Katie Morag's Island Stories (Katie Morag, 8)

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Another brilliant way of teaching younger learners about Scottish Islands, such as the Shetland or Orkney Islands, is through the stories of Katie Morag. Although the island of Struay, on which the stories are set, is fictional, there are many parts of the stories that ring very true to island life. A great resource to explore is the Island and Mainland Snapshots to Support Teaching on Katie Morag. This comparison worksheet lets your little learners find the similarities and differences between mainland and island life! The series was shot on the Isle of Lewis between May and August 2013 at BBC Alba's studios in Stornoway and on location around the island. It comprised 26x15 minute episodes (6 of which were part of a sub-series called Grannie Island's Ceilidh) and began its run on Cbeebies on 3 November 2013. I had a moment when I was on set, watching all the actors and film crew. I thought how rewarding it was that so many people have been employed on a project that started as an idea in my head 33 years ago. That gives me a great feeling, better than anything else. And the knowledge that Katie Morag is a real ambassador for the Scottish Highlands and Islands, a part of our country that a lot of people don’t know about.

In England a short National Curriculum Key Stage 1 Geography unit for six- and seven-year-olds, called "An island home", has been linked to the series and in particular the book Katie Morag and the Two Grandmothers. [10] The book Katie Morag and the New Pier has also been used as a peg to discuss how communities can gain and lose from change. [11] The most recent book in the series, Katie Morag and the Dancing Class, was a nominee for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2008, [12] which is awarded for an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. Winners of the first RTS Scotland awards". Royal Television Society. 12 June 2014 . Retrieved 13 July 2014.Scottish BAFTAs: James McAvoy, Lorraine Kelly and David Tennant all celebrated at star-studded awards". The Daily Record. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014 . Retrieved 24 November 2014. I thought I wouldn’t be involved to be honest and as a writer you have to know when to let go of your characters to another medium. But as it turned out, the production company Move on Up have been so inclusive and invited me up to see the sets on the Isle of Lewis. I’m very happy with all the casting, especially Cherry, she is totally natural; she’s even got Katie Morag’s fleeting facial expressions which you can’t dictate to a child actor. I think children easily identify with Katie Morag’s problems, her moods and the family issues. I try to create stories seen through the eyes of Katie Morag. I think children, through Katie Morag, can recognize and explore the familiarity of the problems that she has. Donald Shaw honoured at Scots Trad Music Awards". Scottish Music Industry Association. 10 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 . Retrieved 13 July 2014.

You can use this PowerPoint to highlight similarities and differences between the two islands, one real and the other fictional. Ask children to consider what it might be like to live in a place where the primary school has only two part-time teachers, and there are at most eight students in a class. This presentation offers important information about the Isle of Coll for kids. Topics covered include: You can also encourage learners to act out the events of the Katie Morag books using these lovely role-play masks. Perfect for supporting reading comprehension skills in a fun group activity! What is the Isle of Struay? QCA Geography Year 2 Unit 3: An Island Home, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 2000. As of January 2011, a Google search for KS1+"Katie+Morag"+"An+Island+Home" finds almost 3,400 hitsScottish Schoolgirl confirmed to play Katie Morag". Stornoway Gazette. 23 April 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 . Retrieved 14 July 2014. While you’re teaching this topic, you can use these colourful display posters to decorate your classroom. They feature key characters and settings such as Liam, Grannie, the Redburn Bridge, and the Post Office.

A great resource to follow on from this one is the Let's Learn About Scottish Islands Differentiated Reading Comprehension worksheet collection. These simple, brightly designed worksheets feature selections of vocabulary and empty boxes for your learners to fill in. They also feature some text and follow up questions, and space for a drawing!As they are differentiated, these worksheets are accessible to the varying ability levels of your class!

Katie Morag to film on location on the Isle of Lewis". Highlands and Islands Enterprise. 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017 . Retrieved 14 July 2014. The book is set on a fictional island called the Isle of Struay so children can actually use their map skills and locate the island on a map. This makes it more real for them to work and develop their learning. The book has a map at the beginning of the book which shows where the different places in the Isle of Struay is. It also uses a lot of illustrations which is really good as children can see and understand all about the island. Before disillusionment sets in, and you decide to take the boat to Mull or Rum instead of Coll, I can assure Katie Morag aficionados that the first clutch of Struay characters in the first books did have Collach forbears, old friends. Granma Mainland, however, is my mother visiting Coll in the ’60s, handbag and all. Gavin Docherty, Children’s TV bosses search for the real-life Katie Morag, Scottish Daily Express, 21 February 2013

The series repeated its 2014 success at the British Academy Children's Awards scooping the award for Best Drama once again in 2015. [20]The land and seascape of Coll are still my resource but I have to stress that additional characters over the years are entirely fictional. I have to live on both islands, after all. Oh! Except one islander but only I know where he is and in which book. But then I have made the whole thing up from beginning to end, haven’t I ….?” Louise Scollay, Tales of eccentricity from author evoke laughter at book festival, Shetland Times, 11 September 2009. (Fourth story down).