Read, Laugh and Learn with the Flitlits

Introducing a New and Bespoke Reading Scheme presented by bilingual author
and curriculum content creator, Eiry Rees Thomas
The Flitlit Reading Programme follows many years of research, development and pilot work in and out of school in the UK and beyond.
The concept’s creation was made possible thanks to the support of the Welsh Government.
The pending multi-platform elements follow close collaboration with experienced teachers, literacy coordinators, parents, carers, librarians and the target audience: young learners: Reading Age 8+︱Interest Age 7-11
Introducing The Flitlits
The surreal Flitlit Characters flit about and float freely, depicting a sense of freedom and movement. This offers them a bird’s eye view of their Home Plots, Co-Characters and the Landmarks depicted on the map. These attributes complement the humour and flow of the language.
Interaction is key to the core of the concept involving characters that children can identify with within their own lives. The Flitlits interact by telling jokes, squabbling, scheming and plotting, involving friendships and rivalries.
The central character for the adventure books, Jester Bit, is a scamp with a heart. His mischief brings about challenges and camaraderie that allow children to learn about compassion, empathy, teamwork and a sense of fair play.
The Setting: A Land Lost in Time
Description:
The Flitlit Reading Scheme promotes positive links between schools, homes and libraries by means of multi-platform and cross-curricular resources and social interaction. It offers a systematic, fun and creative approach to language learning within a literacy-rich curriculum. It encourages the learning of the language of text, storytelling and the identification and synthesising of speech, sounds and patterns.
The scheme enables pupils to become more creative and capable of developing innovative solutions to problems. It enhances their analytical and critical capacities as well as the ability to synthesise ideas and adapt to new situations. Enhanced skills and attributes help them to succeed in a wide range of tasks and responsibilities and to contribute to the society in which they live
Evaluating Why the Flitlit Reading Programme is Needed
The evidence-based research employed considered:
- The need to improve literacy standards
- How to celebrate reading and attract all genders to read more
- Strategies to increase language proficiency for study, leisure and personal enrichment
- Enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes
- The evolving needs of the multicultural classroom
- Interventions that contribute to lifelong learning
- Determining lack of provision in key areas
Extensive pilot work at schools in the UK and beyond led to the creation of multi-platform and cross-curricular resources to fulfil needs where hiatuses in provision were detected.
This was especially the case for:
1.Multicultural education in an ever-changing society
Growing cultural diversity offers enrichment in the classroom and enhances skills, knowledge and attitudes, but which also presents challenges.
In order to fully embrace the advantages of cultural diversity, appropriate products, services and linguistic delivery are needed to complement and fulfil established needs.
2. The challenges presented by a range of abilities within mainstream classrooms.
This calls for differentiated and tiered instruction through the employment of proven strategies and products that support this need.
Feedback from teachers and parents reinforce the benefits of compatible stories written on different levels to benefit both supported and confident reading and for the bespoke books to feature matching illustrations. This is an area where there is a dearth of reading books available for the purpose.
3. The advantages of creating a comprehensive glossary for every page of the supported reading versions in order to add value for both schools and homes. The glossaries will feature as dedicated text books.
Parents and families who may be learning English as an additional language find this feature of considerable benefit, especially with school and online support.
4. Research undertaken highlighted that there is too immediate a leap from picture books to early chapter novels for certain groups while taking account of the fact that up to 60% of pupils within a classroom may be visual learners.
Highly visual books for this intermediate group call for superior illustrations that are age-appropriate and which maximise visual perception. Such reading materials lead to a juxtaposition where text and illustrations are interwoven.
This provides pupils and teachers with many opportunities to discuss various interpretations of stories.
Sample Illustration
Doctor It and DeBug Knitty-Nitty at the Puzzling Pit, Dot Plot
See video interpretation =here =
The Flitlit Reading Scheme Addresses Established Needs
Such needs are established through the provision of multi-platform, cross-curricular materials that satisfy the outlined needs as determined through research, development and pilot exercises, as follows:
- Through the introduction of an ethereal setting together with surreal characters that are presented stylistically different in order to stimulate debate and champion diversity.
- The setting and characters being central to a tiered series of books for pupils of ages 8-ll for both supported and confident reading.
- The employment of lyrical text that is humorous, engaging and enjoyed equally by all genders.
- The integration of grammatical structures within the texts for pre, during and post reading purposes.
