Special! Magazine

Reviewed by;
Diane Andrews and Moya Richardson, KS1 & KS2 Class Teachers

Blitz! is an intensive literacy programme for young children who have experienced difficulties in getting started in reading; its approach is very similar to the Reading Recovery Programme and its lessons encompass the three levels of literacy identified by the National Literacy Framework (i.e. text level, sentence level and word level).

The pack contains a teacher's book, detailed lesson plans and over 60 books (from various reading schemes), full-colour laminated game boards and photocopiable masters so that games, and activities to support the lessons, can be made. So, whilst you may be a little concerned about the overall price, don't forget that you are getting a huge set of resources. What we particularly liked is the fact that this material has been pre-selected (and sensitively so, in order to meet a range of reading needs) so that this is a genuine time-saver for the classroom teacher.

Blitz! can be used on a daily basis, for approximately 20-30 minutes (hence the reference earlier to Reading Recovery) It is ideal for individual children but could also be used with small groups. We could also add that Blitz! appears to be the kind of approach which both classroom assistants and parents would feel comfortable using.

The scheme provides a great opportunity to give those children who are slow to start reading a necessary push in the right direction. In doing this a range of strategies are used, with lots of reinforcement activities.

We liked this scheme a great deal and feel that it is ideal for its target group. Moreover, the pack has a refreshing and lively feel about it which could be as welcome as a shot in the arm for the teacher as for the children!