The Eleven Plus and Guessing

There was a guessing game played across playgrounds in Brian called `Stars’. The actual name may change from time to time and location to location but the nature of the game does not change.

One girl crosses the playground and yells out the initials of a famous person, for example, S.C. - now every X Factor fan will know those initials. As soon as one thinks she knows what the initials stand for, she runs across the playground, touches hands, and runs back again. On her return she shouts out the name she has thought of. If he guess is right she changes places across the road. If the guess is wrong she has run for reason at all.

Sometimes a number of girls will be racing each other – and everyone will have thought of the wrong name.

There are obviously a wide number of variations on this game. Ask your daughter to recount to you a similar game.

Then use the opportunity to explain that the game is similar to working on a multiple choice exercise.

You are given a little clue.

You run a round and make some guesses.

All around you are running too.

If you get it wrong you have to try again.

Suggest to your daughter that she should think through the multiple choice options before making her choice. Suggest that she should eliminate answers that simply can not fit.

If she does not seem to take this on board – why not read a question to her. Give her a clue – and if she makes a mistake she then must run round the house. She may learn, very practically, to think twice!