Click the image above to check out the Hip Hop Hen blog for ideas to support the teaching of systematic phonics and initial sounds.
Remember to check out our Emerging Literacy and Spelling and Phonics sections of the blog.
Gone are the days when creating a poster is one of the only visual media texts we can use to engage our audience.
Infographics are now commonly used by businesses to engage their audience and provide information. CLICK HERE for an interesting blog post on creating infographics.
Using infographics as an alternative to a poster is a great way of developing data literacy skills through the use of ICT.
Piktochart is a great website which can be used to create infographics. It has many different templates. Introduce it as part of a shared writing lesson and see how learners can present information in a different way.
Have you engaged with Bookbug in the past? If so, the Scottish Book Trust would love to hear from people who have engaged with Bookbug as a professional or as a parent. Complete the survey below for your chance to win £100 worth of books.
CLICK HERE – Bookbug Evaluation
The Scottish Book Trust would also like your help in gathering feedback about this year’s Primary 1 Family Bags. They have compiled two surveys, one for Teachers and another for Parents. There are bundles of books on offer for both. They ask that schools publicise the parent survey on their school websites and blogs.
CLICK HERE – Teacher Evaluation
CLICK HERE – Parent Evaluation
Check out the ‘Classroom Strategies‘ section of the Reading Rockets website.
Reading Rockets have produced a list of Literacy learning strategies to support the teaching of phonological awareness, building vocabulary, developing comprehension and improving writing. Each strategy includes activities and resources which can be used to support literacy development.
Click the image above to access the site.
We know that there is a vocabulary gap between the most and least advantaged. A recent presentation from Graeme Logan, Education Scotland, has reiterated this point. See presentation below.
In Highland we’re taking a developmental approach to Emerging Literacy ensuring that we are addressing the gaps in Oral Language development.
CLICK HERE – Expressing Language Continuum
CLICK HERE – Understanding of Language Continuum
We have published, with the support of the Speech and Language Therapy Service, resources to support the teaching of vocabulary:
CLICK HERE – Building Vocabulary for Better Literacy
CLICK HERE – Pre-Teaching Vocabulary
The P5/6 class in Glenurquhart Primary School, Drumnadrochit, have used the Pre-Teaching Vocabulary resources to support the teaching of vocabulary. It’s great to see these resources being used across the school to meaningfully teach vocabulary. Check out their examples below:
P5-6 Glenurquhart Primary School – appreciated
P5-6 Glenurquhart Primary School – creative
P5-6 Glenurquhart Primary School – peaceful
Let us know how you’re teaching vocabulary in your classroom by leaving a comment on the blog.
As part of the work on Emerging Literacy in Highland, the Occupational Therapy service have created some support the skill progression within the Pre-Handwriting Developmental Continuum.
Whilst children are making their way through the continuum, the following materials can be used to support:
CLICK HERE – Posture and Seating
CLICK HERE – Fine Motor Skills
CLICK HERE – Scissor Skills
Once children have moved their way through the continuum and are ready for formal handwriting instruction, the following materials can be used as support:
CLICK HERE – Handwriting Ideas
CLICK HERE – Handwriting Resources
If you’re teaching the technical skills required when structuring sentences, check out the Sentence Play website for interactive games. Each game comes with an information sheet which can be downloaded.
CLICK HERE – www.sentenceplay.co.uk
A favourite is ‘Sentence Doctor‘ – can you identify and correct the mistakes in the sentences?
CLICK HERE – ‘Sentence Doctor’
Last week many schools celebrated Book Week Scotland. After successful training events in October and November led by Highland Libraries across the Authority we saw many events which joined Book Week Scotland to the Primary 1 Bookbug Family Pack.
Here are how two schools approached in Book Week Scotland Primary 1.
Both P1/2 classes at Lundavra Primary School enjoyed spending the afternoon of Tuesday 24th with parents taking part in a variety of activities centred around the three books gifted in their Bookbug packs. Everyone had a fun and busy afternoon!
We designed bookmarks, shared and read stories in our library areas, created WANTED posters (inspired by ‘WANTED! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar), designed tickets for entry to the zoo (inspired by ‘Never Tickle a Tiger’) and drew portraits of Mouse (inspired by ‘Mouses First Night at Moonlight School’) among others.
On Wednesday we all visited Fort William library where we were read the Bookbug stories by the librarians and got to meet Bookbug in person!
On Thursday 26th November our lovely classroom was turned into ‘StarBooks’ – a cosy, comfortable place to read and grab a coffee and cake! We enjoyed reading books with our parents and families whilst tasting some scrumptious home-baking and hot drinks.
To celebrate Book Week Scotland and BookBug Family Bags, we decided to use our classroom role-play cafe to host a special reading event for our parents and families. After a visit to a local Starbucks (who kindly gave us cups, tea and coffee!) and help from Michelle Gowans, our Senior Network Librarian, we created a reading morning titled StarBooks!
There was also a ‘Whats on the Menu?’ competition! Using the Starbucks hot drinks menu, we changed the descriptions to describe some delicious books that you might like to try….
Michelle read ‘Never Tickle a Tiger’ to us which is one of the books in our packs! We also watched Emily MacKenzie reading her book, ‘Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar‘. We have looked at all three books for the last few weeks, using them as part of our reading and writing activities.
Lastly, Michelle presented us with our BookBug Family Bags and a library card. The library card means we can visit any library that is part of Highland Libraries and read lots of wonderful books just like Ralfy Rabbit!
