Storymaker Catch Pack : Using Genre Fiction as a Resource for Accelerated Learning

The three linked genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror have an enduring appeal for children.

Far from being just escapist entertainment, they can act as doorways into the important worlds of science, the humanities, myth and legend, and serve as a resource for developing creativity and thinking skills, and boosting self-confidence.

What the book offers: * an overview of how the mind works and how creativity links with the principals of Accelerated Learning, and exciting new ideas from the Thinking Skills movement. * core activities accessible to children of virtually all ages and abilities.

These key activities serve as solid platforms on which all other storymaking games can be built.

They embody a range of thinking 'tools' that can be applies across the curriculum. * supplementary activities which raise awareness of powerful 'visual organisers', allowing children to consolidate, retain and recall information much more effectively. * a section of tools for assessing and evaluating creative work across four educationally significant domains. These act as templates for teachers to offer feedback on, and sincerely praise, children's creative fiction - two potent motivators for effective learning.

They also enable children to preview subsequent pieces of work with greater insight. * supplementary resources in the form of three books of short stories, including Catch Minitales - short stories with a sting!

The minitales especially help to orient readers within their featured genres and map out a great range of characters, plots, settings and motifs which young writers can use in their own work.