A pupil volunteers to teach part of the lesson to their peers. This provides an opportunity for the pupil to consolidate and demonstrate their understanding, while also engaging their classmates. It encourages active participation from learners and helps evaluate how well the key ideas have been understood.

1. P
Proof of Progress
P
From the outset, plenaries were often the weakest part of the lesson.
Good
planning was critical to the success of plenaries. Often there was
O insufficient time for them, typically because teachers under-estimated
the time required for activities in the main phase of the lesson.
Plenaries were often the least active part of lessons.
Teachers tended merely to sum up what happened during the main
phase and pupils did not have the opportunity to articulate what O
they had learned.
P
When pupils had such opportunities, they proved
an important part of the learning process.’
POPs
P
O
!

2. What are the benefits of
POPs and Plenaries
• A few to get you started…
• Stick your ideas on the board
Help highlight Summarise the
Lead on to the
how pupils learn learning that has
next stage of
as well as what taken place so
learning
they learn far

3. POP! Criteria
POPs
!

4. Your task

5. How to make sure your plenaries go…
POP!

6. Proof of Progress short POP
activities ideas
POP
!

7. Linking phrases
Sun Moon Orbit
Star Axis Earth
Solar system Tilt Space
1. Number each word, roll the dice to select the words that have to be linked.
2. Link as many words as possible together in one sentence
3. Lower ability give definitions of each word, increase the demand by linking
more and more words together
4. Write the sentences in books, mini whiteboards, IWB,
5. Make as many sentences as you can linking on two of these words togther
POP
!

8. Concept cartoon
John thinks.... Sarah thinks....
Amy thinks...
POP
!
Into the speech bubbles put...
1.True false phrases Abdi thinks...
2.Common misconception phrases
3.Varying degrees of accuracy phrases
To use...
1.Who is right/ wrong... True/false?
2.Why are they right/wrong... True/false?
3.Correct/underline/point out the mistakes
4.Add the correct speech bubble in

9. Diamond 9
Participants are given a list of issues and
asked to discuss and agree which are the
most important items. Each item is placed
on a large, diamond-shaped grid. The most
important item is usually placed in the top
of the diamond and the least important at
the bottom of the diamond. Items in each
row are of equal importance. (Some groups POP
prefer to put the most important card in the
!
centre - either approach is fine, as it's the
discussion surrounding the group's
decisions that is important.) The diamond
shape enables the group to encompass a
range of priorities and perspectives.

10. Fill in the blanks
Blanks in text with no choices of words
POP
!

11. Red/ Yellow/ Green Cards
POP
!
A quick POP activity that allows you to check the whole classes progress
Use the traffic lights for...
1.Statements
2.True or false
3.Understanding of a particular topic or activity

12. Aide Memoire
POP
!
Students have to come up with something to help them remember what has
been studied. This could be a mnemonic, visual aids, a story, a song etc.
Allows differentiation for learning styles.
Develop by asking students to share their aide memoires and producing a
pool of the most helpful ones.

13. Speed dating
Sit with a partner - one of you must sit facing the
whiteboard and the other facing the opposite way
The first person has only 30 seconds to describe the key
word(s) featured below before moving onto their next
partner - your teacher will keep writing down the
keyword to be explained
Your keyword is:
POP
!

14. A, B, C, D Cards
A B C D
A quick POP activity that allows you to check the whole classes progress
Use the ABCD cards for...
1.Multiple choice questions
POP
!

15. Idea thoughts
When you have received an answer to a question, open up the thinking behind
it by asking what others think about the idea.
e.g. “What do others think about _________’s idea?”
POP
!

16. Same…Different?
Give group of shapes/expressions/graphs and students identify
what is the same and what is different about them.
POP
!