It’s great to see the wonderful partnership going on between Highland Schools and Highland Libraries. Looking at the photographs from the events it’s also great to see that families were included, transferring the love of reading the Primary 1 Bookbug Family packs from school to home.
The Independent Reading section of the Highland Literacy Blog has resources to encourage a reading culture in your school community.
The BBC have announced their ‘Get Reading’ campaign – a campaign for 2016 that will celebrate great authors and their works and get the nation reading and sharing the books they love.
CLICK HERE for ‘Get Reading’ information
Some of the highlights which schools should keep their eyes peeled for:
Roald Dahl: In His Own Words (BBC Two 1 x 60)
Roald Dahl was the most successful children’s writer of his generation, and remains one of the most popular of all time. His fantastical, macabre stories have been read by hundreds of millions worldwide, and have become a staple of our childhoods, dominating the bestseller lists in children’s fiction. 2016 is Roald Dahl’s centenary and the BBC will celebrate his amazing creativity across its services.
On BBC Two, a new television film Roald Dahl In His Own Words will frame his life and work in the playful, inventive, distinctive style of a Roald Dahl story. Drawing on a wealth of letters, diaries, autobiographies, as well as archive television interviews – and featuring the work of Dahl’s long-time collaborator Quentin Blake – Roald Dahl’s unique appeal will be brought to life as never before. From the Oompa-Loompas to Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox to the BFG, Roald Dahl’s remarkable literary inventions live on in our collective imagination. But where did these stories spring from? This film will show the truth is that, however far-fetched and fantastical, Dahl’s children’s fiction was in fact anchored in his own experiences.
B is For Book (BBC Four 1 x 60)
From award-winning director Brian Hill (Century Films), this film follows a group of primary schoolchildren as they learn to read, following each child as they take their first steps in to the world of the written word. Filmed in an ordinary British school, the programme will feature children from the great variety of backgrounds that make up today’s Britain. Some of them will make a flying start with their reading; others may struggle. Some will have many books at home, others few. Some may have parents who themselves have trouble reading, and others may have a parent who doesn’t speak English. In such cases a child’s literacy can be vital for the family.
This film will discover the extraordinary power of literacy, beyond its educational importance. As the children learn to read it is as if the world around them is transformed. Through stories, they can be taken on a journey to discover far-flung places and meet a myriad of colourful characters. B Is For Book will give us privileged access to a profound process that all of us only ever do once in our lives.
The One Show (BBC One 1 x 30).
The One Show will be running items on Dahl both around the theatrical release of one of Roald Dahl’s most popular books, The BFG, directed by Steven Spielberg, in July and the actual centenary in September.
BBC Children’s
CBBC is planning an Awesome Authors Live event to complement their storytelling season and BBC Children’s will be showing a range of programming to celebrate writing and storytelling.
Blue Peter (CBBC).
Blue Peter starts the season with Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell, as he announces the winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards 2016 on World Book Day. Blue Peter will then launch its Dream BIG competition, linking up with the new film release of Roald Dahl’s story The BFG.
Horrible Histories (CBBC)
As part of Get Reading 2016, the award-winning Horrible Histories returns with a one-off special about Sensational Storytellers. Who wrote the first detective novel? When were books invented? And, imagine what would happen if Beatrix Potter, Malorie Blackman, Enid Blyton and Jacqueline Wilson formed a girl band? This episode takes a look at some of literature’s greatest works and history’s wackiest writers, from Stone Age storytellers right up to the modern day.
Mel Giedroyc also joins in for a very special Writer’s Bake Off, with Roald Dahl, Lewis Carroll and Enid Blyton. Plus, of course, our trusty host Rattus guides the way, trying to write a story of his own.
My Story Special – The Victorian Childhood (CBeebies)
Georgina and Kia begin their journey of discovery to find out what life was like for children over 100 years ago by dressing up as Victorians. They will find out about a young girl called Beatrix and what her life was like, that she was educated by a Governess and how she holidayed in a castle! Kia and his Mummy find out about the wildlife which inspired Beatrix, by exploring the countryside looking for different flowers; visiting an animal sanctuary which looks after animals, just as Beatrix did, and trying to draw some animals just like Beatrix. Together they discover just how much Beatrix’s childhood influenced the stories of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.
BBC Radio 2
500 Words – the short story competition for children aged 13 and under – will be returning to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Radio 2 in 2016, bigger and better than ever! It follows a blockbusting fifth year which saw more than 120,000 entries and the final broadcast live from St James’ Palace, with HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in attendance.
BBC Radio 3
Radio 3’s Essay will be devoting several weeks to exploring contemporary writers’ debt to the children’s literature of the past, in The Essay: Summer 2016. There will be a week of five essays dedicated to analysing Roald Dahl’s characters – and the key to their enduring power. There will be a week exploring some of the foreign masters of children’s writing. Also this year will see another instalment in Radio 3’s ongoing series, The Book That Changed Me, in which five public figures identify a work of fiction and non-fiction that made a difference to them. Roald Dahl’s anniversary will also be marked by some of Radio 3’s music programmes.
How are you promoting independent reading in your school?
Please click the image below for the Emerging Literacy November Update. It’s great to hear that practitioners are engaging with the Emerging Literacy materials across the Authority. Although the initial training has targeted P1 practitioners, Support for Learning Teachers and Senior Managers, it’s great to hear that the materials have begun filtering through the rest of the school, supporting learners with Literacy difficulties by taking a developmental approach to Literacy.
Access the links below which are referred to within the November Update:
HIGHLAND LITERACY 