Resources for teaching creative writing in S1 – S2
As part of the Ardrossan Academy ‘Let Me Tell You a Story’ project funded by the School Libraries Improvement Fund, I wrote a resource pack for teachers to help them support their S1-S2 pupils with creative writing and storytelling techniques. This pack has been brilliantly put together by librarian Linda Vaughan, and is available for school to download for free here:
World Book Night Resources
Get ready to celebrate World Book Night on Tuesday 23rd April 2024! Here’s a handy flyer from the Kid Lit Scotland team for your school social media page and a link to a more detailed flyer which you might wish to print for parents/carers.
World-Book-Night-23rd-April-2024-Activities (Download World Book Night Activity Suggestions Word Document)
World Book Day Quiz
The team at KILTS – Kids’ Literature Scotland – have put together a Scottish children’s book-themed quiz for primary schools to download for free. We’ve got 7 rounds of varying difficulty which include:
- Scottish History
- Scottish Creatures: Real & Mythical
- Pictures Books: What’s Missing?
- Titles: Missing Words
- A Julia Donaldson Round
- True or False?
- Book Settings
Download the quiz Powerpoint presentations slides and pdf answer sheet for your class here:
Quiz Powerpoint Presentation: World Book Day Quiz Powerpoint
Quiz Answer Sheet PDF: World Book Day Quiz Answers PDF
Find out more about KILTS and our free activities and book challenges for schools on the website here
WAR OF THE WIND RESOURCE PACK
A complete FREE classroom activity and novel study resource pack to accompany War of the Wind is now available to download. Looking at many different issues in the book, such as diverse characters with varying additional support needs including deafness, Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy, it also covers topics such as wind turbines, green energy, health and wellbeing, art, literacy, and the craft of story writing.
Aimed at pupils aged 11-15 (P7-S3/ Year 6-9), this resource pack is the perfect way to engage pupils with contemporary issues such as diverse representation in literature, green energy, technology and science fiction through a comprehensive novel study.
War of the Wind Study Pack (Click here for PDF)
VIDEOS FOR SCHOOLS
I now have three author talk videos available for schools to purchase to accompany my books. Each is 30 minutes long, and comes complete with a set of classroom discussion activities which help pupils take a closer look at the issues and ideas raised in the videos, which combine to hour-long lessons. The videos available are:
- An author talk video and teachers’ resource pack to accompany Hag Storm, an historical fiction novel based on the life of the young Robert Burns and his poem ‘Tam o’ Shanter’. With activities looking at the life of Burns and his poems, this novel is a perfect way to support the study of Robert Burns in schools by bringing his early years to life in an engaging way.
- An author talk video and teachers’ resource pack to accompany The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, a contemporary novel set in Glasgow featuring the friendship between a Glaswegian school bully and a newly-arrived Syrian refugee. With activities to help foster children’s understanding of refugee issues and topics such as bullying, friendship, identity and belonging, this video is a great way to spark discussions on many of the important issues young people encounter in the media and in their everyday lives.
- An author talk and teaching activities to accompany The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, a contemporary novel which takes a closer look at the issues facing children with ADHD and those who are adapting to blended families. With discussion activities and a science demonstration linked to the science themes in the novel, this video will help children take a closer look at neurodiversity and diverse family structures.
For prices and to order digital video downloads, please contact me at victoria[dot]r[dot]williamson[at]googlemail[dot]com
HAG STORM RESOURCE PACK
A complete free classroom activity resource pack and Reflective Reading activities to accompany Hag Storm. Looking in depth at the characters and story plot, this resource pack covers genre and setting, narrative voice, characterisation, building atmosphere, story pacing and story structure, as well as covering folklore and Robert Burns’s poem Tam o’ Shanter. Aimed at pupils aged 8-12 (P4-P7/ Year 3-6), this pack and Reflective Reading Activities are the perfect way to support the study of Robert Burns in schools by bringing his early years to life in an engaging way.