17. Adding detailed ideas
In teams you are going to be extending sentences to
show off your newfound knowledge. The team with the best
sentence, ie accurate and detailed, wins the prize!
POP
!
Example Original Sentence:
The Second World War started in 1939.
Example Extended Sentence:
The Second World War, which occurred between 1939 and 1945, started
when the Germans invade Poland and Britain declared war on Germany

18. How, where, when, why, what
e.g. …does democracy work?
…is the economy?
…do human rights affect people?
POP
!

19. Writing questions
• HOW (higher order)
• WHY (higher order)
• WHAT
POP
!

20. Here are the answers, what is the
question?
POP
!
Question?

21. Kindred relationships
• In this exercise, think of a word that is related to the preceding words.
(Compound and hyphenated words or commonly used expressions are allowed.)
• Sleeping, contest, spot, shop
Answer: Beauty (sleeping beauty, beauty contest, beauty spot, beauty shop)
POP
!
Relating
word?

22. Missing Sequence
POP
!
Students receive a process (or the lesson itself) cut up or distributed
between cards which they must then put into the right sequence. However,
one (or more) of the bits is missing and they must work out what should go
there.

23. POP
In ten words.... !
•Summary activity (second level of Bloom’s taxonomy)
•Literacy activity
•Encourages boys to pick out key words/ key bits of information
•Can be changed to more or less words, and therefore can be differentiated

24. POP
Pictionary !
e.g. Give students concepts/ideas/things to draw
whilst others have to guess what they are
Alternative – short list of
concepts/ideas and students
have to draw in books or on
mini-whiteboard and
then feedback their
Can divide group
thinking/explanation. into teams to make
it competitive

25. Logical/Mathematical
Verbal/Linguistic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal 8 way thinking
Naturalistic
Body/Physical
Musical
Visual/Spatial
POP
!
1. Students can ask questions on each of the 8 ways- then
research them
2. or use the 8 ways as prompts to jot down information
3. Can be used at the start of a lesson or topic
4. And/or at the end of a lesson/ topic

26. Hangman
You know what it is!
POP
!

27. Continuum
Use continuum to allow students to identify themselves with a
position or stance related to the issue or topic looked at.
Particularly appropriate if the lesson has centred around making an
informed judgement.
POP
!
Develop by questioning students on their position on the continuum; only allowing reasons based on evidence from the
lesson; asking students to decide the continuum question or statement

28. Pupil as Teacher
POP
!
e.g. One (or more?) pupil is the teacher.
They have to summarise the lesson (unit) and question
the class on what was studied.

29. Looking at blooms bookmark
1. Ask students what the highest skill they have used
was
POP
!

30. Mime
Students get into pairs and mime key learning/ideas/concepts whilst the other has to
guess what it is.
POP
!

31. What if?
What if we hadn’t done today’s lesson?
What if you weren’t allowed to know what
we’ve learnt today?
What if everything I’ve told you today
was false? POP
!

32. 5–5–1
Summarise today’s topic in 5 sentences.
Reduce to 5 words.
Now to 1 word.
POP
!
(with as many variations as there are numbers!)

33. In the spotlight
A volunteer (or group) is asked five
questions based around the lesson.
The rest of the class mark down
whether they agree or disagree
with the answers so that the whole
class is tested. Could use whiteboards
or voting cards.
POP
!

34. Concept Map
Give students a list of words related to the
lesson.
This can either be on cards or on the board.
They must then turn these into a ‘map’, where
each connection can be explained and justified.
e.g. Democracy Voting
Safety Freedom POP
!

35. No to no and no to yes
Students are not allowed to use the
words ‘no’ or ‘yes’ when answering
questions.
Questions can be posed by the teacher, in
pairs or groups.
POP
!

36. POP
!
My Word!
Students are given (or choose) a word related to
the lesson. They must stand up and point to
someone in the class who must then give the
meaning. That person then chooses the next
person to pose a word.

37. POP
As easy as 1 2 3 !
Place students in groups of 3 and number them 1-3.
3 statements on the board which the corresponding
individual must explain to the rest of the group.
Develop by ‘phone-a-friend’ where if one student
can’t explain they find another student with their
number in the group and learn from them.

