Do you teach learners how to create mind-maps, diagrams and flowcharts? If so, we’ve got a free resource to support you. If not, check out the resource and be inspired . . .

Gliffy is a wonderful free online cloud based tool that can be used to create mind-maps, diagrams and flowcharts! The software itself is simple to use – click the image above and you’re ready to go. Click ‘Start Drawing’ and you’ll land at the ‘Getting Started’ guide; take a few minutes to check the software out.

Images can then be saved by creating a free account online, or exported as a JPG or PNG picture file and saved on your computer.

Following the recent training by Highland Psychological Services, their resource ‘Improving Literacy with Parental Involvement’ is now available to download electronically for use in your establishment.

Click the image below to download the full ‘Improving Literacy with Parental Involvement’ pack.

Improving Literacy with Parental Involvement – Highland Psychological Services

Click the image below to download the pack as one PDF document.

Click on the images below to access each of the three modules within the ‘Improving Literacy with Parental Involvement’ pack.

Shared Reading – Nursery

Reading Together First Steps – P1

Reading Together – P3/4

Thank you to Highland Psychological Services for making these materials available.

Wanting to teach the use of language techniques such as similes, metaphors or personification in poetry? If so, head on over to the TES Poetry site which is packed full of resources for First and Second Levels in Primary and Third and Fourth Levels in Secondary.

TES Poetry – Primary
TES Poetry – Secondary

Click the image above for a reading of Berlie Doherty’s poem, ‘Guess’, which uses similes and metaphors to describe fire – an ideal description on a cold winter’s night.

Stanley and Katrina, through their website, publish a Word of the Week on their Youtube channel.

Check it out below:

Make Beliefs Comix – the online comic design website – has released free e-books that can be used to support the writing process.

The e-books have been designed to support learners to think and write creatively during independent or guided writing.

CLICK HERE – Make Beliefs Comix E-Books

The Make Beliefs Comix FILL-ins book includes spaces for learners to write their own ideas on the interactive text. Click on the image above to access the text.

The British Council have produced a number of resources to help children and young people learn English.

They’ve created a playlist of short stories ideal for independent and shared reading.

Oxfam have a number of free classroom resources that can be used across the curriculum to support the teaching of Literacy through the themes of Global Citizenship and Sustaining our World.

CLICK HERE – Oxfam Education Literacy Resources

Check out their series of lessons and resources entitled ‘Stories from Haiti’. Click the links below to access the relevant resources:

Stories from Haiti for 7 to 11 year olds
Stories from Haiti for 11 – 14 year olds

Following the 2012 Scottish Summary of Literacy and Numeracy, Education Scotland produced materials within a professional learning resource to support practitioners in Listening and Talking, Reading and Writing.

They have highlighted that learners, whatever the text, will need to consciously identify and apply strategies to actively engage in the reading process. They suggest that the following are some of the skills that should be developed before, during and after reading.

One resource that they’ve linked to that develops these strategies is The Thinking Reader.

CLICK HERE for a process description on how to use The Thinking Reader materials.
CLICK HERE for a blank template of The Thinking Reader booklet.
CLICK HERE for an example, kindly shared by Falkirk Council, using ‘Awful Auntie’ by David Walliams that is ready to use.

This post, albeit not solely literacy focused, is intended for all Highland practitioners. At the Head Teacher area meetings last term we shared Education Scotland’s Professional Learning Resource. It was suggested at these meetings that having all of the Significant Aspects of Learning, for all the curriculum areas, housed in one place would be a useful tool.

CLICK HERE Significant Aspects of Learning

CLICK HERE – Education Scotland – Literacy and English Professional Learning Resource

Have a great Easter break!

CPD for: P1 Teachers, Primary SMT, Support for Learning Teachers, ASNOs, Educational Psychologists and the Quality Improvement Team

Following the release of the Primary One Literacy Assessment and Action Resource (POLAAR) from Education Scotland in August 2014 we have spent this session testing aspects of the resource in Highland Primary Schools using the Improvement Methodology through the Early Years Collaborative (EYC) and Raising Attainment For All (RAFA) agendas. We’re now in the position where we’re able to offer training in using the POLAAR resource to effectively support Emergent Literacy developments in your school.

On the back of our pilot work, teachers, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists and Occupational Therapists have been working on a Literacy Developmental Continuum to support the development of early and emerging literacy within the Early Level and across the school. We will be exploring this in draft form during the twilight session, allowing for practitioners to share their thoughts and early evaluations.

Twilights (4pm – 6pm) will take place over the four areas in eight locations in May and June. Please apply through the CPD calendar by searching for Emerging Literacy.

Please share with colleagues in your school.