to the music?
Layne Beachley
What personal event motivated her as a child?
When did she win her first professional surfing competition?
How many times in a row did she win the World Championship?
Now that she has retired, what does she do?
Mia Hamm
Why did Mia pause her studies in 1991?
What footballing world record did she achieve in 1999?
Why did FIFA want the World Cup moved to different venues?
What did Mia set up in 2001?
Lisa Leslie
At 12 years old, how tall was Lisa? How tall are most 12 year old girls?
What happened at the 1996 Olympics?
Which club team did she play basketball for?
What is an MBA? What did Lisa do with hers?
Sunday Sep 06, 2020
Roald Dahl's "Dirty Beasts" episode 3
Sunday Sep 06, 2020
Sunday Sep 06, 2020
This is the final part of three installments of my reading of Roald Dahl's "Dirty Beasts". In this podcast I read aloud the tales of The Cow, The Toad & The Snail and The Tummy Beast.
If you would like to listen to each poem in isolation poem one starts straight after the intro music, poem 2 starts at 4:00 and poem 3 begins at 14:20.
The Cow
How old was the cow when it came to stay?
What colour were her wings?
Which word tells you that she was flying very fast?
Do you think the man deserved his punishment? Do you think birds do this on purpose too?
The Toad and The Snail
To describe the toad’s size, what other animal does the narrator compare it to?
Why did the boy not like sitting on the toad’s back?
Find three synonyms for the word ‘clung’.
“His face all wreathed in smiles” What does ‘wreathed’ mean? What does this tell you about the attitude of the frog at that moment?
How do you know that the place in France they had landed in was very, very quiet?
The narrator says they were ‘brandishing’ knives. Find out its meaning and think about what this tells you about the inhabitants’ feelings.
Which parts of the frog do the French supposedly like to eat?
Why do you think the toad turned into a snail, even though he knew they would still want to eat him?
“I murmured through quivering lips” How does the phrases describe the sound of the boy’s voice and the shape of his mouth?
Is the Roly-Poly Bird real?
The end of the poem refers to “Wonderland” Research what this poem has in common with “Alice in Wonderland”
The Tummy Beast
What does the person in his tummy tell him to do?
What does the word ‘asinine’ mean?
List the onomatopoeia found in the poem
How do you feel towards the narrator and mummy at the end? Whose side are you on?
Saturday Sep 05, 2020
Roald Dahl's "Dirty Beasts" episode 2
Saturday Sep 05, 2020
Saturday Sep 05, 2020
This is the second part of three installments of my reading of Roald Dahl's "Dirty Beasts". In this podcast I read aloud the tales of The Scorpion, the Ant-Eater and The Porcupine.
If you would like to listen to each poem in isolation poem one starts straight after the intro music, poem 2 starts at 3:15 and poem 3 begins at 9:30.
The Scorpion
What does the phrase ‘armour plate’ tell you about the scorpion’s body?
How would your face look if you were scowling?
Where does the child say the scorpion is in their bed?
Find the word in the second part of the poem which means the same as ‘rump’ in the first part.
The Ant-Eater
Find the word that tells you that Roy was rather large?
Which of Roy’s toys would you like to have had instead of him?
Who did Roy’s dad contact in order to find an ant-eater?
Find out how much 50,000 rupees is in pounds. Is this a lot of money for a pet?
Why was the ant-eater so hungry in the first place?
What was Roy’s aunt’s name?
What is the grammatical term for two words that look different but have the same sound e.g. sea and see ?
What do you think might have happened after the poem ended? Create two more rhyming lines to give the poem the ending you want!
The Porcupine
Which day of the week does the narrator get their pocket money?
What do they buy from the sweet shop?
Do you think visiting the dentists is the best idea? Who else might have been able to help?
Which word does the dentist say that mean ‘payment’ or ‘price’?
A guinea is an old fashioned coin. Find out how much 50 of these would have been.
How do you think the narrator is going to change their ways from now on?
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Roald Dahl's "Dirty Beasts" episode 1
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Last year for Roald Dahl Day I gave you "Revolting Rhymes, this year I give you another three installments this time reading aloud "Dirty Beasts". In this podcast I read aloud the tales of The Pig, The Crocodile and The Lion.
If you would like to listen to each poem in isolation poem; one starts straight after the intro music, poem 2 starts at 4:30 and poem 3 begins at 6:30. Enjoy!
The Pig
How do you know the pig was clever?
“He jumped up like a ballet dancer” How does that describe his movement?
What are chitterlings?
“Because there was so much to eat” What does this phrase tell you about what the farmer may have looked like?
Try to think of a synonym for ‘remorse’
The Crocodile
How does the name “Crocky-Wock” compare with his attitude? What name would you chose instead?
Which sauces does the crocodile eat with the girls and boys?
Who do you think is saying the second part of the poem?
What parts of the crocodile does the poem describe?
The Lion
What does the word ‘tender’ mean when describing meat?
Make a list of the different meats in the poem. Can you think of anything else they might like?
If the lion said this to you what would you do?
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Women In Sport:50 fearless athletes who played to win ep. 6
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Episode 6 - Bonnie Blair, Violet Palmer, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Anjali Bhagwat and Clare Balding
Bonnie Blair
How old was Bonnie when she won her first state competition?
Why was she not the stereotypical shaped speed skater?
How did the Police help her to get to the Olympics? Why do you think she needed this?
When did she break the 39 second barrier? How far can you run in this time?
Violet Palmer
Why do you think she started refereeing games rather than playing in them?
Why did people think women could not/should not be involved in men’s games?
What does ‘promoted’ mean? Can you think of a suitable synonym?
When did she referee her first NBA game? How do you think she felt on that day?
Tanni Grey-Thompson
What is Tanni’s real first name?
When did the London Marathon change the rules about wheelchair competitors?
Can you work out how many Olympic medals she has won in total?
Why did she spend her honeymoon in Switzerland?
Anjali Bhagwat
What does NCC stand for?
How many gold medals did Anjeli win at the 2002 Commonwealth games
Do you know how scoring works in shooting? How good is 399/400?
Which Indian award did Anjeli win in 2003?
Clare Balding
Who else in Clare’s family were involved in horse racing?
What was the name of her first pony?
Apart from horse events, which other sports has she presented?
What happened to Clare in 2009?