Pokédex detectives
Find facts on a Pokémon page with headings, tables and careful reading, and catch the question that has a trick in it.
Learning objective
Pupils scan a fact page to answer questions, say where on the page they found each answer, and notice when a question needs two facts to be put together.
Curriculum links
England, KS1 and KS2
- KS2 English: reading comprehension, retrieve and record information from non-fiction
- KS2 English: using contents, headings and layout to find information
United States, broad grade bands
- Grades 2 to 5 reading informational text: locate key facts and use text features
- Grades 3 to 5 reading: answer questions with details from the text
What you need
- A device between two, or the page printed
- Eevee and Pikachu pages open
- A set of six question cards (below)
- The Who’s That game for the warm-up
The plan, minute by minute
- Warm-up, 5 minutes: Who’s That. Run a quick round of Who’s That as a hook. Ask pupils how they would find out more about the Pokémon they just saw.
- Main, 5 minutes: Tour of the page. Open the Eevee page. Point out the headings, the types, the height and weight, and the evolution section. Ask: where would you look to find how tall it is?
- Main, 15 minutes: Question cards. Pairs work through six cards and write the answer and where they found it. 1. How tall is Eevee? (0.3 m) 2. What type is it? (Normal) 3. How heavy is it? (6.5 kg) 4. Which is taller, Eevee or Pikachu? (Pikachu, 0.4 m) 5. Which is heavier? (Eevee, 6.5 kg to 6 kg) 6. Name one Pokémon that Eevee can evolve into. (Check the evolution section on the page.)
- Plenary, 5 minutes: The trick question. Ask which question had a trick in it. Question 5 does: Pikachu is taller, but Eevee is heavier. Ask pupils how they avoided answering “Pikachu” twice without checking.
Projector game
Who’s That Pokémon?. Use it as the hook, then move to the pages. The game gives them a reason to want the facts.
More to use
- Eevee page. The page the question cards use.
- Pikachu page. For the comparison questions.
- The Pokédex. Pupils can pick their own Pokémon for a second round of cards.
Differentiation
Easier
Give pupils only cards 1 to 3 and point to the part of the page to look at first. Read the question aloud before they hunt.
Harder
Pupils write their own six question cards, including one with a trick, for another pair to answer.
Talk about it
How do you know the page is telling you the truth? What would you check against a second source?
Numbers used in this plan
| Pokémon | Type | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eevee | Normal | 0.3 m | 6.5 kg |
| Pikachu | Electric | 0.4 m | 6 kg |
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