Discovery Challenge
Some children come to reading fluency later than others. Pandas and Flyers have proved successful, both in motivating children to read and in teaching literacy skills, particularly to children in the Senior end of Primary school. They are useful for children of all ages in receipt of Resource and Learning Support teaching.
Discovery Challenge provides specialised activity sheets based on these books. The sheets are fun and challenging, and encourage independent research by children.
Developed by primary school resource teachers.
'Children deserve, need and should have access to, real books that support them on their way to becoming able and independent readers. Some of the best of such books are to be found in the O'Brien Panda and Flyer books.'
Finian O'Shea, Lecturer in Education, Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin
To view and print these resources, you will need a PDF file reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free from Adobe.
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Ed's Bed
Ed Cooper's life is never dull. He has started to wet his bed and he can't learn his time-tables.
Flyer 7Download Discover Challenge based on Ed's Bed: make your own wordsearch.
Ed's Funny Feet
Ed Cooper has a problem with his big toes. Even his DIY foot-straighteners don't work and he has to wear very uncool 'correction shoes'.
Flyer 4Download Discovery Challenge: find out all about feet and shoes
Muckeen the Pig
Muckeen loves being dirty and muddy. And he loves his food. But when he is taken to market Muckeen does not like it at all! Still, Muckeen is a smart pig too and he finds a way out!
Panda 1Download Discovery Challenge: make your own Muckeen, and explore the world of pigs!
Mad Grandad and the Flying Saucer
Lenny and Mad Grandad take their new flying saucer for its first flight. Getting into space is easy: getting home alive might be harder!
Download Discovery Challenge: make a collage and more!
Don't Open that Box
Belzoni the cat and Greta the chicken try to get to grips with a hungry crocodile that has just eaten Granny.
Flyer 8Download Discovery Challenge: Wonderful ideas exploring the world of newspapers, greek myth and crocodile construction!
Jigsaw Stew
Jack MacAnoolie tries to save his family when they eat stew made from a jigsaw!
Flyer 6Download Discovery Challenge: how to make your own jigsaw.
The Big Fight
The Story of the TáinThe hero Cúchulainn is forced to fight his friend Ferdia in this epic story of Queen Maeve and the Brown Bull of Cooley. A simple retelling for younger readers.
Flyer 3Download Discovery Challenge: ancient placenames, where they occur throughout Ireland, and what they mean!
Select activity sheets and teaching ideas for a different age group