Have you taught Robert Burns poetry previously in the classroom? Would you like to find out more about the Bard as a Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) opportunity to inform your practice and support your teaching of Scots Language?

Futurelearn are offering a great free three week online course – Robert Burns: Poems, Songs and Legacy – beginning Monday 23rd January 2017.

Course Information

In the process, you’ll examine archive material, original publications and manuscripts by Burns himself, recordings of Burns songs and examples of objects used to commemorate the poet. You’ll also look at and learn to interpret a selection of Robert Burns’s works in the context of Scottish history and culture. Poems and songs covered in the course include:

• Auld Lang Syne
• To a Mouse
• To a Haggis
• Ae Fond Kiss
• A Red Red Rose
• Scots Wha Hae
• A Man’s a Man for a’ That
• The Vision

CLICK HERE – Robert Burns: Poems, Song and Legacy

On the Highland Literacy blog we have a number of support resources for developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) within a Literacy context. A Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) training for interested primary staff will be delivered towards the end of term 3.

Aim:
To become familiar with the support materials and resources available on the Highland Literacy Blog to support the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), Critical Literacy and Media Literacy.

The training will include approaches to learning, links to resources and practical materials that can be brought to the classroom. It’s pitched for practitioners working within First and Second Levels.

Option 1:
Thursday 30th March 2017, 9.30am – 12.30pm

Option 2:
Thursday 30th March 2017, 1pm – 4pm

Option 3:
Friday 31st March 2017, 9.30am – 12.30pm

Option 4:
Friday 31st March 2017, 1pm – 4pm

Highland staff can apply through the CPD Calendar.

Scottish Book Trust runs the Scottish Teenage Book Prize giving teenagers the opportunity to vote for their favourite Scottish book from a shortlist of three.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

In addition to this the Scottish Book Trust are running two competitions:

• a graphic novel competition which challenges teens to adapt a scene from one of the shortlisted books in comic format
• a book trailer competition where teens can create short book trailers for one of the books.

Both competitions are supported by activity packs and tutorial videos. The deadline is Friday 17th February 2017.

As we’re nearing the end of the year, the Brainpickings blog have posted about their favourite children’s books of 2016.

The Brainpickings ‘The Best Children’s Books of 2016’ list includes 16 great texts which could be used as a stimulus for writing, as a modelled text for teaching reading strategies in a literacy workshop, or as a text for all to enjoy in the classroom! Their unique selection of books are texts which you may find are not already in your classroom.

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CLICK HERE – Brainpickings ‘The Best Children’s Books of 2016’

For more information about each of the texts, click the links below:

CLICK HERE – Cry, Heart, But Never Break
CLICK HERE – The White Cat and the Monk
CLICK HERE – Cloth Lullaby
CLICK HERE – Du Iz Tak?
CLICK HERE – A Child of Books
CLICK HERE – The Day I Became A Bird
CLICK HERE – Pinocchio
CLICK HERE – The Sound of Silence
CLICK HERE – We Found A Hat
CLICK HERE – Daytime Visions
CLICK HERE – Preaching to the Chickens
CLICK HERE – The Polar Bear
CLICK HERE – What Colour is the Wind?
CLICK HERE – The Pancake King
CLICK HERE – Einstein
CLICK HERE – What Can I Be?

Coming back after the holidays, the personal reading habits of some learners may need some gentle persuasion with high quality engaging texts. Start the New Year Reading Resolutions off with recommending great texts. Thank you to the Scottish Book Trust who have recommended the following list of 16 texts to engage reluctant readers at Second Level.

If there are any favourites in your class, let us know by leaving a comment on the blog!

Following Book Week Scotland last month some of the schools across Highland have kindly shared their Primary 1 Bookbug and their Primary 2 and Primary 3 Read, Write, Count gifting stories. Click the links below to find out more.

Inverlochy Primary School
Inverlochy Primary School, Fort William, had an action packed Book Week Scotland. Between visiting the local library, to taking part in book buddying across the school, Inverlochy culminated in a fun-filled gifting event . . . and even included a  reading themed mannequin challenge too.

Milton of Leys Primary School/ Strathdearn Primary School
Milton of Leys Primary School, Inverness, and Strathdearn Primary School, Tomatin, came together, with input from Inshes Library, for the Mad Hatter’s Bookbug Gifting Tea Party. The event was bursting at the seams with families!

Smithton Primary School
Smithton Primary School, Inverness, were full to the brim during their book gifting! Great to see the family engagement as part of the gifting process. Following the library Bookbug/ Read, Write, Count events in October/ November, the local Network Librarian from Culloden Library was able to support their book gifting.

Many thanks to these schools for sharing their gifting stories.

Thank you to Stephen Stewart, Digital Learning Development Officer, for sharing the link to this resource. 

Check out the Digi Learn Highland site and subscribe to the mailing list.

When creating fictional texts, creating an ‘Adventure Story’ is a great genre to support the development of learners’ understanding of cause and effect. Adventure Stories allow learners to identify two different scenarios at different points during the story, developing outcomes for each for their reader to choose their own reading fate. The reader selects the avenue they wish to take at each cause/effect point, taking them on their own individual reading journey.

The stories can initially be developed with a number of ideas on sticky-notes and a graphic organizer. In the example shared by Eric Curts, you can see how Google Docs can be used to support the creation of Adventure Stories.

Click the link below for a full tutorial and examples:

CLICK HERE – Eric Curts – Adventure Stories

Amidst the buzz in school during December, short pieces of fiction are a great stimulus which can be used to continue to develop writing skills inbetween concert rehearsals and craft fayres. This month’s ’50 Word Fiction’ from the Scottish Book Trust is a great opportunity for learners to pen a piece of fiction of no more than 50 words, influenced by a particular setting.

The deadline is Monday 2nd January 2017. The Young Writers category is open to all children and young people under 18.

CLICK HERE – 50 Word Fiction (In This Building)

When developing Phonological Awareness there are a number of building blocks which allow learners to have secure pre-reading skills. Onset-Rime is on of these building blocks which can build on a learner’s rhyme awareness and detection.

One of the activities which are suggested within the Emerging Literacy Onset-Rime Handout is Picture Rimes.

To support your development of this, you may be interested in the Rime House game which has been shared by Reading Rockets. This includes a number of picture cards and a task description.

CLICK HERE – Rime House

When planning novel studies and using short stories we’re often asked about digital tools to support the teaching of texts. The BBC School Radio features a number of full and abridged texts which are commonly used in schools. This includes audio clips and teacher notes which can be used in individual, small group and whole class activities.

Click on the images above to access a few popular texts which are commonly featured in literacy workshops.