Hag Storm Resource Pack – Victoria Williamson, PDF
Hag Storm Resource Pack – Victoria Williamson (Word Doc)
Reflective Reading Activities for Hag Storm PDF
FREE CREATIVE WRITING TEACHING RESOURCES
Available now- A FREE series of 12 creative writing videos to watch online, and accompanying teachers’ resource pack, which cover genre, setting, characterisation, narrative voice, and different forms of writing. This resource was produced as part of Falkirk Council’s Heritage Lottery Funded Fountain Tales project, which aims to get children interested in local history through creative storytelling activities. Suitable for pupils aged 8-12 (P4-P7/Year 3-Year6) these resources are a complete twelve-part series of short videos and lesson activities which take pupils through all of the basics of writing necessary to get their own creative juices flowing.
12 videos to watch online (here)
Fountain Tales Teaching Pack PDF
Congratulations to all of the young writers who entered the Fountain Tales story competition. Their stories have been made up into a booklet by Falkirk Council which you can download and read here:
Fountain Tales Winning Stories Booklet PDF
THE BOY WITH THE BUTTERFLY MIND RESOURCES
Small acts of kindness can go a long way. Floris Books has created a gorgeous butterfly poster, with space for you to add words and pictures for someone who needs an extra bit of kindness! A great tool to start a conversation about empathy, and a beautiful addition to your classroom wall!
Download them from the Discover Kelpies (Floris Books) website here.
SEVEN STORIES BOOK RESOURCES:
The team at Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, has come up with a brilliant classroom resource pack to accompany The Boy with the Butterfly Mind. Teachers can use this to explore the ADHD issues in the story with their pupils, as well as topics such as emotion inference and dealing with strong emotions. The pack can be downloaded for free from the Culture Bridge Northeast website here:
THE FOX GIRL AND THE WHITE GAZELLE RESOURCES
Below you will find a downloadable PDF of teaching resources containing a wide range of cross-curricular activities to accompany the book and explore refugee issues, bullying, friendship, empathy, wildlife conservation, different cultures, religion and belonging.
These resources are suitable for Curriculum for Excellence Level 2 and Key Stage 2 (Ages 9-12)
The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle Learning Resources – Victoria Williamson(PDF)
Looking for a reading programme for your school? VIP Reading is a proven programme utilising beautifully made resources, by teacher Rob McCann and illustrated by Lincoln-based artist Andrew Bailie, to promote reading for pleasure and children’s independent reading. I am currently one of the authors linked to the programme, and you can download these great free bookmarks to get you started on your reading adventures here:
Would you like to help raise funds for the Scottish Refugee Council? If you buy one of my specially crocheted fox keyrings from Etsy, then all money will be donated to the Scottish Refugee Council to support their work helping those who have come to Scotland in search of a safer home.
Resources for teaching creative writing in S1 – S2
As part of the Ardrossan Academy ‘Let Me Tell You a Story’ project funded by the School Libraries Improvement Fund, I wrote a resource pack for teachers to help them support their S1-S2 pupils with creative writing and storytelling techniques. This pack has been brilliantly put together by librarian Linda Vaughan, and is available for school to download for free here:
Let me tell you a story author toolkit pdf.
World Book Night Resources
Get ready to celebrate World Book Night on Tuesday 23rd April 2024! Here’s a handy flyer from the Kid Lit Scotland team for your school social media page and a link to a more detailed flyer which you might wish to print for parents/carers.
World-Book-Night-23rd-April-2024-Activities (Download World Book Night Activity Suggestions Word Document)
World Book Day Quiz
The team at KILTS – Kids’ Literature Scotland – have put together a Scottish children’s book-themed quiz for primary schools to download for free. We’ve got 7 rounds of varying difficulty which include:
Download the quiz Powerpoint presentations slides and pdf answer sheet for your class here:
Quiz Powerpoint Presentation: World Book Day Quiz Powerpoint
Quiz Answer Sheet PDF: World Book Day Quiz Answers PDF
Find out more about KILTS and our free activities and book challenges for schools on the website here
WAR OF THE WIND RESOURCE PACK
A complete FREE classroom activity and novel study resource pack to accompany War of the Wind is now available to download. Looking at many different issues in the book, such as diverse characters with varying additional support needs including deafness, Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy, it also covers topics such as wind turbines, green energy, health and wellbeing, art, literacy, and the craft of story writing.
