This Year 1 teacher used the Manfred the Baddie unit with her class. In the class, there are 2 non English speaking children and 7 children on the SEND register with a lot of children being below the ARE.
How did you use the Read in to Writing units with your class and why did you choose this resource?
In Year 1 we followed the Manfred the Baddie unit, which we did daily. It appealed to a lot of the children in my class, especially the reluctant boys.
In your opinion, what are the benefits of exploring a whole book rather than shorter extracts?
The children are able to get fully immersed in it and have a greater understanding of the text and they love to see what happens at the end.
How did your pupils respond to such an in-depth study of a book in terms of their enjoyment and engagement?
The children were really excited about having their own copy from the start to share with their partner.We got a lot of good discussion/ vocabulary out of this e.g. illustration details/different baddies we already knew etc. Children of all abilities were engaged fully and wanted to read further in the first week.
How effective was the Read in to Writing approach in improving reading skills?
Very effective, particularly 2 SEND children have begun making much better progress in their reading and writing.
How effective was the Read in to Writing approach in helping to improve grammar and vocabulary?
It could be linked nicely to spellings and grammar that needed covering eg prefixes, capitals, different punctuation marks.
What is the impact of using the resource in your class/school - how have you used the resource to improve progression and achievement?
It was used to encourage/excite children into reading/writing/ to allow English lessons to flow better where chd could get fully immersed into a book.This has definitely happened too.
Do you have any tips for other teachers using the Read in to Writing unit?
It’s good for encouraging reluctant readers-the title appeals straight away!
How would you feel about using further Read in to Writing units?
I am looking forward to use The Queen’s Hat and The Queen’s Handbag next.
Learn more about Manfred the Baddie and the Read in to Writing teaching unit around the book here.