RYAN THINKER KEYS

OBJECTIVES
provide a flexible and dynamic way to
engage students in further learning.
great way to do informal assessment
during the unit for measuring student
understanding.
enjoy the range of activities that the keys
enable them to choose from and
subsequently produce interesting and
thoughtful work.

Warm up
Activities

Assessme
nt
Inquiry

METHO
DS

Reading
Contract
Activitie
s

Give the class one of the keys to work on for 5

to 10 minutes to get them thinking creatively
before writing or before/after the bell. For
example you could use the:
1. Question Key: Give the children an answer
and they have to come up with five questions
that match the answer.
2. Reverse Key: Children come up with 10
things that cannot be done or never seen (give
the senerio).
3. Different Uses Key: give children an object in
which they are to come up with 10 different
uses for.

The 20 thinkers' keys can be

incorporated into daily reading and
comprehension activities. These can
be specifically designed tasks for the
children to complete at guided
reading time (e.g. use the Prediction
Key to predict possible outcomes for
this situation, the Variations Key to
solve a problem or the Interpretaion
Key to explain the existence of that
situation).

Use the thinkers' keys as a way of

unlocking student knowledge and
thinking in all learning areas. For
example using the Question Key to assess
students growing understanding of a
topic. The Question Key - 'Tell me 5
questions that the answer for which could
be "kiwi" ' (e.g. What is the name of a
flightless New Zealand bird?)
This this is a quick and easy way to gauge
students understanding and plan their
next learning.

Use the 20 thinkers' keys at

all stages of an inquiry as a
tool for thinking more deeply
about the topic. This can be
set up as a 'Thinkers Keys'
table in a space in the
classroom where children
can complete the tasks in
relation to the class inquiry

The Reverse
Challenges Children
to think of the never,
cannot
Name 10 things
you could never do
in the Pongakawa
School Reserve.

The

What IfA what if question,

come up with
solutions
What if all the trees
in New Zealand
disappeared

The Disadvantages-List
disadvantages and Improvements
What are some disadvantages of
recycling? How might they be
overcome?

The Combination-
List attributes of both, then
combine
List the attributes of rivers.
Use these ideas to improve
the design of highways.

The Alphabet-
Come up with something for
each letter of the Alphabet
Do an A to Z of environmental
words.

The B A R-
Bigger, Add, Replace acronym.
Come up with a solution for
each
Use the BAR key to improve a
landform of your choosing.

The Variations-
How many ways can you
How many ways can you
cross the Cooks Strait?

The Picture-
Draw a picture/diagram
Draw or find a shape of
anything at all. Find as
many links as you can
between the landscape and
the picture.

The Prediction-
Make a prediction
What would the
consequences be if most
people in the world lived
in New Zealand?

The Different Uses-

Find 10 different uses for
List many uses for an out-ofdate atlas.

The Ridiculous-
Try to justify a ridiculous
statement
What would happen if we all
had to live underwater?

The CommonalityFind common points

between
What do great mountains
and oranges have in
common?

The QuestionCome up with 5 questions

for
The answer is Aotearoa.
What are 5 questions that
could have this answer?

The Brainstorming-
Brainstorm solutions for
Brainstorm ways to
encourage the protection
of our environment.

The Inventions-
Design a
Invent a way of
remembering the names of
the native trees of New
Zealand.

The Brick Wall-

Consider alternatives to
Consider alternatives to large cities.

The Construction-
Construct a Materials
How could you cross lake
Taupo using a tennis
ball, a rope and a brick?

The Forced
RelationshipsCome up with a solution
to a problem involving
two dissimilar objects
How might an explorer
use a pencil to find his
way through a thick

The Alternative-
Work out 3 ways to
List ways of seeing
Queenstown without
actually going there

The Interpretations-
Give 3 possible explanations
for
New Zealands ski fields are to
be moved to Australia. Explain
why this is so.