Category Archives: Languages and Literacy

Inspired? Get writing! Creative Writing Competition 2013/14 – Closing date 17 January

National Galleries of Scotland

·         There are 5 categories:

·         Under 12 years

·         12 – 14 years

·         15-18 years

·         Adults prose

·         Adults poetry

Write a poem or piece of prose inspired by one of the works in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland. As a guide, pieces should not be more that about 1,000 words in length. Images of many of the works can be accessed through the NGS website www.nationalgalleries.org in the section ‘ONLINE COLLECTIONS’.

Entries should be typed, double spaced for prose and in a clear font. An entry form should be completed, giving your name and the required details as the last page of the attachment, and sent to inspired@esuscotland.org.uk.  Entries should be submitted by Friday 17 January 2014. Results of the competition will be announced by Thursday 17 April 2014.

Puppetry Workshop for teachers – linked to War Horse

29 January, 4.30 pm

http://bit.ly/1ifTdum (Glow log-in required)

Join us for this exciting behind the scenes look at puppetery as teachers work with Finn Caldwell who is one of the original War Horse puppeteers. Finn has directed the puppetry for productions of War Horse in the West End and in Australia.  He has also just directed the puppetry in The Light Princess at the National Theatre and is directing a children’s puppetry show called Elephantom in The Shed.

For full details of these and other events, please log in to Glow and view the current schedule (Glow log-in and password required).

New report on Assessing Creativity across many subjects available on Creativity Portal

Led by the University of Dundee and funded by Creative Scotland, this project gathered the views of three groups of professionals working within the expressive arts with the aim of identifying effective and innovative models of assessment of creativity. These models were documented and used to develop case studies in the format of a teaching resource for application across the whole curriculum. The resource was piloted and evaluated by the research and development team in collaboration with teachers and initial teacher education (ITE) providers.

Click here to find the downloadable file:

http://creativityportal.org.uk/?q=assessing+creativity

The project develops the links between arts organisations, schools and ITE providers through data collection; shared analysis and evaluation; and through the development, application and dissemination of findings. In this way stronger partnerships have been established as recommended in Teaching  Scotland’s  Future  (Donaldson  2010)

Authors Live – The Making of Katie Morag with Mairi Hedderwick

28 November 11.00

http://bit.ly/I6gpyv

Mairi Hedderwick is bringing her most famous character, Katie Morag to Authors Live. Evoking the spirits of island life, Mairi will be telling her favourite Katie Morag stories, giving you an exclusive insight into what it is like to see Katie Morag being brought to life for CBeebies and telling you how the landscape and your surroundings can inspire what to write and draw.  Suitable for Nursery – Primary 3 or 4-7 years.

Inspired by my Museum, International Writing Competition

An encounter with a museum can be a life-changing experience, a realisation of the past or an inspiration for the future. If you have a poem, short story or reportage inspired by a museum you have visited, tell us and your words could be selected for publication.

http://www.sampad.org.uk/learning/opportunities/competitions/

It could be the space, architecture, design, an object or objects in the museum or even the museum/exhibition curator who has inspired you.

  • Further to the overwhelming response to the launch of the competition, we have now extended the age limit so that any writer from anywhere in the world from the age of 16 upwards can take part.
  • Entries can be up to 400 words.
  • Only ONE entry is allowed per person
  • LAST DATE FOR ENTRIES IS MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2014

Resources to support Book Week Scotland (25 November – 1 December)

During Book Week Scotland, a wide range of organisations including libraries, schools, museums and workplaces, will deliver a packed programme of free projects and events, bringing Scots of all ages and from all walks of life together to celebrate the pleasures of books and reading.

For more information visit Scottish Book Trust website and you can find resources quickly on the Creativity Portal here: http://creativityportal.org.uk/?q=book&c=,online-teaching-tools

University of Aberdeen SCC ‘Flash Fiction’ Competition 2013

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/about/special/

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/about/special/book-week-scotland/

For the second year running SCC is challenging creative writers to be inspired by images from their collection to enter shorts stories for their ‘Flash Fiction’ Competition, as part of Book Week Scotland 2013.  After the success of the 2012 competition an additional Children’s ‘Flash Fiction’ competition has been added. The competitions will be judged by prize-winning authors who will narrow the entries down to special commendations for each image and an overall competition winner for each age category. The winners will be announced at the beginning of Book Week Scotland. All competition entries will be published on the ‘Flash Fiction’ website.

Scottish Book Trust book trailer competition

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/

Scottish Book Trust is running a book trailer competition as part of the Scottish Children’s Book Awards, with a fabulous prize of £250 in book tokens. Why not get your pupils to produce a trailer for one of the shortlisted books?

The competition is open to all ages, and pupils can produce a trailer for any of the age categories. Scottish Book Trust has got a whole host of resources to help you produce book trailers with your pupils. Have a look at their Booktrailer Masterclass videos to get a comprehensive book trailer walkthrough – and on the same page, you’ll find a whole unit of work to help you integrate trailers into your planning.

Scottish Book Trust also has two exciting Authors Live events coming up, one with Mairi Hedderwick – find out more about this event online.

Inspired? Get Writing! Creative Writing Competition 2013/2014

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/education/competitions-3740/inspired-get-writing-creative-writing-competition-20132014

Enjoy writing but need that little bit of inspiration and a goal to get started?

Why not enter this years Inspired? Get writing! competition? You can write in prose or poetry about anything that has inspired you from our permanent collection: drawings; paintings; prints; sculpture; photography; installation. There are five categories for school pupils and adults. Four volumes of Inspired? Get writing! have been published, featuring winners from previous years, so you can check out the standard. For full details download the rules. There is also a resource pack which you might find helpful.

There are 5 categories:

•           Under 12 years

•           12 – 14 years

•           15-18 years

•           Adults prose

•           Adults poetry

Entries should be submitted by Friday 17 January 2014.  Results of the competition will be announced by Thursday 17 April 2014.