Unit 3 Task Application.
The best-laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
When you read through this you’ll quickly unnerstaun why a drew upon Burns’ ‘To a Mouse’ by way ae a wee epigraph (it wis juist a maiter o time).
Twa things tae consider.
First of a, ma learnurs are adults, indeed some ae them hae weans at stages wan an twa. Therefore, I thocht ad deviate fae the material in Unit 3, even tho ah hink mauni ae them wid enjoy the songs. A hid originally thocht to invite the parents among them to try readin an singin wi their ain weans, however, a wee logistics precursor with a member of staff, askin her child to read Emma Grae’s The Moggie Thit Meowed Too Much, indicatit that this approach widnae work so weel.
Secondly, my students urnae a captive audience. I hid planned tae run this class oan Wednesday 17th Decemeber 2025. However, I wis ambushed by the students as they left Application ae Maths on Tuesday morn. The asked whether ah “really needed them” oan Wednesday as they hid stuff tae dae fur Christmas (including attend Scuill nativities). Ower thi years, a huv learned that these questions really only huv wan answer. Thi only thing wurse than a class no turnin up is hauf a class turnin up-so I excused them.
A course, truth be telt, when I reflectit ower this incident I realised that my desire to run the class wis actually fur ma ain benefit and tae huv a lesson to reflect ower for oor Course Forum. I’ll add this to my Reflective Practice; Critical Incident Analysis for Self-evaluation purposes!
Twa things in particulur struck me as I worked through Unit 3. First, drawing upon habitus alang wi considerations ae social capital and cultural capital wur ripe for further exploration wi ma students, as a’ll explain later.
The second wis, whilst reviewing the songs n poyems, how strongly these wurks could dovetail wi ither elements ae the curriculum. An how well the weans adaptit tae yuiin Scots tae learn. The model answers linked expressive arts/performance and numeracy tae the obvious English and Literacy skills. So, this wus a chance tae take Scots frae the Literature 1 unit and yuise it in anither subject.
Ah routinely encourage ma students tae integrate thur learnin. Too often students tend to compartmentalise thur learnin intae silos. Reflecting ower Unit 3 wis the genesis tae pit ma wurds intae action.
In addition tae deliverin Literature 1 (FA58 12), I also deliver Social Influences (J22T 76) tae this cohort. As a Level 6 unit this reinforces students’ unerstaunin ae sociological concepts and introduces them tae sociological perspectives. Habitus and the work of Bourdieu huv never really featured in thi content ae this unit, except as an aside, as far as a know.
Therefore, inspired by Unit 3 content, this wus an ideal opportunity tae use Scots tae introduce and develop habitus. In addition, a course, it providit an opportunity tae draw upon Scots in a class ither than Literature 1 as a said earlier.
A pulled thigither a wee PowerPoint (attachtit) and class activity tae introduce the concepts of Social Capital and Cultural Capital along wi contexts and examples. A then made the connection tae language via a reminder of Symbolic Interactionism an Labelling. This also includit a discussion oan oor ain yuise and thochts ae language and, ultimately, tae the activity a hid devised. I stoapt short ae introducin schizoglossia at this stage!
A selectit two poyems by Tom Leonard; ‘The Voyeur’ and ‘right inuff.’ The former is written in a Standard English, however, it includes ‘wee.’ Whilst the latter is in a West Central Belt form. Ave attachit a copy ae a blank worksheet fir yer perusal; Ah'll hiv completit wans after the Christmas break and upload them tae the course forum in due course.
Thi intentions ae this lesson wur tae, not only introduce the concepts; habitus, social capital and cultural capital, but also tae provide real life examples fur the learnurs tae reflect ower. The activity sheet explores this through; social class, gender/sex and age.
Frae a sociological stance it is important for these candidates, who will progress into social work and social services, tae unerstaun power relationships. Currently, in our HNC Social Services course, I pursue this wi considerations ae hegemony (Marxist/conflict lens) and ‘host’ community (Functionalist lens). So, if this class is successful, I can add Bourdieu tae the mix fur futur HNCs.
Frae a literature point ae view a wanted tae help the candidates consider how they respond tae language and reflect ower the yuise ae certin wurds, especially Scots.
During some aspects of Unit 3 I found listening to contributions easier to unnerstaun that just readin although the ‘Fishgutters’ was an exception as the transcript helped me follow the themes/stories. Dependit oan time factors ah may play wan or twa videos tae the group. Ah'm also haudin back the Education Scotland video ‘History of Scots’ fur anither class, although it could huv hid mileage here.
Apologies for the rather long post but a wantit tae provide as much background as a could and tae hiv a go at Unit 3 within ma ain context. A’h don’t have access tae GLOW, so, couldnae engage wi ‘Scots Blether. A’h also recognise that ma post will deviate greatly frae ithers.
Hope you aw have a fab Christmas and a guid New Year.
Unit 3 Application - Nicky
After the unexpected success of my Unit 2 lesson, I had high hopes for how this lesson would be received. Since the class had already demonstrated a wider knowledge of Scots than I had anticipated, I moved into adapting the Unit 3 task so that it was more applicable to 2nd and 3rd Level.
