Unit 2 Application Task
What incredible testimonies to what is going on. We can become almost numb, perhaps even blase, to the constant news stories and spin about Gaza; these young people drive home the horror. And yet their stories have hope-they can still see beauty and peace.
One of my colleagues contributed to my baseline study that she promotes the use of Scots in creative writing. I was reminded of this whilst reading the letters and the responses. Our native language can help to focus on the depth of empathy the young Scottish people expressed to the youngsters in Gaza.
An excellent initiative Stewart and well supported by Jamie and Amal.
Thank you.
Pauline's dialect lesson
S1 Home Economics Lesson – (brief)Discussion about names of local foods, translate a Hufsie (fruitcake) recipe into Shetland, follow translated recipe to bake Hufsie at home for homework.
What do you think worked particularly well in your classroom application?
The pupils were really engaged in the group activity speaking about local food, especially different words meaning different things even within a small isle. We had 3 versions of the word ‘brunnie’ – a fishcake, a oatmeal scone and a hufsie (fruitcake). Pupils enjoyed learning different words and the uniqueness of a mutton supper and Bannocks for a Whalsay wedding.
They liked hearing about regional differences from pupils with family from other areas of Shetland and all pupils had something to contribute to discussions.
Pupils were put into mixed ability pairs/groups and were really engaged translating the recipe into Shetland. Only few pupils were not brought up in Whalsay but having been here for so long they knew more than they thought and in the feedback said it was easy once they got going to translate. I didn't correct spelling as that wasn't the focus and pupils enjoyed the freedom of writing in dialect.
Is there anything you would do differently if you were to repeat this lesson?
(I had to adapt lesson due to technology issues - typical)
Due to having split year groups for Home Economics, I was able to repeat the lesson in the afternoon.
For the second lesson, pupils worked in pairs and that was much better, the restricted layout of the fixed stations and seats made it tricky for a group of 3 to engage.
It would have been good to have had a matching exercise to get them to think about what foods could possibly mean. I found an old Shetland cookbook to use in Term 3/4
What are the next steps for your learners?
Hufsie homework – pupils took their dialect recipes home and I have asked them to share a photo and review on Teams. A granny has already messaged to say how excited her grandson was to get this homework.
Follow up could be pupils translate other local recipes to make a dialect book of recipes, perhaps tie onto World Book Day/week.
From the feedback, it’s clear that pupils are really keen to do more dialect and could see how important it was. One pupils thought it would be a good subject to learn at school which gives me great hope that offering the Scots Language award would be popular.
Pupils already speak to me and some other teachers in dialect and they are aware of the teachers they can’t speak in dialect to. The feedback suggested that most of them do not like speaking in English as they find it hard and in a discussion one pupil said it’s like speaking another language.
I’ve always thought speaking Shetland is like being bilingual but it wasn’t really acknowledged in the past or even recently because it was seen as a dialect. It is just as hard. I would like to know more about how I can support pupils with this.
How will you provide further opportunities to practise and reinforce the use and awareness of the Scots language?
Dialect occurs naturally during most lessons so I will continue with that. Local food is a topic in Term 3 and 4 so I am already thinking about how to incorporate more dialect into that topic and the wider community.
I have contacted ICT to download Shetland dictionary app onto school ipads.
This lesson, Literature 1 (FA58 12), introduces candidates to a text written in West Central Scots; Anne Donovan’s ‘All that Glisters.’
However, this particular lesson deviatit on twa counts. Normally, this would be a two-hour slot, oan this occasion, though, it wis a wan hour class. The class endit aifter a short discussion on the readin’
The second deviance, wis the readin’ itsel. Oan this occasion I sought a volunteer. Having watched the children express themselves in Scots throughout Unit 2 I thocht it wis time to put it tae the test and forfeit ma usual starring role!
