We had some training on 'building curious minds' and were asked to think about it. Here are some ideas.

Short story based on five images with a twist in the tale. A good model for third person narrative controlled assessment practice, (audience young readers). I get my students to mind map the images first. Some exercises provided.

A reading passage with language activities, about the wonderfully heart-warming rescue by the Yorkshire Wildlife Safari Park of 13 lions who had been living in cramped cages in Romania. I did this as part of a project on lions and am still trying to arrange to take my students to the safari park. One day! There are plenty of youtube clips about this.

A great picture, with two pages of activities: counting, follow the instructions to colour in, rearrange the letters to make the words, true and false and answer the questions.

Two pages on this picture by Melanie Hope Greenberg. The focus on page 2 is the past simple tense, but it could be adapted for the present continuous. Can be used with a mixed ability class: counting/colouring/recounting in the past tense.

I've re-jigged my writing mat for pupils. It&'s a step by step guide to help them check stories or recounts in the past tense. It helps student to be more independent - I ask them to go through it before I mark their work. Also, it looks beautiful! :)

A play with 14 parts (easily adapted). I wrote this for a year 9 class with a high proportion of EAL students. They really enjoyed it.

This is a great set of typical British things, and the words for a match-up activity. It makes a great starter, but not beyond year 7. I played Splat! with my students. (Two students come up to the board, then I say an item and the first to touch it is the winner.) Then, I put them in groups and gave each group three images to mind map. Next, the groups moved round to see if anything could be added. We discussed which things they had seen/experienced and which things were a bit old-fashioned or out of date. Thanks to YourJigsawPuzzles for permission to use the montage.

A bit of colouring in fun for younger pupils.

Quotes on various areas of life: happiness, success, family, technology in the classroom etc.... The students analyse, compare and contrast and make up their own. Each slide could be used as a starter to get your students thinking or to promote debate. They could end by producing an inspirational poster.

This is a play with 9 parts (easily adaptable). I am doing a topic on fairy tales, leading on to Shrek. I acted this out with my EAL students.

Get your students involved and thinking, right from the start of the lesson! Turn the objective/title/'learn&' - however you refer to it in your school, into an interactive exercise. Fifteen suggestions. I hope you find them useful.

For early learners or for a mixed ability EAL class. The beginners can count and practise 'There is a __&' &';There are __ s'. Also present continuous tense &'What is she doing?&';etc. More advanced students can write about it in the past simple 'The school trip&'. How did they get there? What did they do? etc. Also - good picture for Splat! and Hotseat activitiies. The picture is by Kait Eaton and copyrighted to Duck Egg Blue. I have permission to use it.

A set of cards requiring students to choose an option and justify it. Interesting mix of subjects: stop warfare or end disease? Give up crisps or chocolate? Be able to fly or communicate with animals...etc. They make great starter activities, practising 'I would rather...' and promoting creative thinking. The template is from eslprintables.

This is a series of contrasting pictures, with questions, for making comparisons. Good 'brain gym&' activity.