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listened to the Doric Spider Rap (to hear Scots)
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completed some vocab work on unfamiliar words in the Doric Spider Rap
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read Scots poetry from TIE: https://tie.scot/resource/scots-poetry-resource/
Part of the lesson was they worked in pairs or trios to speak through their assigned poem quietly together. They did do this to an extent, but their confidence was quite low. All in all, the amount of 'spoken Scots' in the lesson was properly quite sparse.
Going forward, I would like to develop a unit of 4-6 lessons on Bothy Ballads as I think the idea of creating a song mocking your workplace (i.e. school) would be a fun task for the pupils which would also be stage appropriate. This would also mean I could more effectively manage developing skills/confidence as I think my issue here was I went too far, too fast. Yes, the pupils showed a prior confidence in sharing their knowledge of Scots, but when the demands for that knowledge became more formalised and required them to apply skills, they weren't able to transfer their confidence to exploring the poetry.
To end on a positive note, I am gaining more confidence in writing my lesson PP slides in Scots (specifically Doric). I know this seems incredibly minor when most of the participants in this course write entire posts in Scots! But even when the content of the lesson hasn't gone so well (as here), my thinking is at least the pupils have been exposed to Scots in a way that's familiar but also relevant to their context (Learning Intention / Success Criteria / Task Instructions). Given that my initial audit revealed very little daily use of Scots, I do think this is a tiny but important part of integrating Scots into school life (one weekly lesson at a time...!).
We had someone in to deliver an input on Bothy Ballads to our second years during Doric Wik and I love the idea of them creating their own tongue-in-cheek song about school!
I haven't had the chance to deliver my planned lesson yet but will report back on how this goes in the new year. Looking to trial with my S1 class...
Exploring Scots Language through Animal Poetry
I enjoy exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language, and can use what I learn (LIT 1-01a)
I can listen to and talk about texts in Scots
I can recognise and use Scots words in context
LI: To listen to and enjoy a Scots poem
To explore Scots vocabulary and its meaning
To create a simple response using Scots words
SC: I can identify Scots words in the poem
I can explain what some Scots words mean
I can use Scots words in my own sentence or short poem
Starter:
-Show picture of heron - ask if pupils know what it is/can name it/have seen one before.
-Tell them going to hear a poem written in Scots about this bird.
Main Task(s):
-Read 'Heron' by J K Annand/listen to audio
-Pupils listen out for words they don't recognise and rhyming patterns
-See if can identify rhyme scheme and discuss which words new (match some key vocab to pictures?)
-Answer some basic comprehension questions about size, appearance, habitat, diet etc.
-Give pupils a table with Scots names for different birds - try and identify what they are in English (dictionaries available to help if necessary)
Creative Response:
-Pupils choose a bird of their own to write about
-Make notes on size, colour, sounds, habitat, behaviour etc. (may need to research/observe)
-Try to create their own short poem/few lines describing it and using some of the Scots vocab they have learned (word bank of options for differentiation)
Plenary:
-Opportunities to share - praise effort
-What new Scots words did we learn today? Exit ticket.
I would also like to explore the 'Doric Reggae Spider Rap' by Sheena Blackhall to continue with this theme and get them thinking more creatively.
(The 'Peterhead Fisherman's Wife' was another text which intrigued me, as it would have local cultural appeal for my learners, but I felt it may work better at a higher level.)
Pauline Irvine Post 4 in reply to 1
• 1 February 2026, 5:05 PM • Edited by the author on 1 February 2026, 5:08 PMP1/2 Lesson - Robbie Redbreest
With P1/2 class – Robbie Redbreest by Vagaland
Robbie Redbreest :: Shetland ForWirds
I had the poem displayed on the whiteboard and as soon as I introduced the poem, I heard “I keen yun poem, it’s about a robin. Robin is santies bird.”
I continued to read the poem and asked the bairns if they understood the poem to which they answered yes. They could also say it was written in Shetland not English. I wondered to them if everybody could understand Shetland and they said no. Pupils then listed various countries around the world that wouldn’t understand Shetland including Scalloway (a village in Shetland) which amused me. But I did explain that even in Shetland there’s a lot of words that’s different depending where you live. So maybe Scalloway folk might not understand all the words in the poem.
They could tell me what the poem was about and I asked about the meaning of the following words
Da – the
Snaa – snow
Du / Dee – you
Gluff - scare
They didn’t understand Geng – go, I explained Scalloway folk would say geng, we would use ‘dyeen’. They also didn’t understand transe, atil, aer.
I then read the English translation. The bairns were really surprised at the difference. They said it sounded funny and thought the Shetland one sounded better.
I asked if they knew any other bird names, Blackbird, robin, so I gave a few English and they could tell me Shetland names
seagull – cullie maa
puffin – taamie norrie
crow – craa
great skua - bonxie
I asked if they knew what birds were the school House names Maalie, Tirrick, Shaldar. They didn’t know the English names - Fulmar, Arctic tern and oyster catcher.
Tirricks dive on your heids and Maalies spew on you.