Emma fully graspt the nettle and volunteered. She wis able tae practise the week afore the class. This worked particularly well. The furst thing tae strike me wis, o’ course, the female voice. Emma performed exceptionally well and it wis guid, for me, to experience hearing the first-person narrative in a female voice fur the furst time.
I noted twa interesting trends. Firstly, when the text wis printed as ‘dead’ Emma actually said “deid.” Secondly, when she did stumble ower a wurd she wid say “Wait, aye, right.” I concludit fae this that Scots wis the language which wis mair comfortable and reassuring for hur.
I dae intend tae repeat this approach. The main difficulty wid be recruitin o’ such a willing volunteer as Emma. Regardless, I shall stairt the volunteer request a wee bit earlier-perhaips even asking fir volunteers in previous classes tae recite a short extract fae anither work in Scots.
A’h hiuv blendit the last twa points agither.
Following a post fae Sylvia Warnecke, A’h contactit Luath Press inviting Emma Grae, thi author ae The Moggie thit Meowed tae Much. In addition, A’h chanced ma airm and requestit a class set o’ wan o hir uther texts The Tounge she Speaks. Emma’s visit an the set o’texts will be a launchpad to further exploration ae Scots in this unit.
I have attached a wee selection ae feedback frae some o ma students.
Very familiar with "All That Glisters" as a set-text on the SQA N5 list!
I really like the idea of encouraging pupils to volunteer to speak aloud. I think allowing Emma time to practice and rehearse prior to the class-read was a good decision. It's so tempting to get them to read off the cuff but when you want to hear a smooth narration (especially when the Scots might impact confidence) is so important. I also thought it was interesting that Emma corrected herself in Scots, too. I agree it shows she was comfortable in her own tongue.
I wonder, if in future, it might be possible to recruit multiple volunteers so the pupils hear a range of voices. For example, while Emma used 'deid', someone else might use an alternative. I mention this only as a point of interest though!
I thought the comment from the pupil that the use of Scots shows the cough "physically shook his body inside and out" was an excellent analysis. Similarly to what Pauline's pupils said about finding English difficult to express themselves in, your pupil's response highlights how using Scots can feel more accurate or evocative than the English equivalent.
Hiya Bobby
I’ve really enjoyed reading about your lesson! Anne Donovan is a very popular choice in Scots language circles and we keep seeing great work from the classes who study her stories. It’s NOT very common though to hear that there was a volunteer in the class to read aloud to the rest! How amazing! Amazing for any classroom let along one looking at Scots language. I bet you are glad you asked and (as you say) that you had such a great reader in Emma to bring the story to life. I can see from the attached sheets that the others in the class were equally engaged. And it's fascinating to read the little nuances you noted. Sounds like Emma is definitely a strong Scots speaker, who knows to use her Scots voice and accent to bring the English-looking words into a Scots context.
And it is brilliant to hear about the visit and class set you are getting from Luath – that will be excellent for you and the journey you are planning as part of this course.
Can’t wait to hear more next time,
Bruce
Interesting to see how they made connections and felt in some cases made it more relevant @Bobby. Super idea to invite authors in too.
What a wonderful lesson, Pauline! I thought this was such a natural way of encouraging use of dialect within your context, particularly given the clear interest from pupils to use their mother tongue.
I enjoyed reading the feedback in dialect. Having attended the tutorials and being able to listen to conversation, I'm getting more of a feel for the rhythm of how the words would sound when spoken by a native speaker. I thought it was really interesting that your pupils voiced strong preference for being able to use Scots rather than English. I also thought it was interesting how you phrased it: "Pupils already speak to me and some other teachers in dialect and they are aware of the teachers they can’t speak in dialect to." I wondered if this meant they know the other teacher won't understand or they know they're 'not allowed' to speak that way. What was especially clear is that the majority of your pupils don't feel able to communicate as effectively/accurately/sincerely (wasn't sure which word fit best!) when using English which would seem to emphasise just how important using dialect is for their collective voice to be accurately heard and recorded.