- The addition of a comprehensive glossary for every page of the supported reading series within dedicated text books.
- The choice of a dyslexia-friendly font throughout.
- By introducing age-appropriate page by page illustrations by award-winning illustrator, James Field, that juxtapose with the text.
- Creating opportunities for extension exercises.
- Providing a Guide Book for educators in and out of the school setting, including home tutors, parents and librarians.
- Through making available audio books to enhance the scope of the programme and to aid inclusivity.
- The diverse nature of the characters include two that have disabilities, thus enabling children to identify with the characters within their own lives.
- Tools and strategies that work well in the classroom include role play, floor maps, dressing up items, props and scripts for stage productions. These are demonstrated in photographs and videos filmed at a pilot school where an element of the Flitlit concept was introduced to the curriculum every day for a school term, followed by a celebratory Flitlit tea party.
- Empowering children to create adventures of their own.
- Providing opportunities to enhance interaction and socio-emotional development.
- Online support via a dedicated website, to also provide a link between schools and homes and to encourage family interaction.
- Printed classroom materials and colouring books to aid creativity.
- Literacy meets numeracy puzzle games, employing a dyslexic font.
- A Flitlit-related book on climate change from the other-worldly setting with the Flitlit characters demonstrating through example how they look after their environment and home land, sea and sky.
- Following up on an international competition win set by the Frankfurt Book Fair to represent the UK and to present the Flitlit concept at Gamescom, Cologne.
- Responses at the Gamescom event and thereafter have determined that the required elements are in place for web and video game productions and further edutainment provision.
The Flitlit Package
The evolving package includes:
A detailed map that demonstrates the setting as being laid in plots, named Fussbut.
Each plot houses a character or characters, along with appropriate landmarks.
These offer direct links to specific elements across the curriculum.
- Introductory Short Stories that feature the setting, characters. landmarks, with cross-curricular links
- A series of Flitlit Adventure Stories
- An Guide Book for Educators
- Audio Books
- A Flitlit book related to Climate Change
- Printed Materials
- Classroom Resources
- Literacy meets numeracy puzzle card games
- Outline plan for a Board Game
- Age-appropriate Colouring-in Books
- Online/ website support
Print and digital versions of the books offer options for:
- Supported Reading: featuring a glossary for every page within dedicated text books
- Confident Reading
Both versions feature matching age-appropriate illustrations by award-winning illustrator, James Field, with contributions by Eiry Rees Thomas and Matthew Harding
Additional Information
The wondrous land of Seldom See is set out in plots named Fussbut. The plots are so named since young readers may fuss but access it only through the power of their imagination.
Four stars, named Sol-Fa; Shift; Aglow and Glee govern the land and the ethos of the concept.
The stars influence the musicality of the language and characters; action; vibrancy and fun.
Children will become acquainted with features such as rhyming; repetition; personification; alliteration and phonemic awareness as they become accustomed to the rhythm of patterns, comprehension and sentences structures. They can read; repeat; retell; act out; express their feelings orally and write in response to the stories in order to practise using the language patterns that they hear.
- Specific Educational Guidelines and targeted lesson plans assist reading specialist teachers to deliver the Flitlit Reading Scheme confidently.
- Stages of reading strategies allow educators and readers to delve into the text before, during and following reading experiences, while acknowledging the understanding that pupils bring to a text.
- During each phase, teachers may target areas such as grammar and vocabulary to enhance meaningful and creative reading and writing experiences.
Conclusion
Educate, Engage, Excite
The Flitlit Reading Scheme extends learning through:
- exploration
- connection
- communication
- collaboration
- stimulating creativity
- evaluation
Initial Feedback /School Pilot Work
“We are deeply embroiled in ‘Flitlit Fever’ in the classroom – in fact, it has taken over our lives somewhat! We have read the stories, analysed the language, looked for poetic devices, written reviews, composed Flitlit anthems, designed book covers, written raps, de-constructed characters, examined story lines… and even tried creating new characters and plots! It has been a thoroughly enjoyable time that has truly harnessed the enthusiasm of the children. Our plans for a ‘Flitlit Friday’ are works in progress but will include: a short drama, an I.T. presentation, DVD… and a few more surprises!”
Please see the section for Reviews for further details.
ⒸEiry Rees Thomas 2023/ All Rights Reserved