38. POP
Quick-fire !
Quick-fire questions on the topic to individuals
in the class.
Develop by getting students to write the
questions and put them in a box which you
then draw from.

39. Write your own objective
Either at the end of the lesson or during the
lesson ask pupils to write their own objectives,
thinking about what skill they have acquired
POP
!

40. Evaluation
Tree
Ask students where they feel
they are on the tree in relation
to the lesson or topic.
POP
! Can be used repeatedly to
articulate progress/problems.
Could print out on A3/A2 and
get students to put post-it notes
on with their name. Could then
pair up strong and weaker
students etc.
http://www.evaluationsupportsc
otland.org.uk/article.asp?id=13

41. Draw your brain
Either hand out outlines of a brain/head or pupils draw it
themselves. Then, get them to fill it with everything they have
learnt (knowledge and skills) during the lesson.
Could develop by having them draw the brain at the start of the
lesson so as to signpost that they will be able to fill it up by
the end.
POP
!

42. Now reduce that to 5 key words…
5-5-1 Deluxe!
Write 5 sentences summarising today’s
topic…
And finally to one word….
Use shapes and pictures to
deluxe-ify 5-5-1 POP
!

43. Beat the Teacher
Your task is to try and beat the teacher!
Come up with questions based around your learning today and
see if the teacher can answer them.
POP
!
Develop by: - snowballing
- writing questions on pieces of paper and placing in
a box. One student (sensible - able to vet) then sits
opposite the teacher at the front of the class and pulls
out questions to ask a la Mastermind.

44. Exam Question
POP
!
Write an exam question based on your learning today. Then, swap
books and answer someone else’s question.
Develop by writing a mark scheme for the question as well, using
peer/self assessment or using different types of exam questions –
multiple choice, short answer, essay etc.

45. Equation
Write an equation showing your learning…
For example –
Humans + cars = carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide= melting ice caps + increasing temperature
POP
!

46. Txt Msg
Write a txt msg explaining
your learning
POP
!

47. Self assessment
POP
!

48. Peer assessment
POP
!

49. Independent Focus IF Task
POP
!

50. Guess who?
POP
!

51. DARTs activites
• Directed Activities Related to Text
POP
!

52. BINGO
POP
!

53. Catch phrase
POP
!

54. Splat
POP
!

55. Question loops
POP
!

56. Taboo
POP
!

57. Dingbats
POP
!

58. Just a minute
• Pupils talk for exactly one minute without
hesitation on a topic to their peers
POP
!

59. Connect game:
1. Sort pupils into groups of 3 or 4
2. choose a topic (perhaps revision)
3. Ask a student to suggest a word.
4. The next member of the group says a word that is
related to that word e.g. if the word is ‘football’
they might say ‘goal’.
5. The next child then says a word connected with
the previous word e.g. ‘goal’, ‘net’ and so on.
6. Players take turns. They are allowed thinking time,
but can be challenged by any other player to
explain the connection between their word and the
previous word
POP
!

60. The 5 whys
1 2
Q: Why do you Q: Why is it
exercise? healthy?
A: Because it's A: Because it’s
healthy good for me
3
POP Q: Why is it good
!
for me? Ask ‘why’ questions in
response to five
A: consecutive answers.
5
4 For example: Q: Why
Q:
Q: do you exercise? A:
Because it's healthy.
A:
A: Q: Why is it healthy?
A: Because it’s good
for me. Q: Why is it
good for me? And so
on.

61. 5 good questions
1. Share questions with class, partner
2. See how many pupils came up with
the same questions
3. Peers to answer each others
questions Question 3
Question 2
Question 4
Write down 5
questions you know
the answer to
Question 1
Question 5
POP
!

62. POP
! KWL
what we Know", what we Want to know, and "what we Learned
1 thing I already
knew
2 questions about what I
have learnt/ 2 things I
didn’t understand
3 things I have learnt