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

Product Information

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! 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 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. The series won Best Children's Programme or Series at the 2014 Freesat Free TV Awards. [22] The judges said, "Beautifully and authentically shot, it was a key move by its host channel into scripted drama, delivering self contained stories that felt sweet and, more importantly, real to their young audience." [23] Some of the existing stories would prove impossible for us to adapt; some of the scenarios were totally impractical, which is why it was really excellent to have the director and producers there, for their practical reigning-in of the blue-sky thinking!

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. Generations of readers had cherished each syllable and every tiny detail of her illustrations for over thirty years. We had to make the programmes authentic to the books - funny, touching, beautiful and wise, and make them resonate, for Mairi, for the BBC and for Katie Morag fans everywhere. To go along with these, our fantastic Isle of Struay Map can help learners visualise the story as they read it. Why not compare the shape of the island to the Isle of Coll? It famously looks a bit like a fish! What are some fun facts about the Isle of Coll for kids? The biggest challenge was retaining Katie Morag’s perspective on the world. I think they have definitely done it. It’s still her island and they have captured it.

Curriculum

For many years there was talk of adapting the tales for television – the character was first optioned by Scots filmmaker Don Coutts in 1997 – and, by 2005, there was the first talk of filming such a series on Lewis. This presentation offers important information about the Isle of Coll for kids. Topics covered include: You might also be interested in our differentiated reading comprehension exercise on the Scottish islands, which comes in an interactive PDF format. Docherty, Gavin (21 February 2013). "Children's TV bosses search for the real-life Katie Morag". Scottish Sunday Express . Retrieved 13 July 2014. A number of books in the series have been translated into Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Japanese, and Scottish Gaelic. [13] Books in the series [ edit ]

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. If you’re looking for a great way to begin your class learning on the Scottish islands, look no further than this PowerPoint! In this resource, you’ll find informative, well designed slides all about the islands and their transport, housing, schools, places to visit, and much more. I have seen this book used with a key stage 2 class over a variety of subjects. The class were weeks away from a summer fair, and taking the character Mrs Bayview and her garden as a starting point they planned a flower sale. 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? Winners of the first RTS Scotland awards". Royal Television Society. 12 June 2014 . Retrieved 13 July 2014.Announcing the 2015 Kidscreen Awards winners!". Kidscreen. 25 February 2015 . Retrieved 26 February 2015.

In The Times, Helen Rumbelow suggested viewers, "Draw the curtains, pour a whisky and enjoy one of the most realistic child performances of the decade, the butchest grandma on screen, and the best Hebridean landscape in the world. It's as close as you can get to not watching TV without having to give up TV." [17] Awards [ edit ]The book also contains positive themes relating to diversity and getting along with people from different walks of life...and of course a happy ending! You’ll find this PowerPoint as a great introduction to learning about the Scottish Islands! And now that you know the basics, why not explore even more resources?

Mark Brown, Christmas show review: Peter Pan and Katie Morag, The Daily Telegraph, 11 December 2007 All we ask is that you respect the people and the way of life there, protect the wildlife, and that you don't leave anything behind you that could pollute the enviroment.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.