Jack and The Beanstalk Tall and Short Stories

On the way to Mars, Captain Marvellous marvelled at stars. The most marvellous star that he found, was floating through the Milky Way, a million miles above the ground. The panorama was enough to make even a mortal Captain Marvel astound and make supersonic airways boom in the sound. The sight was supersonically marvellous, so the people say, as Captain Marvellous marvelled on his way. “Wow ! Hey Presto !”, suddenly there was a puff of smoke and a flash of light … In which the answers to every quiz question materialised so bright. Even on Mercury, the rest of the Astro crew were also amazed … a captive audience, at Captain Marvellous’s marvellous abilities they gazed. 

In this maths exercise, the teachers draws around his arm on the whiteboard, then instructs pupils on where the sleeve stretches to (eg. the elbow, half - way - what fraction is that ?), where should Mr. Armstrong’s wristwatch be placed.

Arm Wrestling

In this Mr. Armstrong, the strongest ever strongman maths exercise, the class is allocated into pairs. One player bends their arm, the other says what kind of angle the bent arm makes and how many degrees are at the elbow.

© Jacqueline Richards 2008

God knows why, but Nellie the elephant wanted eleven legs. Of course, she only had four, which wasn’t enough to squash all her eleven eggs. This meant that there were seven eggs spare, that’s one left over and three leg - pairs. She reckoned that is she jumped up once, she’d crush all eleven eggs in just one bounce. Nellie the elephant asked Jack if he could help at all … by lending her some of his branches from the beanstalk so tall. Naturally, the centipede living on the beanstalk with his one hundred feet, was a good deal better at tapping out a hundred beats a treat ! He suggested that if the elephant wanted to crush eggs better in a rush, the best way would be to use the thick logs, rather than the twigs from the bush. In order to help the elephant walk, they cut seven logs from off the beanstalk. After Jack tied on the log - legs with a length of string, soon, the elephant was eleven - hopping without stopping. 

The Even Odder Odds & Even Game !

11 - is this an even or an odd number ? Divide the class into two teams, named “odds” and “evens”. Choose any of the mathematical equations on this web page to ask in turn. When a team player from the “odd” team gets an answer right, the whole team jumps up and down. Whereas, when a team player from an “even” team scores a point, they all turn around. A point is scored for each team when one of their players gets the answer right.

The Eleventh Hour

How many other English words and phrases can you think of that include the word “eleven” ? Example - 11 o’ clock.

© Jacqueline Richards 2007

Humdinger Hangman !

Choose a word in the following categories for a traditional game of hangman.

PLANT LIFE - FRUIT & VEGETABLES

FAMOUS PEOPLE

TRAVEL, PLACES TO GO & WAYS OF GETTING THERE

MEDIA - BOOKS & NEWSPAPERS

CINEMA - TV & FILMS

FOOD & DRINK

CLOTHES & FOOTWEAR

change

anger

dangerbang

Because the hippopotamus has four feet,

His dance has the most amazing beat.

When he performs in the hippodrome,

Half of the crowd go flying home !

The hippopotamus dance is a sight to see,

There are four steps forwards,

Then back, one, two, three !

To learn to dance like a hippopotamus is an absolute must !

You spin through the air and kick up clouds of dust.

The hippopotamus makes such a fuss,

When he dances, he knocks over a bus !

You’ve never seen such a lot of huffing,

As when the hippopotamus begins his puffing.

When the hippopotamus bends over backwards,

Chuckle Buckle’s circus tent, collapses inwards.

When one time, the hippopotamus stomped his foot -

He put in the circus tent such a big hole,

That the circus had to be shut !

The Quickstep Game

This O is a hippopotamus footstep. Draw a line between each footprint, then from North, work out the angles that the hippopotamus’s dance takes.

