Unit 5 Application Task - Jamie's Group
Creative Writing – S3 History 19th Century Perth (Urban Life)
Whit went weel?Use o the 100 Scots Wirds worked weel as pupils gained confidence wirkin in pairs discussin wirds that would link tae the task before beinin tae add in ony ither wirds they kenned frae hame etc. The class combinin their glossary was good tae as it got mair folk speakin up and haeing a go at soondin oot wirds. The creative writin task worked weel fir maist bairns as they hid plenty o facts tae draw on aboot urban life and the natire o the topic linked weel tae great wirds like boggin, mingin etc which made it fun. “That was funny.” Wan said they liked it as, it wis “different from what we normally do” (they meant the creative writing.)
Whit tae change? Usin the online dictionary was a distractor I will remove. It jist waisted time an is quite hard tae use. More academic pupils were the least enthusiastic an A need tae wirk on reassuring them it is more about hayin a go than perfecting things. A couple were also not keen on the creative aspect as they see that as something for English, not History – this highlighted I hiv moved awa frae creative tasks and need to begin tae embed them again as they are a great way tae revise/ enjoy History.
Next steps for learners? Next year I will do this again, but create a basic vocab with linkin wirds to help them. Also A wid allow pupils tae choose where in Scotland they were writing aboot if they had a link tae say Aiberdeen, Glasgow, Edinbugh an mak use o the 100 Scots Wirds frae that area.
Further opportunities to practice and reinforce Scots language? I’d like tae embed mair creative wirting tasks e.g. doon a coal pit (but using Scots again) an also link creative writin tae a wee look at historical literature / creative writing as a DYW activity.
I hae attached a list o youtube clips that students may lik tae watch i class. Aw o ma students are ower 16 so micht no be suitable for weans ae schuil!!
- Jump to: Parent to post 1
- Permalink to post 2
Hi Rosemary - thanks for sharing your list of Youtube links!
In your your post you highlighted that, "The unit literature commented on how important it was for students to hear the Scots language in order to a tune their ear to using it themselves and writing in the leid." Thank you for highlighting that - I think that is something I need to do more in future lessons as it is quite an ask to try writing if they have not got their ear tuned in.
It sounds a great idea using the Youtube Clips to do this & your focus on using ones to create a "playful tone for the class" sounds so encourasging and fun. This sounds such a well planned out activity with them listening to something each day to "make the process of writing less daunting". It sounds a really well crafted series of lessons that will give the pupils the chance to gain confidence and skills.
- Jump to: Parent to post 2
- Permalink to post 3
Unit 5 Application task
The lesson I undertook was for pupils to translate a written English character profile of Granny from Gangsta Granny into Scots. We revisited previous learning as to what made a strong character profile before looking at key Scots vocabulary and matched it with english words. They then worked with a partner to try and translate their English Granny character profile into written Scots.
I was quite confident in the lesson plan before I did the lesson as the children knew the book and the character well. We had done a lot of literacy work on the book but I was unsure how they would feel using Scots and writing it.
What went well: During the activity many seemed to like finding new words in Scots and talking about these.
However, what didn't go so well was the majority struggled with putting the Scots words into sentences.
In our school we focus very much on the Stephen Graham approach to writing, which states if you can’t say it, you can’t write it. Feedback from learners reinforced this as they said they needed more spoken Scots practice before writing.
I do feel the lack of spoken Scots practice limited success for some learners because normally working with partners usually those who find written tasks tricky. While the use of Gangsta Granny as a familiar text helped somewhat, more oral Scots work over a number of weeks before writing may improve learner confidence and lead to more success for all learners.
If doing this lesson again, I would:
Use Scots in class discussions to build familiarity.
Introduce multiple speaking activities before translation tasks.
Expose learners to more Scots texts and recordings.
Provide structured templates for sentence-building and include these in Scots grammar lessons.
Next Steps for learners:
Overall, the lesson did engage learners, but greater oral exposure to Scots is needed to strengthen their writing skills.
- Jump to: Parent to post 3
- Permalink to post 4
Hi Emma.
