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SEN Top Tips: Pablo the Super Banana
Pablo the Super Banana’s Guide to Fairtrade has been
written and designed with SEN learners in mind. The following
tips can be used to add to your own ideas on helping learners
explore where their food comes from and what Fairtrade is all
about. All resources listed here are available at
schools.fairtrade.org.uk/Pablo
Whatever you and your learners decide to do, don’t forget to
take photos and save your plans as you can use these to work
towards your Fairtrade School Awards. For more information
visit schools.fairtrade.org.uk/fairtrade-schools
Pablo’s story tips

As you tell Pablo the Super Banana’s story, encourage learners to sign the key words on the front of
the cards and sign again when they hear the words in the story (e.g. Help, Farmer). You can also
ask learners to sign what emotion Pablo or the farmers are feeling in each story card (excited, sad,
happy).

Compare story card 3 with story card 7. Ask learners to sign or tell you what the emotions are for each
story card (sad and happy). Can they say why the farmers are sad in card 3 and why they are happy
in card 7? You could highlight that the farmers are happy because they are getting a better deal
because of Fairtrade. Placing some coins on card 3 and a larger number of coins on card 7 may also
help learners see the difference Fairtrade can make to farmers’ lives.

Learners could play ‘spot the FAIRTRADE Mark’ on the story cards. Can they count how many there
are in total?

For visually impaired learners the back of the story cards can be ricohed so they can read them.
Tips for focusing on where our food comes from

Focus on story card 5. Talk through the journey of the bananas with learners. To help with this, you
can also use the Journey of the Banana PowerPoint.

Providing props such as bananas, water in a bowl, lorries and boats, learners can re-enact the journey
the bananas go on to get to the supermarket in the UK. Can they get it in the right order?
Games to reinforce learning
 Fruit superheroes
After reading Pablo’s story, learners choose a piece of fruit and make their own
superhero using the eye stickers in the pack or online, using textiles or art materials, or
making a superhero cloak using the Superhero Cloak Template. Learners can give
their fruit a superhero name and share with classmates what their special powers are.
A simple story could be created around each fruit superhero.
 Going to the shops
Use the ‘Trolley Shop’ activity as a starting point to develop a fun role-play for learners
to practice going to the shops. They can vote on a name for the ‘class shop’, and make
or sign a list of food they would like to buy. Laying out food cards from the resource
pack or actual foods that are a mix of Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade items, learners can
choose the food they have on their lists and buy them at the ‘check out’. Encourage
them to explore whether they think there are differences between the items with the
FAIRTRADE Mark and without it. For visually impaired learners, the trolley and food
cards can be ricohed.
.
Home Learning
To reinforce the shopping role-play activity, give parents or carers the Parent & Child
Activity Booklet to do activities with their learners. Activities include a check-list to spot
the FAIRTRADE Mark, and making a postcard to send to Pablo about their favourite
food. For visually impaired learners, the Parent & Child Activity Booklet can be ricohed.