I have always been a fan of the Scholastic Read and Respond series, using them over the years with several age groups and with children of all abilities – so I was excited to acquire the Interactive version of the Michael Morpurgo book “The Wreck of the Zanzibar”.

It has obviously been designed to use with a large group – if not whole class – of children, thus making the cost of £30 more acceptable to budget constraints. Ideally one would like the children to have individual copies of the book too, as only parts of the text are reproduced. However, I can envisage using this with a small group of children each having the text – or as a class novel read by the teacher in between activities if necessary.

Being on a CD Rom, there is provision for a lot of background information relating to aspects of the book. The child with less imagination can relate to the information via a bank of images and audio clips. There are opportunities to use some of this information for work in other curriculum areas (for example the documentary video clip about leatherback turtles). The interview with the author adds a further dimension to the children’s understanding of the book.

The CD provides a wealth of activities relating to the book and to other aspects of literacy. Many can be easily adapted to use with other contexts – reducing the work load of the busy teacher. Teachers’ notes are comprehensive. Learning objectives are clearly indicated – in this example, taken from both the Year 5 and Year 6 strands, with reference made to Y6/7 transition. Thus the resource could be used with mixed age or mixed ability groups easily. Tasks allow for whole class, group or individual activities and ideas for support and extension are provided in many of the sessions. For teachers unfamiliar with interactive books, the help provided is clear and useful.

Personally I do not like to think of books of the calibre of those written by Michael Morpurgo being analysed in great detail by children. I think they should be simply enjoyed. But curriculum requirements today demand a level of analysis to prove understanding of the author’s intent which must occasionally mean an in depth study of a particular text. In this Interactive Read and Response resource, Scholastic have ensured that everything required is easily to hand; that less confident practitioners have the tools and support required to enhance their pupils’ understanding ; that additions such as video clips help to bring the text to life for the reader; that readers have the opportunity to feel that they are actually there. It is a valuable resource that could not easily be replicated in any other way. Karen Vive, Binfield C E Primary School, Berkshire