Aimed at pupils aged 11-15 (P7-S3/ Year 6-9), this resource pack is the perfect way to engage pupils with contemporary issues such as diverse representation in literature, green energy, technology and science fiction through a comprehensive novel study.
War of the Wind Study Pack (Click here for PDF)
VIDEOS FOR SCHOOLS
I now have three author talk videos available for schools to purchase to accompany my books. Each is 30 minutes long, and comes complete with a set of classroom discussion activities which help pupils take a closer look at the issues and ideas raised in the videos, which combine to hour-long lessons. The videos available are:
For prices and to order digital video downloads, please contact me at victoria[dot]r[dot]williamson[at]googlemail[dot]com
HAG STORM RESOURCE PACK
A complete free classroom activity resource pack and Reflective Reading activities to accompany Hag Storm. Looking in depth at the characters and story plot, this resource pack covers genre and setting, narrative voice, characterisation, building atmosphere, story pacing and story structure, as well as covering folklore and Robert Burns’s poem Tam o’ Shanter. Aimed at pupils aged 8-12 (P4-P7/ Year 3-6), this pack and Reflective Reading Activities are the perfect way to support the study of Robert Burns in schools by bringing his early years to life in an engaging way.
Hag Storm Resource Pack – Victoria Williamson, PDF
Hag Storm Resource Pack – Victoria Williamson (Word Doc)
Reflective Reading Activities for Hag Storm PDF
FREE CREATIVE WRITING TEACHING RESOURCES
Available now- A FREE series of 12 creative writing videos to watch online, and accompanying teachers’ resource pack, which cover genre, setting, characterisation, narrative voice, and different forms of writing. This resource was produced as part of Falkirk Council’s Heritage Lottery Funded Fountain Tales project, which aims to get children interested in local history through creative storytelling activities. Suitable for pupils aged 8-12 (P4-P7/Year 3-Year6) these resources are a complete twelve-part series of short videos and lesson activities which take pupils through all of the basics of writing necessary to get their own creative juices flowing.
12 videos to watch online (here)
Fountain Tales Teaching Pack PDF
Congratulations to all of the young writers who entered the Fountain Tales story competition. Their stories have been made up into a booklet by Falkirk Council which you can download and read here:
Fountain Tales Winning Stories Booklet PDF
THE BOY WITH THE BUTTERFLY MIND RESOURCES
Small acts of kindness can go a long way. Floris Books has created a gorgeous butterfly poster, with space for you to add words and pictures for someone who needs an extra bit of kindness! A great tool to start a conversation about empathy, and a beautiful addition to your classroom wall!
Download them from the Discover Kelpies (Floris Books) website here.
SEVEN STORIES BOOK RESOURCES:
The team at Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, has come up with a brilliant classroom resource pack to accompany The Boy with the Butterfly Mind. Teachers can use this to explore the ADHD issues in the story with their pupils, as well as topics such as emotion inference and dealing with strong emotions. The pack can be downloaded for free from the Culture Bridge Northeast website here:
THE FOX GIRL AND THE WHITE GAZELLE RESOURCES
Below you will find a downloadable PDF of teaching resources containing a wide range of cross-curricular activities to accompany the book and explore refugee issues, bullying, friendship, empathy, wildlife conservation, different cultures, religion and belonging.
These resources are suitable for Curriculum for Excellence Level 2 and Key Stage 2 (Ages 9-12)
The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle Learning Resources – Victoria Williamson(PDF)
Looking for a reading programme for your school? VIP Reading is a proven programme utilising beautifully made resources, by teacher Rob McCann and illustrated by Lincoln-based artist Andrew Bailie, to promote reading for pleasure and children’s independent reading. I am currently one of the authors linked to the programme, and you can download these great free bookmarks to get you started on your reading adventures here: