Scots language in the Broad General Education (Early and First level)
3. Tutorial
Activity 3
In this activity you will explore the connections between Expressive Arts; literacy development and Scots language in some more detail.
A.
Explore the Scotland's songs section of the Scots Language Centre’s Education resources. There are songs from all over Scotland, relating to different themes. Consider which songs would be relevant for your particular context.
Take some notes on aspects you found interesting and you think are particularly relevant for the children you teach. Consider the following question:
Which songs are most useful to:
- teach rhyme and rhythm; to encourage familiarisation with Scots language;
- engage with culture that is local and familiar;
- engage with culture that is new to the children?
Compare your answer with our model answer.
B.
In ‘
()
’, it is
reported that learners in Primary 2 and 3 who used Scots in drama and
music to express the emotions of their characters demonstrated
developing confidence and independence in working out the meanings of
unfamiliar words (see p6,
(
)
). It was also noted that the use of Scots within
expressive arts increased the overall confidence of some learners and
allowed them to assume leadership roles for the first time.
With the expressive arts and literacy and English benchmarks in mind, watch Scottish Book Trust’s Bookbug video at ‘I hiv a little spider’. Consider the participation of the children involved. What evidence is there that they understand the Scots vocabulary used in this song, or can determine meaning by using context clues?:
Consider
-
Would a similar activity be suitable for your context?
-
Can this be considered a useful approach to assessing understanding of Scots?
-
Are there any additional or alternative activities and approaches to assessing understanding that would be effective?
Make note of ideas you have which you may then use in Activity 4.
Compare your answer to our model answer.