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.

A joint post brought to you by Highland Learning for Sustainability and Highland Literacy – developing Literacy skills through Learning for Sustainability

Global Goal Number 4 strives to ensure that there is Quality Education for all.

Check out Action Aid’s incredible, true story The Children Who Saved Their School to support the understanding of the global goals whilst developing literacy skills.

CLICK HERE: Lesson Plan – The Children Who Saved Their School

As Emerging Literacy continues to be developed across Highland we have, this year, been working with the local authorities within the Northern Alliance – Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Eilean Siar (The Western Isles), Moray, Orkney and Shetland – to further develop the approach across the north of Scotland.

As part of this we have undertaken data analysis on Phonological Awareness and Pre-Handwriting at the beginning of Primary 1 to gauge a baseline of skills within these two domains. This, along with information on the progress made between June and December 2016, can be found in the report on the link below:

CLICK HERE – Northern Alliance – Literacy – Interim Report – December 2016

A further two reports will be published in March and July to detail the progress made over an academic year.

If you missed it CLICK HERE for the October 2016 Emerging Literacy Update

The November 2016 Emerging Literacy update includes information on:

• Scottish Book Trust – Book Gifting for P1 – P3
• Resources you may have missed this month
• What’s next for Term 3?

CLICK HERE to download the November 2016 Emerging Literacy update.