The idea of a translation of a character profile in English into Scots is such a great one. I shall squirrel away the idea for Historical characters for some future date.
It is interesting you too identified the need for more oral practice own a longer time to build Scots vocabulary as an important next step. It seems we are all starting to see the need for more than one-off lessons for these tasks to really fly and it shows that the more time we can give to Scots the bigger the impact the lessons will have on learners confidence and skills. Your plan for next steps it really impressive and makes me realise I need to focus in more and be more specific on next steps so they are measurable in future.
Thanks for sharing you lesson review.
- Jump to: Parent to post 4
- Permalink to post 5
Thanks for your positive thoughts. I got the idea from listening to the Matthew Fitt interviews we were asked to watch. I thought that it was interesting how he does both translation and original writing. Since doing the lesson I have also thought how natural Matthew was in speaking in Scots where as, you could tell the interviewer had to often think of the words and it didn't flow as well. I guess this made me reflect more that the children really need more oral practise. If I had been able to do this when I was in primary I would have had much more oral scots language to put into the written work but we were not allowed to speak it.
I am also reflecting upon whether Scots language should be structured in the way the English language does. This is after reading the article about Twitter and Scots. After all every other language has its own grammatical structure and should Scots be shoehorned into an English structure.
I guess the tutors would know more about what Scots Language experts think about this but, what do you think?
- Jump to: Parent to post 5
- Permalink to post 7
Emma you said,
"I am also reflecting upon whether Scots language should be structured in
the way the English language does. This is after reading the article
about Twitter and Scots. After all every other language has its own
grammatical structure and should Scots be shoehorned into an English
structure." Guid question. I hiv no idea hoo Scots should be scrived or structured- when A hiv tried scrivin A just think hoo I might say it in Scots, spell it hoo it soonds in ma heid an go wi that.
When A wis in Primary A think they were dain a bit o an experiement with teaching English at the time that ye didnae really get ooer much grammar or structure. We did loads of readin and readin oot and the scriving just sort o seemed tae happen. It wis only when A got to S4 as a pupil that A realised A couldnae cope learning tae scrive in French as A hid no the concept o followin rules on grammar an structure.
A think that is why A'm really enjoyin havin a go at scrivning in Scots as A no triing tae follow ony rules, Ah'm jist soondin oot in ma heid as A feel like hearin it. At first A wis a wee bit hung up on whit is the 'correct' Scots at first, and wis feart as A realised A'm a mish mash o North East picked up frae ma folks whose hiv used wirds far links tae the North East, frae Perth and Angus tae, then ma ain time working in Aiberdeen his added some mair wirds an all topped aff wi a sprinklin o Fife from my other half. This coorse his helped me get ma heid around jis gien it a go an nae being bithered if it is a bit if an odd mix. It may no be pretty, or correct, but it is ma ain and A find A love writin lik this.
Ma scrivin micht actually be a bit o an abominnation o Scots - but it maks me happy tae scrive as ma heid sings. Ah like the idea of nae rules jist fine, fir noo and A ken some bairns in class love when A say - jist spell it like ye soond it oot. But hoo that wirks in a structured Scots Lanagague lesson? Wid mair structure be needed - A dinna ken.
Whit dae ye think yersel?
- Jump to: Parent to post 7
- Permalink to post 8
S Robertson Post 9 in reply to 8
• 10 March 2025, 6:24 AM • Edited by the author on 10 March 2025, 6:45 AMEmma -
A jist hid a wee keek at Unit 7 an A think it'll gie us some guid info on the structuring / standardisation debate.
- Jump to: Parent to post 8
- Permalink to post 9
Hi Emma
I love your idea about Granny, I am doing something similar with The Eejits where the class have to imagine another family member and describe them in Scots.
I am coming up against the same challenges as you with the pupils' lack of spoken Scots making writing difficult for them. They also need a lot of encouragement to use their imaginations!
Thank you for sharing your ideas on what you would do next, I will most certainly borrow these!
