‘The Mystery of the Missing Macaw’ kept my mixed-year group class hugely enthralled and motivated. Skills of inference, prediction, scanning and extracting specific details were just a few of the reading skills practised. Hearing children passionately presenting and justifying their arguments was a joy! Every child was able to solve at least some of the mystery and therefore found the mystery intrinsically challenging but yet satisfying.
Even my most reluctant learners were engaged!
V.Price, Deputy Head, St Peter's CofE Primary School, Ardingly
The Mystery of the Missing Macaw is a fantastic resource. We used this as a stand-alone activity to develop speaking and listening and our children loved it! All children were fully engaged throughout and worked so well in their teams. The detailed conversations that the children had was excellent, there was a real buzz in the room and they could not wait to discover if they had solved the mystery correctly!
K.Burrows, Years 5 & 6 Teacher,
St George's CofE Primary School, Gainsborough
The energy was high and the excitement when the girls made links between the various clues reflected their enjoyment. This was a fun activity, encouraging collaboration and critical thinking! The girls were completely immersed in the mystery and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
S.Martin, Head of Drama, Glendower Preparatory School
'The Mystery of the Missing Macaw' was used within the confines of the classroom and with the whole class at one time. Don’t be afraid of trying it this way as the buzz of excitement within the classroom will quickly become infectious. By taking the detective exams prior to commencing taking on the case, the children believed they had the necessary skills to solve the crime. “We are like real detectives,” was heard many times, and the use of magnifying glasses only added to the fun. “I am now inspired to become a detective if this is what they do,” was a comment from a year 6 girl.
The discussions, teamwork and resulting written report lend this activity to developing English skills within a meaningful activity. I would thoroughly recommend you turning your classroom into a crime scene and then just watch and listen to all the interactions.
A.Rowlands, Years 5 & 6 Teacher, Grasby All Saints CofE Primary School