Providers of Education may wish to consult this guide to examine means by which the FLITLIT concept may be adapted to the specific context of their programmes.
The concept was made possible through the support of the Creative Industries Sector of the Welsh Government.
Individual course instructors in and out of the classroom environment are invited to identify sections of this guide that relate most closely to the courses that they teach.
The resources provide learners with experiences designed to:
- Enhance their knowledge, skills and attitudes
- Increase their language proficiency for study, leisure and personal enrichment
- Contribute to life-long learning so as to enhance their personal and intellectual development
The evolving concept is designed to provide positive links between schools, homes and libraries by means of multi-platform, cross-curricular resources and social interaction.
The Flitlit Reading Scheme
The programme grew from a series of bilingual: English/ Welsh stories written in a humorous, lyrical format for children ages 8- 11 years, but with a wider interest age. The content bridges the divide between picture books and early chapter novels.
A MAP of the ethereal setting has been integral to the project since its inception and the material has been successfully piloted at schools in the U.K. and beyond.
Each main adventure is accompanied by introductory stories about the characters and setting, an interactive map and a series of guides for educators.
Short introductions to the characters and setting feature HERE via the submenus.
The multi-platform elements of the Flitlit Reading Scheme assist multi-platform, cross-curricular learning. For comprehensive details, please click on CONCEPT and BOOKS as featured on the menu bar
The Flitlit concept featured at Gamescom, Cologne/ 2016, having won a prestigious international competition set by the Frankfurt Book Fair. The concept was chosen among five international winners, with the Flitlit concept being chosen as the single UK entrant. Interest generated at Gamescom confirmed the concept as being suited to digital gaming, with extensive potential for education and entertainment purposes.
Philosophy and Approach
The concept is committed to the advancement of literacy and numeracy skills and to assisting pupils to become more creative and capable of developing innovative solutions to problems. It enables pupils to enhance analytical and critical capacities as well as the ability to synthesise ideas and adapt to new situations.
It equips pupils with a range of skills and attributes to help them succeed in a wide range of tasks and responsibilities and to contribute to the society in which they live.
The characters are stylistically diverse and appear timeless in order to stimulate debate and to champion differences.
The concept enhances existing curricula by making available multi-platform and cross-curricular resources.
The material can be adapted as needed in courses that are specific, or infused into other courses within the context of the curriculum.
The concept provides opportunities to link to the components of generic skills that are fundamental in enabling pupils to learn about:
- Collaboration
- Engagement/ Learning through enjoyment, immersion and humour
- Communication, conversation, discussion and debate
- Cognition
- Critical thinking
- Evaluating feelings, interests and ideas
- Curiosity
- Problem-solving
- Self-esteem, confidence, self-management and making choices
- Relationships
- Responsibility and respect
- Personal and social values
- Attitude
- Beliefs
- Citizenship
- Leadership
- Study skills and creativity
- Presentation
- Numeracy
- Information Technology
- Music and musicality
- Art and design
- Dramatic interpretation and presentation
- Exercise and physical well-being
Values and Attitudes
Values we develop underpin our conduct and decisions and can be positive and negative in their effect.
Attitudes, being personal dispositions, may affect behaviour positively or negatively.
The Flitlit concept helps to develop positive values and attitudes pertaining to:
- Honesty
- Self-esteem
- Perseverance
- Equality
- Interdependence
- Tolerance
- Open-mindedness
- Cooperativeness
These, along with positive attitudes to language learning, are integral to the concept, map and stories.
The Map and Setting
FUSSBUT, SELDOM SEE is a wondrous land lost in time, so named since children may fuss but access it only by means of their imagination.
The map and setting set up a small world area that enables children to interact with it independently or in groups. It is a land that invites them to visit, discover and explore.
Four stars: SOL-FA, SHIFT, AGLOW and GLEE govern the ethos of the concept. They influence the musicality of the characters and language, action, vibrancy and fun.
Each plot and its associated landmark/s link to an appropriate element of curricula through humorous, entertaining and engaging means. These enhance imagination and stimulate children to create adventures of their own.
Cognitive, Physical and Social Skills
The concept provides cognitive skills support pertaining to:
- Attention
- Memory
- Logic and reasoning
- Auditory, visual and processing speeds
Interpersonal strand support pertains, for example, to:
- Relationships
- Conversation
- Discussion
- Debate
- Evaluating feelings, interests and ideas
Dreaming up new plots and characters engenders creativity, artwork, logical thinking and play-acting.
Hot seating and role-play corners can be based on places featured on the map with masks, props and puppets enabling children to retell and act out the stories. They may imagine different scenarios to change endings. Based on the children’s understanding and knowledge of the characters, they may place the characters in different situations and relate how they feel the characters would react.
IMAGES of the characters, surrounded by adjectives that best describe them, are extremely effective.
The illustrations lend themselves to the development of descriptive writing and free role-play, particularly with the use of role-play cards in role-play corners. A simple key prop for each character, such as a hat or cloak, would be all that children need to project what they know of a character into a role-play situation.
Adult roles in terms of response and facilitation of good quality questioning are crucial.
