Ideas for Challenging Able Learners
Sue Mordecai
www.nace.co.uk
General
 Importance of language development
 Good story telling engages all major regions of the brain
 Play is essential for young children
 Brain teasers, crosswords, jigsaws and puzzles enhance creative and analytical thinking and problem
solving
Building in challenge.
 higher order thinking skills
 questions, questions, questions
 surprise, puzzle, mystery, confusion
 open ended tasks
 taking risks
 demanding vocabulary
 very little instruction
 the unexpected
How can the ideas be used?
 strategies for planning extension
 whole class starters
 individual work
 collaborative learning
 research (homework)
 Assemblies
 Display – challenging school
Engaged in their own learning
 What do you already know?
 What would you like to know?
 Use the TASC wheel
 Use Bloom’s taxonomy – prompt questions
Questions of the week – why, what, what if, how would
 Why do you never see baby pigeons?
 Why do we have fingernails?
 Why do people run marathons?
 Why do onions make us cry?
 What makes a good joke?
 What is special about the word rhythms?
© Sue Mordecai for NACE
April 2012
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What would happen if it never rained?
What would happen if school was optional?
How would you describe a peach to someone who has never seen one?
How would you wash an angry cat?
Words of the week
 Cacography, jeopardy, kerkuffle, rigmarole, fratchy, exodus.
Word play
 Spoonerisms: mean as custard, it’s roaring with pain, wave the sails
 Oxymorons: act naturally, only choice, plastic glasses
 Malapropisms: good punctuation means to be on time
 Palindromes: never odd or even, stressed desserts
 Anagrams: astronomer = moon starer, schoolmaster = the classroom
Discussion of the week
 ‘Mobile phones have become a public nuisance’
Facts of the week
 The pattern of stripes on a tiger’s skin is unique
 Slugs have four noses
 A pregnant goldfish is called a twit
Quote of the week
 ‘It is awfully hard to be b-b-brave’, said Piglet, ‘when you are only a Very Small Animal.’ What is
bravery? Do you need to be big to be brave? What would you say to piglet?
Book of the week
 Tell the story in 50 words
 Would you recommend this book ?
 Compile a list of favourite books
Music of the week
 Give some background to the composer
 How does this music make you feel?
 How would you describe this music?
 What music makes you feel happy, laugh, want to dance, makes you sad?
 Imagine life with no music – how would you feel?
Picture / Image of the week eg a Panda:
 What do you already know about pandas?
 What would you like to know?
 What is happening in this picture?
 Why should we save the panda?
 If a panda could talk what questions would you like to ask it?
 What do you think the panda is thinking?
 Is panda a good name for a panda? Can you think of another name?
Odd one out
 a unicorn, a fairy, a seahorse, a dodo
© Sue Mordecai for NACE
April 2012
Who am I?
 I like honey
 I have several friends – one is very wise and one is small and not very brave
 My spelling is wobbly and long words bother me
 I have a bit of a smelly name
Miscellaneous
 Make up your own crossword, sudoku, puzzle etc
 Fill in the missing words…
 A ‘why’ / ‘wonder’ book
 The answer is….what is the question
 The solution is….what is the problem
 Write directions for..
 Illustrate idioms, proverbs etc
 Use your most able as your researcher
 Create a ‘wonderwall’ or Challenge area.
 Contact your local secondary school for a mentor, resources, partnerships
 Use parent helpers, students to research pictures etc on the internet
Planning
 Check that your plans allow for:
 Opened ended tasks
 Challenge
 Fostering curiosity
 Extends vocabulary
 Can you use any of the ideas above to extend the challenge?
Selected websites:
www.teachitprimary.co.uk
free online library of resources
www.literacytrust.org.uk
www.readingmatters.co.uk
www.booktrust.org.uk
www.nrich.maths.org
highly regarded maths problems and investigations
www.murderousmaths.co.uk
popular maths site for children
www.sport.maths.org
resources/ideas for KS1 and KS2 based on the Olympics/Paralympics
www.p4c.com
Philosophy for Children – lots of ideas
www.childrenthinking.co.uk
Early Years – KS2 – question board
www.howstuffworks.com
for those interested in science
www.aquila.co.uk
magazine for 8-13 year olds who enjoy challenges
© Sue Mordecai for NACE
April 2012