Month: May 2014

Developing literacy skills through Storyline in Secondary School

On 23rd May, Yvonne McBlain visited Falkirk High School to see Lynne Ferguson, English teacher, and her S1 class working on their Space storyline.

Lynne has continued to develop her use of this approach following initial exploration with Yvonne 4 years ago. This year, Lynne’s pupils needed to develop their listening skills in particular, so she tailored the storyline to help pupils progress these. She structured the literacy tasks to allow particular development of note-taking and the associated understanding required to do this well.   The E & Os targeted were 4-05a & 4-09a, and Lynne also integrated significant aspects of learning which she knew the pupils would need to develop for NQ5.

During this lesson, some pupils took on their storyline role as a member of the crew destined to save Earth. They were making themselves available to the world’s press who wanted to find out about their mission to initiate the colonisation of a new and unpolluted planet in order to save human kind. The rest of the pupils were in role as international press reporters from a publication of their choice. The mission director conducted the conference according to protocols observed on the news. Pupils had prepared some initial questions, but readily used their listening and notes to question statements made by the crew. There was strong evidence that pupils were developing questions from their notes and they grew increasingly skilled and direct in building on the answers of the crew. Their questions showed that they were an informed audience with deep concerns over issues around the mission, and they were increasingly probing in pursuing satisfactory answers. 

The pilot of the mission crew got a particular grilling about his lack of English and any communication issues this might cause during the journey – particularly if anything went wrong. The agriculturalist was confident that he had all of the requirements to grow food once they arrived on planet Tenalp Wen, but was a bit miffed that he couldn’t bring his dog and house it with the other beasts in the special hold. The scientist, medical officer, chief of security and supplies expert were also confident that they could fulfil their roles. Pupils were very able to apply their drama improvisation skills in conjunction with their listening to help them understand and respond. The crew answered well and increased in confidence visibly. They were able to sustain their roles with ease and all pupils made good use of factual and inferential information.

Following the press conference, pupils came out of role and were asked to pretend that lift off had happened, and the mission was now in progress. Lynne showed a video of life in the international space station during which pupils had to prepare to answer the following questions:

What is the purpose of this film (text)?  Who is the audience for the Film?

What did you learning about the environment? What surprised you about living in space?

Lynne paused the video to give pupils a chance to capture relevant notes before viewing the next section.

Lynne’s use of storyline has enabled her pupils to develop specific literacy skills within an engaging context. The storyline approach ensured that pupil voice/personalisation and choice was embedded in this work. Pupils were able to apply science knowledge and understanding through the context. They were also able to apply their drama and art & design skills in the development of their characters, setting, and the plot of their story.

Bo’ness Schools contribute to new Kinneil Museum

On 20th May 2014, pupils from every Bo’ness school worked together to create a giant Bo’ness historical timeline. Lyndsay Lennie and Hanneke Scott van Wel facilitated sessions which allowed the primary 5, 6 & 7 pupils to demonstrate their understanding &  appreciation of “the history, heritage and culture of their local area.” Another main objective was to give pupils the opportunity to show how they personally related to local history – why does the heritage of their home town matter to them?

This experience is part of wider community involvement in the re-design of exhibition space in Kinneil Museum and has proven to be a rich multi-partnership including Falkirk Community Trust and The Friends of Kinneil. 

Pupils taking part broadened their research and information handling skills and deepened their knowledge of their particular aspect of local heritage. Click here to see Blackness Primary pupils busy at their research, and click the image on the right  to view one of their presentations. Pupils were also challenged to present their findings to a wider audience than usual and to contribute to a collaborative display. They were required to analyse and evaluate the timeline and decide which events they felt had a positive impact on their community and which had a negative impact. Click on the timeline photo below to view a short video tour.

Falkirk Global Citizenship Showcase

Teachers and pupils from a range of Falkirk establishments showcased their Global Citizenship work at an event in Larbert Village Primary School on 15th May 2014.

Bo’ness Academy shared International Education and Commenius projects worked on by their S2 & 3 pupils. This work targeted a range of skills and there was great evidence of pupil research and information handling capabilities. Larbert High School pupils confidently shared a range of Global Citizenship and Sustainability work. It was obvious that they have worked in a really effective way with partner organisations like Communities on the Carron to change their local environment. The school captains have also driven the Captain’s challenge initiative which is motivating  pupils to really push their own personal achievements out with their academic studies. Click here to see a flyer or use this link  http://youtu.be/SMmsECVH3zE  to get more information about this inspirational project.

 Inchlair Nursery children spoke confidently to visitors about all of the Commonwealth Games learning they have gained over the last few months. Click http://glo.li/1idQWh7 to read more about this work. They have been really engaged by the story of Captain Bristle’s Thistles and wore their special Inchlair Commonwealth T-shirts.  Larbert Day Nursery staff shared the learning their children have  gained about the Commonwealth and the games using their floor book and examples of children’s work.

There was also lots of good primary school practice on show, linked to the Commonwealth Games theme. Teachers in Falkirk schools have been creative in their planning and delivery of lessons within the cross-cutting theme of global citizenship. They have used the Commonwealth context to make their teaching relevant and coherent for their pupils. The examples displayed showed that pupil skills, knowledge and understanding were being broadened and deepened through this work – sometimes to develop new skills, sometimes to offer a new way to apply existing skills.

Pupils have also been developing their attitudes and ability to challenge their thinking about global citizenship issues. Teachers taking part in Global Storyline training shared their development of The Giant of Thistle Mountain. These teachers have adapted this storyline for their pupils and were able to evidence extremely valuable teaching and learning around issues like stereotyping, racism, needs and wants. Pupils from Limerigg PS and Carron PS shared their learning experiences with guests. Each class involved in these storylines has created their own visualisation of the “giant” character – see some of these in the photo above. 

Isabel Ross from Scotdec attended the event and shared valuable resources and training opportunities with people who attended. The showcase was organised by Megan Farr of Falkirk Service Support and Improvement Team in conjunction with Laura Willox and her Global Citizenship strategy group colleagues. Jane Jackson and Yvonne McBlain of Falkirk Service Support and Improvement Team hope to work with this group and other colleagues to support our authority implementation of the recommendations in the Learning for Sustainability report. Click here to link to this report http://glo.li/1nIWaZW .