The Picture Frame Game is another great P4C warm-up.
Pass around an empty picture frame and take turns to say what you can see…
In this picture frame I can see a beautiful grassy plain with wild horses galloping.
If the teacher starts by modelling a detailed description with vivid vocabulary, the children tend to follow suit.
In this picture frame I can see brave astronauts exploring a giant crater on Mars.
Of course you can use any suitable object. For example, In this box I can see… Through this magnifying glass I can see… Through these sunglasses I can see…
I saw a lovely extension of this last year. A Year 1 class were enjoying this game using a pair of glasses. One child said Through these glasses I can see some teddy bears sitting in the woods having a picnic. Her peers listened intently until she took off the glasses, then several of them immediately opened their palms to offer questions.
The child invited her peers to ask questions without any further teacher input.
Impressively, the child with the glasses invited her peers to ask questions one by one, without any further teacher input.
One question was What are the bears eating? In response, she said confidently Let me see, then put on the glasses again and answered Oh, they’re eating a big cake with cherries on!
This is such a simple yet effective way of generating creative thinking, and of getting children to take ownership of their talk.
How one teacher helped her class go deeper in their P4C enquiry
An oracy game, a mental workout, and an opportunity to practise respectful challenge
Develop pupil thinking and gain insight into concerns
Can your class come up with convincing definitions for the new words they invent?
A physical, fun game that can be played face-to-face or virtually
Encouraging pupils to think more deeply in reflection and talk time
An example of using a small-but-curious event to get pupils talking and thinking
Get students thinking and talking with a game that only takes moments to set up.
A simple way to help learners structure their talk, thinking and note-taking.
Questions that get children thinking and talking.
A lovely example of a game which generates creative thinking and can give children ownership of their talk.
Tips for playing this popular P4C warm-up game which develops creative thinking plus turn-taking, listening, responding, and recognising shapes.
Celebrating a useful and fun resource.
The game ‘Odd One Out’ is a great way to begin lessons on specific themes or topics - you can quickly create a resource box that will last for the duration of the topic.
An example of raising engagement in learning using the power of open questions.