- Jump to: Parent to post 4
- Permalink to post 10
Hi Emma - I totally agree about the lack of practice of spoken Scots being a barrier, and the need for increased exposure. I did a similar task and found the same, even when the enthusiasm was there. I like the idea of a structured template - I wonder if something like that might help more of mine move from producing a few words to producing rhyming couplets or stanzas (we were doing some poetry). Sounds like a great wee lesson you had overall!
- Jump to: Parent to post 4
- Permalink to post 14
I was thinking the same thing as S Robertson above re: hearing more Scots and "tuning their ear", and then the YouTube clips as well as the unit reading about the effect of Twitter (etc.) on Scots made me think of Len Pennie. Pennie writes some excellent Scots poetry and does a Scots Word of the Day on instagram / TikTok, as well as some other pupil-friendly content (and some less pupil-friendly). Maybe there is something to be said for using some of her more humorous content posts as a starter for lessons... I'll have a go!
- Jump to: Parent to post 3
- Permalink to post 15
Thank you! So far they have loved the Scots Twitter and The Scotts!
- Jump to: Parent to post 3
- Permalink to post 16
Unit 5 Application Task
My lesson is to create a new character for ‘The Eejits’ by Roald Dahl (translated by Matthew Fitt).
This is my lesson plan, and I’ll attach the lesson (I won’t be doing it all at once, I see it as a few lessons depending on the learners’ engagement). Due to lots happening in school over the past few weeks I have not delivered it yet, I’ll be doing it next week. I’ll repost on here with feedback from the pupils and to say how the lesson went.
S1 Lesson Plan
Creative Writing based on The Eejits by Roald Dahl (Translated by Matthew Fitt)
Learning Intentions:
- To listen to and recognise words in Scots.
- To translate new words that we do not recognise.
- To use the words we learn to create a character in Scots.
Success Criteria:
- I can recognise words in Scots from listening to a story.
- I can use the Scots language dictionary to translate unknown words.
- I can create a character in Scots using the words I have learnt.
Discuss the title of the book - what does it mean? Are the class familiar with ‘The Twits’.
Discuss possible words that they think will come up based on the front cover and their knowledge of the story. Create a mind map (in Scots or English) of words they expect to hear.
Provide a word list with Scots words to translate in small groups.
Read the introduction of the book to get a description of Mr and Mrs Eejit.
Work through the activities on the slides.
The main activity will be creating Mr Eejit’s brother/sister. Pupils will use the key questions to write a description of their new character. This can be used at a later date to add to the story in a further creative writing or expressive arts task.
Revisit food vocabulary for the menu activity.
Plenary - next steps - ask the class what they want to do with the characters they have created. This will guide me as to my next lesson with this book.
Feedback - peer feedback to determine whether pupils have described their characters using Scots. Use ‘I really like..’ and ‘Have you thought about…?’
Lesson feedback - what would make the lesson better for pupils; what do they think I should do differently?
- Jump to: Parent to post 1
- Permalink to post 11
"Plenary - next steps - ask the class what they want to do with the
characters they have created. This will guide me as to my next lesson
with this book." Letting the class guide you on where the next lesson goes is a great idea. You are giving them ownership of their learning and this will feed their creativitity too.
Lesson Reflection
Lesson Reflection: S1 Creative Writing task, The Eejits
- What do you think worked particularly well in your classroom application?
- Is there anything you would do differently if you were to repeat this lesson?
- What are the next steps for your learners?
- How will you provide further opportunities to practise and reinforce the use and awareness of the Scots language?
What went well?
The class were engaged from the beginning and were keen to add more words to the handout I provided. Working in small groups to translate the words was good as pupils could support each other depending on their knowledge of Scots. We went over the whole sheet as a class and there were only a couple of words that nobody had heard of.
Reading small chunks of the book at a time and having a short activity at the end of each section kept their attention. I was pleasantly surprised at how keen they were to have a story read to them as I had been concerned that they would be too old for that. When I finished a chapter, many of them asked me to read more!
There was more freedom I felt with Scots as pupils were keen to be far more descriptive than they would be in English, using words that might be seen as derogatory such as ‘munter’, ‘stinkin’, ‘mingin’ and ‘big fat bahookie’. Somehow they didn’t seem to be as rude in Scots!
