Shared the lesson with a colleague who applied this to a small group (8) of p6 learners.

Learners enjoyed the historical background to the Book of Deer – potentially adding a novelty factor to the lesson, something new and different. The creative aspect showed the most engagement – particularly the concept of “chill and still” – as short, brisk time outside to support thinking about language and place – and what it may have been like so long ago.  The Doric audio clips and manuscript images also provided some scaffolding. Learners liked hearing the language spoken and there was a bit of thinking about words they knew already.

Challenges – learners unsure of vocabulary – although the notion that spelling wasn’t important went down well and led to some interesting discussions between them to support each other.

Examples included: Deer god, am ootside an the caul’s gaun richt throo me. Ma finggers are stiff an ma cheeks are sair, wishin I wis inside. Please look efter aa o us oot here. Help me an mi freens bide warm n safe fae the caul, Amen.

O Loord, the caul is in ma bones, ma freens an me are feelin’ pains.Keep us warm as we a’ play,
An see us safely through the day

O God abeen, bless I seagull ower the sea, wi its fite wings and sciree cal, keep it safe fae the wins an cal, Amen

Suggestion/reflections for next time:

Maybe further word scaffolding, particularly outdoor vocabulary and adjectives

Potentially a creative performance element – outdoors – this could even be to the “space”

Next steps for learners could include for example building a class Doric word wall (dyke) and maybe considering technology to support an artistic creative element.

Need to think potentially about why Doric matters in Scottish heritage and how it connects to learners’ sense of place.