I really love the idea of making the Shetland dictionary available as an app on ipads. Another way of seamlessly integrating access to the language in a meaningful way.
It sounds like the local community would be very supportive if you were to use the topic of local food as a stimulus for later terms.
Hiya Pauline
This is an excellent lesson! Not only is it great to see language and a practical subject like Home Ec coming together, but you have gathered great feedback from the bairns themselves, capturing so much of their passion. I really like the focus on the local words and differences found within Whalsay itself. And them being interested in learning from each other about what different family members from other places say for words/traditions is definitely something to build upon. It’s that engagement and interest in learning about language/culture that will help each lesson become really meaningful as you go on.
Quite right about not correcting the spelling. That’s a good point in terms of what I just said about developing their interest in and passion for learning languages – those skills can be different to literacy skills, and you don’t want to take steps forward on one path only to knock their confidence for another. The fact the bairns have such strong dialect skills (and the bairns not from Whalsay are learning it so well as part of their peer group) means you have an excellent foundation for exploring spelling and approaches to assessment further down the line. The freedom of not worrying about spelling is such an asset in writing contexts.
It's brilliant to hear that, “A granny has already messaged to say how excited her grandson was to get this homework.” That’s the dream result of homework!! It sounds like offering the Scots Language Award with a Shaetlan focus, and really leaning into Whalsay, is definitely something for us to discuss more so that we can really get the bairns feeling bilingual and supported in their language skills.
Bruce
That's a great idea to get the Shetland dictionary downloaded @Pauline, we have a few copies in class but if everyone had it at their fingertips it would be very beneficial. I think I will follow your lead on that.
Love the hufsie lesson, canna beat a Whalsa hufsie! Yum.
Love the ipad idea - a really simple way of getting the message of universality of the importance of language and its being part of a "norm". Loved the HE lesson - so many Scottish or Scottish influenced foods out there - and a great way to make direct connections with language and culture - to keep both alive and relevant.
I follow the Island Larder on Tik Tok and your concept sounds like a tik tok in the making!
Keeping language alive in so many contexts I think is what language is about. I was speaking to a colleague about my Auntie making Bere Bannocks - and my colleague said "oh well i dont like beer...!"
Nicky's Scots Lesson
Due to minimal exposure to Scots across the curriculum in my school, I opted to take a very simplistic approach to the lesson. Using the materials available from Education Scotland (the 'Gruffalo' translations and 100 words in Doric), I planned for the pupils to firstly discuss how many Scots words they knew, look at how Scots can be different between regions, then create descriptions of a Halloween creature.
What worked well was the discussion of Scots words. What started as quite hesitant and uncertain suggestions soon became an animated exchange. The pupils were engaging with each other as they agreed and/or questioned words. I was even able to invite pupils to be 'the expert' when they suggested words I knew were Scots but didn't personally know the definition. For one pupil in particular, he was in his element, which I hadn't anticipated (perfect example of code-switching).
I'm always wary of under-preparing what work is planned for a lesson. The devil makes work for idle hands! However, I underestimated how engaged the class would be about Scots and sharing their known words. I think more activities which could either generate this discussion (for quieter classes) or create follow-up tasks (for confident classes) would have worked better than moving to a reading/writing task. Given my particular context, building and encouraging interest about Scots Language is more important than 'academic' outcomes. Yet I could easily have used the lesson to evidence a range of Listening and Talking skills.
As for next steps, I was honest with this class (S1) and explained I was doing a qualification so I could become a Scots teacher (not strictly true but it helped them understand the process!) and that I would be doing Scots lessons with them every so often throughout the year. Interestingly, this week, almost all of them asked if we were doing another Scots lesson - they might not remember 'why' they had to do it, but they remembered the different (and hopefully engaging) experience. I'll be interested to see how they respond to the different ways of incorporating Scots into their learning over the year.