O O

N

^

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

2

3

4

1

5

6

© Jacqueline Richards 2008

The ticks who lived in Chuckle Buckle’s circus was flippin’ fantas - tic. As flea circuses go, they were the best, in the whole of the show. They jumped here and jumped there. They even jumped down the ringmaster’s pants - who started to jump, too, in a rant. The elephant had never seen such a display as this … as when the two acrobatic ticks crossed the tripwire … their performance was the best ever yet - all because they were acrobatic, I bet. The acrobatics didn’t end there … they head off into the auditorium and jumped one by one off the chairs. Acrobatic ticks are quite a sight - they don’t sit down at all and it isn’t long before set off in flight. One day, an acrobatic tick nearly hit the roof - he loved to be trampolining … and in one leap, could make it up to the ceiling. 

Characteris - tics Game

Flip over the - TIC into these word roots to complete the words. Then draw a picture of each of the following ticks, picking characteristics that suit their name.

Answers : attic ; antic ; frantic ; fantastic ; pedantic ; ticking ; fanatic ; characteristic ; plastic ; sarcastic ; bureaucratic ; chauvanistic ; critical ; climatic ; diplomatic ; mystical ; domestic ; tick tack ; ticket ; stick ;sticker ;sticker; tape ; tick off ; ticket agent ; trick ; tickle ; wicket ; ticklish ; chopstick ; tickled pink ; tick tock ; static ; gigantic ; acrobatic ; authentic ; autocratic ; balistic ; drastic ; dramatic

Chuckle Buckle, the swashbuckling superhero, was a real heroic chap. He was out saving the universe, when everyone else in the circus was going for a nap. He read a book on the three musketeers, in order to be the best swashbuckling superhero, that had been in the circus for years. One of his swashbuckling jobs was to clean the big top - so he filled a bucket with water and went to get a mop. As the people queued to buy tickets for Chuckle Buckle’s circus in a rush, swashbuckling Chuckle Buckle was tidying the big top with a brush. Soon, the entire circus tent was awash, all because of swashbuckling Chuckle Buckle - who made everything go with a swish - swash. He practised the art of swashbuckling morning, noon and night. Soon, the whole circus was shining like new - sparkling, clean and bright. Before long, of course, Swashbuckling Chuckle Buckle had slipped in a puddle … and all of the circus animals were soon in quite a muddle. Chuckle Buckle went to clean up the mess, but with only a small cloth and not much hay, he really was quite useless. Very soon, he’d skidded across the floor, underneath the elephant and crashed into the door ! Soapy bubbles flew through the air … as the swashbuckling Chuckle Buckle skated everywhere. The circus tent shook and the Strongman had to duck. Chuckle Buckle changed his name, to Chuckle Bubble - hoping it would bring him fame. The flame - thrower came to help “Watch out for the bucket !”, the swashbuckler cried out with a yelp. The clown started to turn quite pale, as his pail flew through the air over the circus rail. It quickly disappeared from view … when the circus tent needed cleaning, now what was the swashbuckling Chuckle Buckle going to do ? The chimpanzees looked hard, whilst swinging through the zoo, but they couldn’t see the bucket anywhere - there wasn’t even a watery clue ! That afternoon, all the circus animals set off on a find the bucket trail. The zebras in pairs, looked underneath the stairs. The orchestra stopped playing their musical, brass instruments in the band and searched all around the hotdog stand. The knife - thrower suggested that they look underneath the seats, then started performing incredible circus fetes ! The ticket seller, who was a friendly fella, looked inside the ringmaster’s boot, but there was no watery bucket there, in which to put his foot ! Suddenly, the ringmaster had an idea - perhaps they should look inside Gypsy Rose’s magic glass ball, to see if the bucket would magically appear at all ! Chuckle Buckle clapped his hands - Hocus Pocus ! Wham ! Abracadabra ! Shazam ! The snake charmer cast a spell - and in a flash, not only the bucket, but a SPLASH of sudsy water magicked as well. Of course, the magic water left them all completely soaked … the circus frog hadn’t had this much fun in ages, “Yippee !” he loudly croaked.

The Hole In Chuckle Buckle’s Bucket

There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Chuckle Buckle, dear Chuckle Buckle.There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Chuckle Buckle, a hole.Then mend it, dear Chuckle Buckle, dear Chuckle Buckle, dear Chuckle Buckle.Then mend it, dear Chuckle Buckle, dear Chuckle Buckle, mend it !!!

