George's Mingin Medicine as theclassreader - why, exactly??

[SirChenjin]

Apart from the SNP'S obsession with all things Scoa'ish obviously . We don't speak like that, none of our friends or family do, I don't understand the majority of the words and have no idea how to pronounce them - so when I listen to him reading I haver no idea of what he's saying is correct and then have to sign his readi g record. They would have been better giving him a book written in Mandarin - far more relevant and about as understandable to 99% of his class.

Excellent maw - then you help my child with a substandard text when you hear him read it once a week. I won't be wasting my time with it while we have access to a range of fantastic books at home that are well written and which inspire.

Milly Molly Mandy?! Crikey, that's a blast from the past

I missed that . Did you gang hame for a piece and jam in front o the fire?

Actually trouble, she didn't say it like that and I can assure you we weren't anywhere in the vicinity of Morningside. She speaks bits of Scots too. I didn't say "wee dug" in order to make some painful middle class point. It was just... Words. She is learning there's a difference between Scots (grandparents/home/shops) and standard English (school). So it's natural she will comment on it. I appreciate written down it might read a bit daft but that wasn't how it was.

And on that note, I am awa tae ma bed. Nicht nicht the noo

No. You've got your grammar mixed up there. It would be "go home".

Do you really think everyone who is literate only speaks standard English in an RP accent? Most people speak a mix naturally, not to prove a point.

Anyone been to Morningside recently? There are no Scots there!

but it's hilarious hearing the Morningside mummies reading Scots books to their kids in the library, but at least they are willing to try

I don't know The Cone Gatherers at all, so I can only go by what ds says. I should really read it to judge for myself.

I'd meant to ask his teacher about it last night at the Parents' Evening but forgot. I suspect that even though it's the top set, she's given them this as an "easy" potential answer, so that she can concentrate on working on Close Reading (or whatever it is called now ). I meant to find out what other texts she's planning on covering can't possibly get that info direct from ds

I'm not from the west end. Working class people are educated too. Disengaged learners need a route in. As mentioned before, teachers can help in the uncommon scenario that people don't instinctively get the need to switch.

I'm not Scottish (half but live in England) but oh my those texts take me back to my grandparents house as a child that's exactly how they spoke!
Nothing more constructive to add, but thanks for inspiring a lovely lovely memory.

Anything by Matthew Fitt is totally contrived. Have you read any his pieces in the national ?

Apparently he's as middle class as they come.

I am however in favour of learning some Scots in schools. I am a Burns and Liz Lochhead fan.

I agree that the books seem a bit contrived as they pack in more Scots vocab and phrasing than people use in day to day life, but we have to start somewhere.

I'm sure a teacher of your calibre can handle a bit of code switching and associated increased complexities of phonics If increased linguistic diversity gets the bums onto seats for a bit longer there's more chances to learn.

Anyway, I'm at risk of becoming a keyboard warrior so better get off to bed aka my scratcher

Yes trixy, his kid's book Katie's Moose is painful. No one ever spoke like that, ever.

I'm all for learning Scots in school but not like this Just stick to actual Scottish literature. It's a bit gimmicky just translating a few popular books. Give them Trainspotting....

And Scots is not even the dialect of much of Scotland. And, if it is a language, as they keep asserting, then why not give it its own lessons, exams and status like Gaelic? Instead, it forms part of the English and Literacy experiences and outcomes.

I ignore it. My pupils don't know it and, if they need it they can acquire it like any other language - by going to classes or speaking to native speakers. I am far too busy teaching them to succeed in a global language.

Not in bed yet..

What can we do trouble? Surely at school kids prepare for life, including directly or indirectly learning this stuff.

There's plenty of kids who think it is a good idea to wear their best trackie to an interview. We don't make them wear a shirt and trousers 24/7, we just help them understand that things are done differently in different contexts. Including spellings not always matching pronunciation. I mean, kids in Sussex understand to write "car" when they say "cah".

Thanks for the warning about Katie's ferm.

I'm not Scottish or living in Scotland but this is fascinating! I understood those extracts without an issue. I wonder if we should do something similar in Dublin or Cork!

I am actually pretty offended at some of the comments on this thread. Scots language was actually discouraged and indeed denigrated for a long time, but it is part of my heritage, just as older forms of English writing (e.g. Shakespeare) are part of England's heritage. My Scottish grandparents all used Scots in their language. Indeed I'd argue that being aware from a young age that there were different ways to describe/name things using language was an excellent way to develop communication skills and learn foreign languages.
Just because you find it difficult to understand the Scots language at the first reading - don't you dare denigrate my country's heritage!

My child rather likes this kind of stuff - she's 8 so already has a firm grasp of English language and spelling. We're reading stuff with Yorkshire dialect at the moment. The problem with all this stuff is that like many dialects it is always easier to understand it when read aloud. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Burns etc... are more engaging spoken than read.