Hiya Nicky
What a brilliant lesson this became! The Gruffalo is always a good place for any lesson to begin! It’s wonderful hearing about how what started with a hesitant and uncertain beginning became an animated exchange between the pupils!
Allowing some to become the “expert” is a tactic we have seen work really well in Scots classes over the years, so I’m glad it worked well for you. I’m really interested to find out more about the pupil who you didn’t anticipate being in his element and how he responded. Is he sometimes difficult to engage? We see that a lot with pupils when they’ve never encountered Scots in education before and it usually has really good results.
Definitely keep the idea of evidencing Listening and Talking skills for another time. You’ve laid a good foundation here and will want to return to that at a later date, once you have more materials prepared. I think you will get really interesting results and a wealth of assessment material from your class. Sounds like these S1s will be a great group for you as your journey through this course develops.
Thanks
Bruce
Sounds great! I put on The Gruffalo in Scots on YouTube last Friday, and the students really engaged with it. I think I will incorporate more "what Scots words do you know" into my lessons!
Thanks Nicky - the Gruffalo is a great source of connection! Accessible and also enabling you to consider language itself as well as the plot. I love the fact that your S1s are also supportive of you in this - I wonder what they might want next!
Is there any further input in the senior phase - if there would be potential for exploring that - I know timetables etc are tight but i do think we sometimes miss out on the potential interest that learners may have. I havent looked at SQA though - maybe its a step too far
Referring to the following experiences and outcomes of the CfE- LIT 0-01a, 0-11a, 0-20a, 0-02a, 0-09a, 0-09b, 0-31a, 0-10a, 0-01b, 0-11b and EXA 0-16a, 0-17a- I decided on teaching a literacy/ expressive art lesson with my Nurture group. These students range from S1 to S4, with complex additional needs. Most of them are non- verbal, or only speak a few words. Some use a few Makaton signs. They all respond fairly well to listening or printed signs. They all seem to understand a fair bit of spoken language.
We read out the book "Aul McDonald hid a Fairm" by Aaron Gale (Doric), had a look at the pictures, and let them point at the animals mentioned. We also shared a good laugh, as the book is incredibly funny. We sang along to the relevant passages.
Afterwards we had flash cards and animal toys out, and let the students pick the picture matching with the word we said. The verbal children were encouraged to repeat after us, or just speak in Doric.
The most interesting fact was that the students all listened very well (we quite often get all sorts of noises), sang along or moved their body with the singing, and all were quite motivated to join in with the follow-up activities. It was a Friday afternoon, so this was astonishing.
We decided on doing Doric activities every Friday afternoon from now on- repeating the book next week, and possibly the week after, to reinforce the language learning; then try different books, or maybe short films. Follow-up activities will vary.
I also encouraged the PSAs to speak Doric to the students, if they could.
It was certainly an additional fun element for everybody hearing a Northern German read Doric- good practice for me as well! So many words are close to Plattdeutsch or Dutch.
We all had a really good time.
Hiya Kirsten
Thank you for such a heart-warming post! It’s really inspiring reading this lesson plan and evaluation. Taking a mixed class of S1-4, all with complex additional needs, and providing a Doric focus is not a simple undertaking – but you’ve clearly done amazing and had great results!
Choosing a fun book that meant everyone was able to laugh and sing along sounds like the ideal way to begin and get everyone involved. Do the verbal bairns in the class speak much Doric already? I assume they must have Doric-speaking parents/carers? Sounds as if having a session like this every Friday afternoon will be really popular. Are the PSAs as keen as the bairns in the class about the Doric focus?? It’s great you are taking the opportunity to involve them in these language lessons too and for the bairns to see everyone give it a go.
Wonderful to hear how you all had a really good time and I can’t wait to learn about what you do next.
