Gifted and Talented Enrichment: Junior Lateral Thinking Puzzles
In this ongoing class, students will use critical thinking and teamwork to ask questions that help them solve the lateral thinking puzzle.
Becky Williams, MAT
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(34)
What's included
1 live meeting
20 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
A lateral thinking puzzle is a riddle or a mystery where only part of the information is given, or the information that is given has a red herring to throw you off track. It is up to the class to solve the riddle or answer the question by asking me yes/no questions. For example: A boy lives on the 20th floor of an apartment. Every morning, he gets on the elevator and presses the one to go to school, but when he returns he presses the button for the 18th floor and walks up the remaining two flights of stairs to get to his apartment. Why does he do this? The students will ask questions that I can answer by saying yes or no such as: Is he trying to get some exercise? (No) Is he stopping on the 18th floor to visit someone? (No) Is he running another errand before going home? (No) Does he want to go directly to his apartment? (Yes) Is there a reason he cannot go to the 20th floor? (Yes) If he were with his parents could he go directly to the 20th floor? (Yes) If he had an umbrella or a cane could he go to the 20th floor? (Yes) Is his height the reason he cannot go directly to the 20th floor? (Yes) In this class, I will present the lateral thinking puzzle on a slide, so students can reread it if they need to. Students will have time to think and respond. Each child will have a chance to ask questions that I can answer with the word yes or no. If students forget and ask another type of question, I will challenge them to rephrase the question so I can answer it with the word yes or no. The students will use critical thinking and teamwork to build on each other's questions and solve the riddle. In the event that the entire class is stumped, I will provide hints or clues to help stimulate their thinking until they are able to generate more questions. We will work through the lateral thinking puzzles as they are solved, so some weeks we may only answer one or two riddles, but other weeks we may get through more. Each week will be a new set of lateral thinking puzzles and opportunities for students to use teamwork and critical thinking skills.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Most of the puzzles are harmless, but rarely a puzzle will involve death. We will not go into any specifics and violence will not be glorified.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined September, 2020
4.9
34reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have my Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. While in college, I had a part time job teaching art to children. After graduating, I got hired on as a fourth grade teacher, but I've been a GT (gifted and talented) pull out teacher at the elementary level for the last 14 years, and I love what I do. I enjoy teaching all subjects in a manner that challenges bright and gifted students. I engage students with a problem, puzzle, or mystery and let the students use inquiry and teamwork to solve it. I aspire to be a "guide on the side" instead of a "sage on the stage" and allow students to take charge of their learning. I find that when students make their own discoveries, the lessons are more meaningful to them. Students take pride in their work when they mentally sweat to complete it. I am inspired by students who come up with solutions to problems that I had not even considered, and in order for students to do this, they need some freedom to explore and create. I provide the students the tools they need to be successful, but I let them build. Reviews
Live Group Class
$8
weekly1x per week
20 min
Completed by 56 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-9
3-6 learners per class
