Following our earlier post on the upcoming training from Highland Libraries on using the P1 Book Bug Pack, there are now fifteen events across the Authority in October and November.

CLICK HERE to find out more about the sessions.

Please email the contacts below directly to book a place. This is a great opportunity for classroom practitioners and the library service to work together.

If you’re attending the training, the staff at Highland Libraries ask that the P1 Book Bug packs do not go home with children until after the training.

Check out The Communication Trust: What Works webiste by clicking the image below.

The website, once you have signed up, will allow you access to a number of interventions to support speech, language and communication. There are resources to support universal teaching as well as targeted support.

These resources will complement and supplement the activities within the Highland Draft Developmental Continua.

CLICK HERE – The Communication Trust: What Works

My Storybook is a fantastic website that can be used to create texts online. Learners can select scenes, create images and write words – a great way to support the development of digital literacy skills. To check it out, click the image above.

Check out a great search engine, instGrok, which can be used by pupils and staff to research a topic.

Simply search the topic you’re wanting to research and you will be provided with an interactive map which makes the connections between different pieces of research to enable learners to gain holistic understanding and evidence around a topic.

Check out the demonstration video on the home page to find out more information about the site.

CLICK HERE – instGrok

Those of you who have used the Lend Me Your Literacy – Picture of the Day site regularly may have noticed there have been some changes.

The site is now known as Pobble365. Each day an image will be posted alongside a story starter and some reflective questions. This is a great stimulus to a media literacy, listening and talking or writing lesson.

CLICK HERE – Pobble365

No Pens Day Wednesday is a national speaking and listening event organised by The Communication Trust. No Pens Day Wednesday supports schools and settings to put down their pens and pick up their language to support pupils’ communication skills.

Why don’t you try putting away the pens and pencils for a day, and looking at ways to develop your pupils’ oral language?

Click the image above for the No Pens Day Wednesday – Activity Pack. The pack is full of information and ideas how Early Years, Primary and Secondary settings can support this. The official date is Wednesdy 7th October 2015.

Check out the Building Vocabulary for Better Literacy PowerPoint from The Literacy Toolkit to look at research and strategies for pre-teaching vocabulary.

Following our post on the Scottish Children’s Book Awards an exciting CPD opportunity which brings together Primary 1 teachers and staff from the Highland Library Service is being delivered by librarians in Highland.

The Primary 1 Bookbug pack normally arrives in schools in late October/ early November, ready for Book Week Scotland.

The CPD training will introduce the books within the P1 Bookbug pack and provide suggested curriculum activities for developing the books in the classroom. One great suggestion for using the P1 Bookbug packs in schools is through developing a Shared Reading Project.

CLICK HERE – Shared Reading

The following six sessions have been confirmed:

You can apply for a place by emailing the contact librarian directly. There may be additional sessions planned depending on the capacity of the Library Service.

This is a great opportunity to link with your local Network Librarian. The Library Service aims to support practitioners through contact with their Network Librarian and support the ‘Every Child a Library Member’ initiative.

CLICK HERE – P1 Bookbug Activity Pack

CLICK HERE – P1 Bookbug Teaching Ideas

Following our post last month on Emerging Literacy many practitioners have accessed and engaged with the materials which we published in August.

To support your engagement with the Primary One Literacy Assessment and Action Resource (POLAAR) the Millburn Academy ASG has created a streamlined checklist for the Early Literacy Environmental Assessment.

We are looking to collect data from Primary 1 teachers across the Authority on the number of aspects which have been embedded from the Early Literacy Environmental Assessment. The Emerging Literacy working group are interested in which aspects are difficult to embed to identify the further support materials which are needed.

CLICK HERE: POLAAR – Data collection

We would appreciate if Primary 1 practitioners could complete the checklist by the October break and send to highlandliteracy@gmail.com by the October break.

FAO: Highland Primary 1 Teachers, Support for Learning Teachers, School Senior Management Teams and the Quality Improvement Team

For anyone in the South/Mid area who missed the initial training, you can apply through the CPD calendar for twilight training at Crown Primary School, Inverness on Tuesday 27^th October, 4pm – 6pm. Further training needs will be identified at the Emerging Literacy group’s next meeting in October.

Adult Learning, Inverness, are hosting a celebratory event for the community to mark the European Day of Languages. The event is an opportunity to celebrate bilingualism, share your home language with others, learn some phrases in another language, and take part in activities such as song, rhyme, dance, traditional music, and traditional dress from across Europe and around the world!

There will also be Bookbug sessions for babies and toddlers in English and other languages.

The event is open to anyone of all ages and languages!

Last week’s post about the Scottish Children’s Book Awards made reference to utilising the support of CALL Scotland.

The CALL Scotland Blog have created resources which can support learners with communication difficulties and those with a print disability.

CLICK HERE – CALL Scotland Blog

I would recommend checking out the New Opportunities and Resources for Shared Reading and Storytelling section.

CLICK HERE – Previous Post on Accessing Digital Print