Thanks
Bruce
Thanks! The verbal bairns speak some Doric. I think the rest hears Doric at home, apart from one Polish loon. He still understands, I think! I find it fascinating how bairns with complex needs, who are also EAL, seem to understand 3 different languages! Everybody in the room enjoyed a bit of Doric. :)
Hi Kirsten - i loved this! we have a teacher of MFL who teaches French in a primary with an ASN Wing - she uses Makaton alongside French as a universal link and she is a great promoter of the linking and that learners engage with it really well. There might be something more about that. What a great experience for your class - I do wonder if using the Doric gave them a familiarity that helped them link in - or was it a novelty factor and the sounds that held their interest. It seems like you are giving them a language experience that is richer than we might sometimes try for - really interesting to hear how much they enjoyed it.
Hiya Stewart
This is a great piece of work – in any language – but particularly interesting given the Scots focus and the chance for the pupils to have Doric feature in such an important exchange. You sum it up so well, “The letters stood out for their authenticity, seriousness, and relevance. The honest and moving stories from the Gaza students had a strong impact on our pupils. They began to see Scots differently. Instead of just a language for humour or informal conversation, it became a way to show compassion, resilience, and moral strength.” It will be equally inspiring and motivating for them to be working on a subject and exchange such as this whilst exploring their local language.
Really looking forward to seeing what comes next! There are many excellent examples of Scots poetry – both original pieces and in translation – that touches on the themes you plan to develop.
Bruce
Theme: Weather and Shaetlan language
Main Aim: Pupils will be able to understand, use, and pronounce key Shaetlan weather words confidently and accurately, and apply them in a short Shetland weather forecast.
Learning Intentions (linked to CfE Outcomes)
Language & Literacy (English / Scots):
- LIT 2-02a: When I engage with others, I can respond in ways appropriate to my role and show understanding of what is said to me.
- LIT 2-10a: I can communicate clearly when engaging with others within and beyond my place of learning.
- MLAN 2-07a / ENG 2-03a: I can explore the sounds, words and phrases of Scots and use them to share my thoughts and feelings.
Social Studies:
- SOC 2-12a: I can interpret information to describe the physical features of my local area and compare them with other areas in Scotland or beyond.
Expressive Arts:
- EXA 2-01a: I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting and performing for audiences.
What do you think worked particularly well in your classroom application?
The class are enjoying our topic on extreme weather, with hurricanes and typhoons on the news recently they were keen to find out more about weather in other parts of the world. This lesson fitted perfectly into this topic as it brought our own weather into focus, but explored in a way that they hadn’t done previously.
After an initial discussion, our first task was to find out for homework which words and phrases are commonly used in the family. This allowed me to understand how much prior knowledge they had.
I was pleased that this sparked some interesting discussion at home. We had a super range of words shared, some familiar to most like snaa, caald, drushie wadder and some less familiar terms, pirr o wind, blind moorie. One Dad said that they had a good conversation with Grandparents too regarding the homework, and added that their child had found the phrase ‘ standin aff da aert’ very funny, I loved that it had sparked interest and imagination and encouraged intergenerational conversation. I think because families had engaged well, the bairns came in enthused and keen to contribute.
The class listened well to “A Coorse Day” by Rhoda Bulter, it is a lovely descriptive poem and she is actually the great grandmother of one of our pupils in class, who then commented in their learning log on the Friday that listening to the poem (read by Rhoda from the ShetlandForWirds website) made them feel really proud and happy. They also loved Da Wadder Wan (from same group) which was a great introduction to the lesson and helped consolidate words they knew as well as hearing some more unfamiliar ones. I really liked that words like Flukkra were pronounced in two different ways, this was good to hear so they knew one way of pronouncing was as valued as another … although the good natured is it a tottie or a tattie debate rages on!
The use of technology worked really well. They designed their maps and used the visualiser to present them on the IWB or used google images or a map on word as a backdrop – having choice allows for better ownership and creativity, with one group creating their own weather icons to stick on as they went – very old school! I liked how they linked their weather into what this might mean, most had ‘steekit mist’ at Sumburgh (where the airport is located) leading to a comment on how that may disrupt flights – something I am sure they are probably all too familiar with! Needless to say, the Westside probably got most of the sunshine.
