Teaching Scots

A CfE Responsible Citizen should "develop knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland's place in it". Teaching Scots can be a fun and rewarding part of an English course at any stage.

On Monday at Keith Grammar School, Sheena Blackhall gave an entertaining and informative presentation to Moray English teachers about how one might go about teaching Scots. She spoke (and sang) for only an hour, but suggested loads of approaches and resources for those who may be unsure about how to get started.

Sheena's talk would be perfect for a bit of CPD at a departmental meeting and she also works in class with pupils. Email me if you would like her contact details. View her blog at:

http://screivins.blogspot.com/

Here are a couple of great websites full of resources on Scots:

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/kist

http://www.rampantscotland.com/

Resources from South of the Border...

If you're not put off by terms like "Key Stage 3", "Year 10" and "GCSE", why not have a look at Curriculum Online's English Resources page?

You may have seen their CD Roms etc in school but this page gives you access to loads of free resources on just about any part of English teaching you can think of. Use the Browse option on the right hand side to see their well-organised inventory and click the "free" option when sorting your results to see only the stuff that's, well... free!

http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/Subjects/En/Subject.htm

I'll add a link to the blog's list for future reference.

Interactive Whiteboard Resources

Got an interactive whiteboard hanging there doing nothing? Below are a few sites which feature interactive literature and language resources suited to whiteboards:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

The site for Lynne Truss's book features games which ask participants to position punctuation marks correctly in text.

Have a look at: http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/ESLquiz.html

Globe Theatre

Introducing Shakespeare? This site from the Open University lets pupils explore the theatre in 3D, inside and out.

http://www.ualberta.ca/~sreimer/shakespr/glob-qt.htm

Dickens Timeline

This site features an attractive interactive timeline showing what was happening in the novelist's life and around the world as each book was published.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/archive/programs/davidcopperfield/timeline.html

BBC Skillwise

A packed site featuring noisy, colourful games on spelling, grammar etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/

Penalty Shootout

A quiz game which lets pupils take penalties against George Bush, Shakespeare and others. This one is based on Twelfth Night, but you can buy the template for a small fee and make your own quizzes on whatever you choose.

http://www.twelfthnightsite.co.uk/shakespeare_shootout.htm

Have fun! Your pupils will.