We know how much of your time, energy and soul goes into lesson planning. A teacher’s work is never done! But what happens when time runs out? When there are going to be eager little faces through the door in 15 minutes and a plan just hasn’t materialised? If only you were a mind reader and could ‘borrow’ an idea from the teacher next door… Well, thanks to this plan that requires NO PREPARATION you don’t need to be a mind-reader, but your class will think you are.
The Cambridge Copy Collection is here for you. This particular idea is from Activity Box, a selection of simple, fun lesson ideas for teachers of young learners.
A Danish grey elephant
If you had to think of a country in Europe beginning with D, an animal beginning with E (that isn’t a bird or a fish) and the colour of said animal, what would you end up with? Exactly.
The activity
Tell your class you’re going to try to read their minds and guess what they’re going to tell you at the end of the activity. (Great, you’ve got them hooked!) Without letting them see, make a theatrical scene of writing ‘grey elephants from Denmark’ on a piece of paper and place it face down on your desk.
There are different ways you can give the class their instructions (see the full activity), but let’s stick on the theatrical theme here. Lead the activity yourself, giving the instructions orally one at a time. Students then do the puzzle step by step, all together.
A magician never reveals their tricks, but…
Here’s how it works:
1: Think of a number from 2 to 10
2: Multiply your number by 9
3: Add the two numbers of your total together (wow, the answer will always be 9)
4: Take 5 away from your answer (the answer will always be 4)
5: If your answer is 1, it equals A; if it’s 2, it equals B; if it’s 3, it equals C; if it’s 4, it equals D (no need to go any higher, as the answer will of course always be D)
6: Think of a country in Europe beginning with your letter (this can only be Denmark)
7: Think of an animal, not a bird or a fish, beginning with the second letter of your country (99 times out of 100 this will be elephant)
8: Think of the colour of your animal (ever seen an elephant that isn’t grey..?)
Produce the sentence you wrote at the beginning of the activity and voila! You’ve read their minds!
Download the activity here and keep it up your sleeve.
The Cambridge Copy Collection is full of fun lesson plans and entertaining ways to engage your class. For example, make learning a party with the balloon game.