Add the word “pow” to complete the words below :

1. The __________ looked hard, whilst swinging through the zoo

2. The zebras in pairs, looked underneath the __________.

3. The orchestra stopped playing their musical, brass instruments in the band and searched all around the __________.

4. The __________ suggested that they look underneath the seats.

5. The ringmaster had an idea - perhaps they should look inside Gypsy Rose’s __________.

6. The ticket seller, who was a friendly fella, looked inside the ____________, but there was no watery bucket there, in which to put his foot !

Chuckle Buckle’s Last Buck Book Game

Write a list of your favourite books and a brief explanation of why you like them.  

© Jacqueline Richards 2007

Game 1 Answers :

powder

power powerful

Add the word “den” to complete the words below.

Add the letters “L - I - on” to complete the words.

Lancelot the lion had a lion’s heart. When he roared, he blew the branches of the beanstalk apart. But, the only problem was that Lancelot didn’t much like his tail - with a tail in the way, everything seemed to fail. He didn’t much like the way that it stuck out … whenever he ran across the jungle, his tail swang about. He curled it and tied it up witha bow, to stop it falling in the snow. He brushed and dyed it, every week. But his tail was still not as good as a beak. It tickled his leg and draggeed on the ground. It even tickled his nose when he span around ! Perhaps a bush, just like a squirrel, would be better - but a lion’s tail was all that he’d got. He even considered is he should swap it or not. A fluffy bobtail (just like a rabbit) would suit him fine and stop him tripping up all of the time. Maybe even a piglet’s tail, quite curly, would be better - handy when he got up early (compared to a lion’s tail which was rather more swirly).Uproar !oar or ore - which is the correct one to use ?

Lancelot the lion wanted to say it with flowers, so he went out in the woods collecting for hours and hours. Although he didn’t mean to, sometimes, he accidentally picked, one or two mushrooms growing in the glen, instead of the dandelions that he went searching for around his den. It was cold and the wood was iced over, so Lancelot the lion didn’t see that much nice clover. He had heard that there were, hundreds of dandelions growing on the woodland floor. But without his spectacles, he couldn’t see that well so in the fog, Lancelot the lion slipped and fell in the bog. Lancelot the lion tried to pick himself back up again - but his feet were so muddy and the ground was wet with rain. Have you ever seen a brown lion before ? Well, none was quite so brown as Lancelot, after he’d been rolling around on the muddy floor ! In the lake, Lancelot the lion went to take a bath - it was quite easy, since he could skid easily along the icy footpath ! He splashed in the river, upto his mane and chuted down through the drain. He scrubbed so hard, that he put bubbles in the rain. There was even mud stains on a passing crane.Add the letters D - E - L to complete the words

Nelly the Elephant didn’t need a phone - she could use her trunk whenever she decided that she needed to phone home. Indeed, her trunk came in very handy, when she wanted to book a table at a restaurant … or call up her old friend, Mandy. In fact, through her trunk, she could be heard all over town … whenever she wanted to talk about the places that she’d blown. Nor, in fact, did she need ten pence - she could stand by the chimney pots on the roof, whenever she wanted to talk to a neighbour over the garden fence. When Nelly the Elephant stomped her foot - even the telephone operator in town shook her telephone directory book !

1. What in English literature, is “prose” ?

2. Find an article that demonstrates the use of English prose.

3. Write ten sentences that include quotation marks.

4. When and why are quotation marks used ?

5. Write a typical conversation spoken by Nelly the Elephant - what might she say ?

True or False ?

Add the letters T - R - U to complete the words.

__ __ __ th

__ __ __ ck

s __ __ __ ng

__ __ __ mp

s __ __ __ ck

__ __ __ st

__ __ __ thful

__ __ __ sting

un __ __ __ e

uns __ __ __ ng

__ __ __ ism

© Jacqueline Richards 2007

Answers : truth ; truck ; strung ; trump ; struck ; trust ; truthful ; trusting ; untrue ; unstrung ; truism

How many words can you think of that include the word “strong” ? Example - stronghold, headstrong.