Having the list of Scots adjectives and words such as body parts and clothes was a great help for them to create their own characters.
What would I do differently next time?
They definitely needed more time but this is a theme I am seeing in all my Scots lessons. By the time we look at new vocabulary and have our discussions, the period is almost finished and we haven’t completed the main task which was the primary aim of the lesson (in this case the creation of the new character). Luckily I had the chance to have a second period for the lesson which was perfect and in future I will allow two hours instead of one. My pupils always want to learn more words than the ones I have given then (which is a great positive), but we then end up speaking more. However, I see this as an opportunity to provide further lessons where we develop our characters, maybe in the next unit of the course.
A lot of the pupils were surprised by the amount of words that they used in English in this task, such as ‘and’, ‘he’ and ‘she’ because they are used to all words being different when we are doing French or Spanish. I need to explain the similarities and differences between Scots and English more explicitly in future.
Next steps for my learners
Create a storyline for their new characters in the book. We can then look at the Expressive Arts aspect and decide whether we want to develop our characters in drama, poetry or music. I will give the pupils a choice on what they would like to do with their characters and use what I learn in Unit 6 to make a final decision.
Further opportunities
We will look at other stories (pupils are already requesting some of the David Walliams books that have been translated into Scots). We will watch the Matthew Fitt interview and listen to his storytelling to show ideas of how to express yourself non-verbally as well as with words when using Scots.
Emma, I think that lesson sounds like a success and I like how the children were asking for more. It has given me an idea of breaking longer stories into shorter chapters. I have been in P1 for a few years now so we are not at the stage of reading longer texts. I suppose taking a chapter and splitting it up is maybe more accessible. This could ensure more depth. I think sometimes I am too busy trying to finish a story then going deeper in to the learning. In my own reflection I found the same, not thinking that the children had enough vocabulary and thinking about how next time I would have to potentially plan a series of lessons to lead up to the actual lesson, but in reality this is not necessary, I suppose it is all about exposure to the language which you are definitely doing through talking and listening.
It is good to see other teachers thinking and gain ideas.
Unit 5 Application Task
What We Did:
In the previous unit, I thought a lot about the barriers of the “Scots cringe” (an issue also mentioned in Turner’s “digital storytelling Scots” presentation referenced in this unit), so I sought to have a go at tackling that by playing with language in a low-stakes, humorous way with an S1 “project-based learning” group. After a digital “match the Scots to the English” warm up, we read Gregor Steele’s Pizzenous Pet Shop poem together, broke it down for understanding, and did some drawings based on the characters in the poem. Then we brainstormed descriptive Scots words the class knew. The final task was to use these to create new characters in the same alliterative style as Steele’s “sleekit slug” or “boakin budgie”. Some more confident students also had a go at writing their own lines or even stanzas to go with their characters. This took place over a double period.
What Went Well:
The younger class were generally less embarrassed about producing ideas in Scots than my S4s. This was possibly in part because the lesson was put forward as a bit of fun - so maybe there wasn’t a dissonance with the academic “place” of Scots they were contending with. The class engaged very well with the poem, and interacted enthusiastically to co-create an understanding of each stanza. They were also enthusiastic overall about suggesting Scots words in the brainstorming session - although their enthusiasm overtook their knowledge which was a stumbling block. Some students successfully came up with some very nice ideas, including the “drookit deuk” (duck) and “gurnin gibbon”. Impressively, a few had a go at writing accompanying stanzas, albeit to varying degrees of success.
What I Would Change:
A significant proportion learners really struggled to contribute to the discussion and brainstorming because they did not have enough Scots (or were insufficiently confident with it, or with whether words were English or Scots). I would like to find a way to support these students to engage more actively. Maybe just a bit more exposure to Scots Language and texts before we start, or some sort of reference material?