Is there anything you would do differently if you were to repeat this lesson?
Yes, I think I would perhaps only give a few Weather sayings or maybe even one between two to translate rather than giving too many due to time constraints and keeping the flow.
What are the next steps for your learners?
Next steps are to use the vocabulary we have learned and make posters of the words to share with symbols to aid understanding. We have an English/French Daily Calendar to change the weather daily reinforcing our understanding of language, it would take no time to include the relevant Shaetlan words to this to both help consolidate vocabulary and also because in some cases, there really isn’t a more descriptive word that fits better.
How will you provide further opportunities to practise and reinforce the use and awareness of the Scots language?
I think each time we look at a new topic I will consider if there are meaningful opportunities to include Scots language. I would not shoehorn it in, but since starting this course this has been very much in mind, and there are far more opportunities to include in a relevant way to enrich language and indeed the curriculum, than I would have really given consideration to previously.
Hiya Ingrid, thanks for this brilliant lesson!
You’re plan has a great mix of Es&Os from across the curriculum (LIT/LAN/SOC/EXA) as you go through the lesson – and I love that it ends with delivering their own weather forecast. Not to mention all the ICT and technology related skills involved in this lesson. Capturing the global and the local is so often key to engaging everyone in the class. Some prefer the hearing about the typhoons in the Philippines, some prefer speaking about the near hurricane blowing through Clousta!
I really like this as an intro activity: “Weather Quick-Fire”
Mini-drill:
Teacher says an English word → pupils give Shaetlan word.
Teacher says a Shaetlan word → pupils mime the weather.
Purpose: Activate prior knowledge + introduce new vocabulary.
Both bilingualism in practice and physical activity – with the teacher using both languages as well as the bairns in the class.
I’m so glad to hear that by bringing the local weather into focus with the Shaetlan vocabulary then you were able to explore details in a way the class hadn’t before. As we’ve seen with other lessons and reflections from this Unit of the course, then getting the bairns to discuss their school work and local words with parents and carers as homework seems to have been a real asset, both in terms of engagement in the lesson and in terms of language awareness. The discussions at home and the intergenerational learning seems to have really filtered through into the school day – and that’s such a joy to hear.
(As I send these last few emails today it is definitely “standin aff da aert” wadder dat wir haein eenoo!)
Another detail that is incredibly meaningful is the lass who felt really proud and happy at having heard her great granny read the poem on the ForWirds website. (I assume the two never got a chance to meet?) Another link in the chain of intergenerational learning happening as part of this lesson.
The pronunciation detail you mention is also an important one. Across this course we will often discuss learner voice and vocabulary, but there will also be times when we discuss accent – which can be just as important. Discrimination or prejudice against someone unfamiliar can often come down to simple things like words they use or how their voice sounds. We want these lessons to really enforce that all language, all words and all accents are to be valued.
If you create maps as part of lessons again, or go ahead with the plan to make posters, then it would be great to see them, if sharing is possible – it’s always really inspiring for us tutors as well as others on the course to see the finished product of a lesson if there’s an opportunity.
It’s brilliant to hear about how this course is already getting you thinking about opportunities to include Shaetlan and relevant ways to include language learning in future Topics.
Can’t wait to see what you do next 😊
Bruce
Very interesting, and so valuable to have one to one connections on so many different ways as you have shared above @Stuart. I really like this idea.
Hi Stewart - what a powerful piece of work. Even before thinking about scots, the emotional and emotive language and the learning around it - I think the impact for your young people must have been amazing to see. Sometimes we forget the positions we hold can offer so many "more than" moments. When places like GTCS speak about social justice - I think about lessons like this and the added power of using their own language to give themselves a voice. Thank you.