Little Wandle Code - The Colossal Squid and Other Stories: Start the Code Anthology

Little Wandle Code ensures effective reading intervention in early KS3. It is an all-in-one, fully resourced phonics intervention and assessment programme, accompanied by 10 age-appropriate fully decodable anthologies and 3 workbooks, to support students who are not meeting age-related expectations when they begin secondary school.

The Colossal Squid and Other Stories is the anthology for the Start the Code pathway. It is designed for students who may be new to English or have SEND needs, little or no phonic knowledge.

The fully decodable anthology includes 18 texts for Units 4-9 in Start the Code. Each text has an introduction page which sets out the focus graphemes, tricky words, blurb, and a discussion question to engage students before they read the story.

The anthologies enable students to practise the code, broaden their vocabulary, develop comprehension, improve fluency, and motivate independent reading.

Designed to look like the books their peers are reading, the anthologies include:

• A variety of content: fiction and non-fiction, featuring a wide range of text types, genres, and well-known authors
• Levelled practice: stories with varied word counts, length and complexity to provide sufficient practice, flexibility and choice
• Appealing visuals: a range of illustration and photographic styles to motivate and engage KS3 readers.

The anthologies are fully integrated within the Code programme and are supported by teacher and text notes available from the Little Wandle Code subscription.