Next Steps:
More time on this to build on learning would be beneficial - for some students, more time to create effective alliterative Scots characters; for others, stretching themselves to write a stanza based on their creation. For myself, I want to see if more low-stakes, “fun” wee tasks like this would help reduce barriers to more “serious” tasks - be those barriers in terms of Scots knowledge or in terms of pupil perception and “Scots cringe”. This could look like a series of lesson starters where - as in this lesson - learners are encouraged to play with Scots in a creative, gamified, low-stakes way - to use an idea from the unit, hot seats, for example.
- Jump to: Parent to post 1
- Permalink to post 13
Unit 5 Application Task - S1-2 Humanities Lesson Plan (1).docx
Hi everyone,
I chose an S1/2 Humanities class to try out a task for unit 5 and used a poem by Scots poet Len Pennie as my starting point.
The lesson was an S1-2 Humanities and part of a unit of work in which we have explored some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations as a focus of all involved countries between 2015 and 2030. Each week a different goal has been spotlit with a focus on what we as individuals can do to help Scotland achieve the goal. This lesson focuses on SDG 13: Climate Action - This goals aims to: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Scots poet Len Pennie create a poem in collaboration with Climate Action Fife entitled ‘Planet Earth Noo Needs Oor Help’. This piece connects wonderfully with the aims of the lesson as it focuses on the message that ‘wee acts’ combine to make a bigger difference. As the class are typically a lower confidence class I asked for responses to be made through an MS Form so that the learners’ responses would only be seen by myself and them. I had 4 responses out of the 10 learners present, which is slightly lower than average but not by much.
What went well?
The learners have enjoyed the unit and expressed their passion around the topic of wanting their generation to have different attitudes towards climate change than those of previous generations. The inclusion of the Scots poem was well received by all but one learner, with some learners mentioning family members that spoke “like that”. In terms of how fluidly the Scots activity fit into the existing lesson and unit plan, this was very successful with a consistent message being clear throughout.
What would I do differently if I deliver this lesson again?
Engagement with this group has been an ongoing challenge and I do feel that the Scots became a barrier for some who would otherwise have given this task a go. Perhaps the double challenge of both engaging with the Scots and the ecological issue of climate change was a step too far for some in terms of complexity. If I were to deliver the task again I would perhaps offer a list of Scots vocabulary to the class to use to try to write their own climate change pledge that could be added to the poem. I think they struggled without examples of words to use this time and providing this could build their confidence in using Scots in their own writing.
What are my next steps?
I plan to revisit this poem at the end of the unit as it provides a great summary of the action that is encouraged by the SDGs. As mentioned above, I will provide a Scots vocab list to learners to better equip them with language that they can use to express their own views about this topic, using Scots if they can. I do feel that the use of Forms or Assignments will continue to feature heavily in lessons for this class whilst their confidence builds and until they feel more comfortable with other members of the class seeing their work.
A lovely quote from one learner in response to Len Pennie’s poem:
Hi Kerry,
I love the sound of your lesson created a character that could feature in 'The Eejits' (I haven't heard this translated title for the Twits before, made me laugh!). I think your use of a vocab/word list is great and definitely something I should have prepared and given to my class before doing this task with them, they really struggled without having something to refer to I think and then didn't have the confidence to really have a go at writing in Scots.. Definitely something I'll do for the next activity I try with them.
Love the pupil choice of asking what the learners want to do with their characters next too!
Hi Charlotte. That is braw that so mony engaged weel in yer task. It soonds a very interesting lesson Yer idea o havin a vocab tae gie them tae help them along is a guid idea. I hiv seen that tae that the wans wi less (or no) vocab spend so lang lookin fir wirds they cannae dae the actual task A set. It is a hale new sort o differentiation that is hard tae plan fir until we try a lesson wi a specific class an see hoo much Scots individuals hiv.
The quote from yer pupil (in the attached document) is jist lovely!
Hi Greta - yer lessons soonds so weel planned + differentiated fir all the wains. Yer idea to "create new characters in the same alliterative style as Steele’s “sleekit slug” or “boakin budgie." is a braw idea, a drookit deuk - love it!
Fir the wans wi less Scots, hiv y tried the 100 Scots Wirds A hive foond it awfa guid wi ma classes an, while it'll no hiv a ye want, it gies them a stairt.