And on that lightsome note, time was up. We then went to hand out seed cakes for the peerie birds. I think I would have been more satisfied with the lesson if I was teaching this stage and was more familiar with the class and their abilities. I would then be able to develop the lesson more with more activities speaking or writing about the birds, but, in all, I enjoyed asking them questions and hearing them speak so comfortably in their midder tongue.
Is there anything you would do differently if you were to repeat this lesson?
I had to take the pupils into a spare classroom for the lesson so it wasn’t an ideal set up. If I had more time I would had more focus on talking and split the poem up for them to read and recite. The P2’s could have taken the lead with P1 pupils and they could recite their part to the rest of the class.
What are the next steps for your learners?Their topic is comparing living on an island and living in a city. The class teacher is already in touch with a class and teacher in Glasgow. I occasionally have to take this class for a story before lunch on a Friday so it would be a good opportunity for me to read more Scots stories and poems with them.
How will you provide further opportunities to practise and reinforce the use and awareness of the Scots language?
For world book day we are planning a week of dialect based activities. I would like to look for opportunities to have Shetland words on display around the school, possible changing themes, but it’s time consuming to do alone. As a primary department, we are looking how to incorporate more local learning through IDL planning.
Hiya
This is a brilliant post! I love hearing such an in-depth analysis of what the bairns thought and said in response to the poem and the discussion.
It does seem funny that the Whalsay bairns weren’t sure if Scalloway folk would understand a Shetland poem! But I guess Scalloway does sit on a separate island! I remember doing a project in Scalloway Primary School once where the class had to write poems set outside – and none of them used a setting outside of the village! Life ended at the top of Berry Hill, haha. It could be a good detail to explore in the work you are going to do with the school in Glasgow that you mention. Particularly if the class there are the same age as your learners. Does their perceived size of Glasgow also shrink down to just what they can see? Could be some interesting comparisons to explore.
It's also interesting to read about what words the learners in this class didn’t understand. ‘transe’, ‘atil’ and ‘aer’ are all quite old words now, and not regularly used – is it because of that generational gap that the bairns didn’t understand them do you think? Across all of Scotland, in any dialect or literature for bairns then it's probably more true than ever that a modern, accessible text is essential.
The detail of ‘geng’ to ‘dyeen’ is something to watch for in the future. With that, was it that the word felt too unfamiliar? Maybe in the same way as being an old word they’d never heard before rather than a different pronunciation of the same word they use? I think what is being tiptoed over here is the line between a Literacy lesson and a Language lesson. All across Scottish education we see examples of this, and it’s something we really like to discuss on this course. Use of Scots in education can be equally powerful in either a Literacy or language learning context, and given most classes always have a mix of native speakers and new learners of the language, then it can make it increasingly complicated for the teacher. But that's what we like to focus on in this CPD to help navigate the tightrope!
If you get the chance to discuss it with the teacher in Glasgow then I’d be fascinated to hear how you get on. Maybe you can share the Shaetlan Gruffalo with them and they can share a reading of the Glasgow Gruffalo with you :-)
Great work, Pauline.
Thanks
Bruce
Loved this Pauline - reminded me of St Mungo and the Robin that is displayed in Glasgow!
sounds like the children got a lot out of the lesson - and the almost permission to use their midder tongue too - in a supported way. It would be interesting to know if there were other schools in he area who would consider the same and then you could " share the load" but also potentially create a network of support and learning too
In among all excitement of the Shetland Up-helly-Aa's we have managed to look at some other significant events taking place this term, including Burns Night. Through listening, understanding and a bit of detective work decoding some unfamiliar language in both poems, we drew comparisons with Ayrshire Scots and Shaetlan and also celebrated cultural links.
As with Bobby, I also chose To A Mouse as I think it is brilliant to be able to share how a poem about everyday observations from rural Scotland over 250 years ago is still shared and studied all around the world today. As agriculture and crofting are an integral part of day to day life here, I think this poem is - in the main- accessible even at first level, as they could identify with the scenario albeit from the past.
It is also an observation of a mouse that captures R.W. Tait's imagination in 'Moose, Moose, Meeserie', which was probably written coming on for 100 years ago about a scampering hoose moose written in Shaetlan. Poetry and indeed stories about animals are popular with children so is a good hook. Animals are often seen as safe, relatable, and soothing, making it easier for children to understand their surroundings, build empathy, and spark their imagination.
The Venn diagram showing similarities and differences was really interesting with the bairns picking up on how the authors had each used an everyday experience in their writing. They were able to establish that while RB was sympathetic to the poor now homeless mouse perhaps the sight of the moose in da hoose in RWT's poem was a bit less welcome. I loved that one of the bairns said he thought the author was quite 'tirn' at the peerie hoose moose. I also thought it was interesting how the class related to both authors and felt empathetic to both sets of circumstance.
We didn't get as far as the writing our own task as time didn't allow for that but we did spend time reading the poetry. The Shaetlan poem was considered the easier to read with some saying it just felt more natural and comfortable, however they also liked To A Mouse. We only read the first verse to allow time to practise and feel confident in delivery when reading aloud to others.
This is something I would like to do more of as poetry and indeed Scots/Shaetlan poetry is a good cognitive workout that helps to build reasoning, imagination, language development, and emotional understanding.