We know that many Highland practitioners are either currently taking a developmental approach to literacy or planning on engaging with the Emerging Literacy support resources through the next academic session; but with so many new resources being published over the last year – where do you start?

Click on the image above to access a document that captures the Emerging Literacy support materials on one page. The succinct guidance and hyperlinks aim to support practitioners across Highland to access the resources.

Colleagues in Speech and Language in Highland have been supporting the development of Oral Language in the Early Years through developing a support tool for practitioners and families – Words Up. Many Early Years Practitioners across Highland have attended the training available on the Highland CPD Calendar.

The key messages for Words Up are in four developmental stages:

1. First Words
2. Words Together
3. Talking Together
4. Chatting Now

The Emerging Literacy Group are currently developing Key Messages to support Oral Language in the school years.

You can access each of the Words Up Key Message posters by clicking the images below.

You can access each of the Words Up Key Message posters by clicking the images below. You can also download all of the posters in Gaelic by clicking HERE.

First Words

Words Together

Talking Together

Chatting Now

DOWNLOAD ALL WORDS UP POSTERS IN GAELIC 

Last week many schools across Highland were lucky enough to have a visit from Sarah McIntyre, Children’s Author, for an interactive workshop on characterization, using her books as a stimulus. We had published this on the blog back in February to which many of our schools applied.

Over five days Sarah was able to deliver workshops to Mount Pleasant Primary School, Pennyland Primary School, Miller Academy Primary School, Melvich Primary School, Castletown Primary School, Noss Primary School, Watten Primary School, Knockbreck Primary School, Dornoch Academy, Strathpeffer Primary School, Mulbuie Primary School St Clement’s School, Kiltearn Primary School, Teanassie Primary School, Beauly Primary School, Drakies Primary School, Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Inbhir Nis, Crown Primary School, Hilton Primary School and Cradlehall Primary School.

This was a truly amazing geographical spread across the Local Authority.

The children involved commented on how well she engaged her audience, her use of voice in her books and her use of presentational devices to enhance her writing. This was a super opportunity for schools across Highland to have the chance to take part in.

If you missed your chance to take part in one of her events, you can access an event delivered by Sarah through the Scottish Book Trust: Author’s Live site. The event includes learning resources:
CLICK HERE – Sarah McIntyre: Authors Live

As part of Family Learning, Quality Indicator 2.5 within How Good Is Our School (4th Edition), schools are expected to actively promote lifelong learning, both in families, and as individual learners.

Families may require support with their own Literacy learning.

High Life Highland’s Adult Learning Team support adult learners across Highland.
CLICK HERE – Adult Learning High Life Highland

Information on their Adult Learning programmes can be found on the following link:
CLICK HERE – Adult Learning Programmes

Teaching different modes of poetry such as haiku, limerick, cinquain, and free verse? Check out Scholastic’s Poetry Idea Engine to support the teaching of poetry.

CLICK HERE – Poetry Idea Engine

Fancy a writer, poet, playwright, illustrator or storyteller to come and work with the children in your school?

Scottish Book Trust is excited to offer a brand new pilot programme that will offer 6 schools in Scotland a fully-funded author-in-residence.

Each residency will contain 10 sessions carried out by an author from their database. Their database includes almost 700 professional writers, poets, playwrights, illustrators, performance poets and storytellers.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 25 May 2016 at noon.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION – Scottish Book Trust Residency

The library at Inverness Royal Academy has been involved in some great work where pupils within the school worked alongside Hilton Primary School to support the rollout of the Primary 1 Bookbug Pack through Shared Reading sessions.

Through their work, the volunteers from Inverness Royal Academy developed their teamwork skills, their ability to communicate with others and their digital literacy skills. 

Why not contact your Network Librarian and see how you can work together?

Developing typing skills through your Literacy Workshops? Nitro Type is a website which allows children to put their touch typing skills to the test. Visit the website by clicking the image above and create an account for your class.

CLICK HERE – Nitro Type

Elaine Mead, Chief Executive of the NHS, visited two of our Primary Schools last week to look at Emerging Literacy in practice. During her visit to Crown Primary School and Hilton Primary School, both in Inverness, Elaine learned how both of the schools have used the Developmental Continua, taking a developmental approach to literacy.

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She loved seeing how the staff had used the Phonological Awareness and the Pre-Handwriting resources in the classroom. It was great to hear that through the work between Education and Allied Health Professionals within Care and Learning, children’s progress in Literacy is being identified and nurtured through the use of the Emerging Literacy training and materials.

It was great to see the independent engagement of the children with the tasks which were set during the visit. The personal favourites were the Phonic Phone which allowed learners to hear the phonemes and the scissor tasks which developed scissor skills.

Check out the Emerging Literacy materials for further information

May is ‘National Share a Story Month’ . . . a great excuse to develop children’s storytelling skills. The Scottish Book Trust have created Storytelling Relay Resources.

Click the image below to access the resources for Early – Second Levels.

If you cannot develop extended storytelling right now, but you’d still like to touch on ‘National Share a Story Month’ access Scottish Book Trust’s condensed resource below:
CLICK HERE – If You Only Do One Thing