Knowledge strand support includes, for example, information-gathering through activities, such as:
- Ordering
- Describing
- Defining
- Classifying
- Comparing
- Explaining
- Justifying
- Predicting
- Inferring
- Evaluating
- Drawing conclusions
Language
The concept recognises the importance of fostering connections between language and other subjects through cross-curricular collaboration.
It enables pupils to make connections among ideas and concepts so that their motivation will be raised and their learning strengthened.
The stimulating language aims to help learners to achieve a balance between the breadth and depth of language learning.
It aims to facilitate articulation and to give equal emphasis to language learning and language use.
Listening, Speaking and Reading
This supports learner-centred pedagogy relating to:
- Thinking and communication
- Application, development and acquirement of knowledge
- Responding and applying expression to experiences within these contexts
- Development, application and understanding of how language is organised, used and learned
- Participating in presentations
- Identifying, interpreting and discussing themes
- Participating in dramatic presentations and reflecting on the way in which the author uses language to create effect
- Giving expression to imaginative ideas through oral, written and performative means
- Use and understanding of gestures
- Creating poems and lyrics
- Creating short dramatic episodes
Pre Reading
Involving:
- Examination of text structures, activating prior knowledge, building schema and making predictions
- Discussion of the prologue to the stories
- Discussion about the author and what is her purpose in writing the text
During Reading
Involving:
- The use of the map to enable tracking of purpose, movements and destinations
- Discussion about the role of the setting in the initial events of the stories
- Discussion about ‘What the author means by…’
- Summarising the key elements, events, characters and stories
Editing
During the editing process, students may work with a teacher and/or together to fix mechanics and add good vocabulary. A piece of writing that is not going to be published and shared may be added into a portfolio that is not free from errors. If a piece is going to be shared, pupils may keep making adjustments until it is mistake-free. During this process, students learn the value of communicating their ideas.
Writing, Vocabulary and Grammar
Further grammatical analysis such as sentences structure may be incorporated into structured language and grammar exercises.
The vocabulary encourages engagement, development, innovation and expression within the understanding of text types.
Basic grammatical structures are complemented by examples of:
- Cadence and assonance
- Expressive adjectives, adverbs and verbs
- Alliteration and Onomatopoeia
- Metaphors and Similes
- Unusual word combinations
- Rhythm and Rhyme
- Half or Near Rhymes
- Repeated patterns and words, especially in association with character, Jake MacJake’s duality in terms of speech and choices.
Extension Activities
The concept offers many opportunities for the development of extension programmes based on the special needs and interests of your target audience and the purpose of the education. This applies across the curriculum and to more able and talented pupils, for example in relation to:
- Script writing
- Character design
- Story telling
- Story development
Music
Star Sol-Fa governs the musicality of the language, characters, nature, Pine Plot and the winged ship named Super Sonic, in particular.
The FUSSBUT FLINGⒸ composition aims to encourage children to sing, act, dance and keep fit. It offers them opportunities to become creative and expressive and to unwind following long periods of concentration.
Numeracy
Numeracy will be supported by a pending series of Flitlit puzzle card games. These will stimulate and challenge young minds to develop and enhance their numeric skills. For further details, please click on NUMERACY.
Additional Resources
Please see details by clicking on CONCEPT on the menu bar.
About the Author
Eiry Rees Thomas grew up among a creative family comprising a poet, illustrators and a calligrapher/sculptor.
The coal-mining community where she spent her formative years was mostly Welsh-speaking, with English being introduced to the school curriculum at the age seven level. The musicality of the Welsh language is apparent in the author’s unique lyrical voice, described in Welsh as ‘telynegol’ or harp-like, true to her Celtic roots.
Her love of writing bilingually since a young age was given expression following a serious accident in 1998. This ended her career as a public health practitioner, peripatetic teacher and medical translator.
Her experiences in the field of child development and the privilege of having worked with children and families with additional needs contribute to her work as an author and creative concept creator.
Acknowledgements
- To my readers: Thank you so much for your support. I hope to keep you informed for many years to come
- Creative Industries Sector: Welsh Government/U.K.
- Welsh Joint Education Committee/ National Grid for Learning
- HWB: Bilingual Digital Learning for Wales
- Staff and students at the pilot schools, UK, with special thanks to literacy coordinator Melody Jones for her invaluable input
- An accomplished, positive assessment of the Flitlit concept by deputy headteacher and literacy coordinator: JESS School, Dubai
- Digital Initiative Life1881, with special thanks to Simon Pridham: Executive Head/ LIFE Programme/Wales/U.K.
- Swansea University’s School of Management/U.K.: Invitation to collaborate with students over an academic year on a research paper related to the picture books markets/ Hong Kong and China
- James Field: Award-winning Illustrator
- Matthew Harding: Cartoon style illustrations for a bilingual, digitised curricular project that features on HWB/Digital Learning for Wales
- Welsh Language translations: Contributions by Iwan Rhys
- Tiffany Rachann: Lead Developer: Imagiread/U.S.
- Jayne Claire: Co-Founder: ’Teachers With Apps’/U.S.
- The Educational App Store: U.K.
- Jo Booth: OTR/L/U.S.
- Yevel Belyavskyi: Bel Math Apps/U.S.
- Tatyana Belyavskaya: Bel Math Apps/U.S.
- Chas Shaw: Web Design
- Hywel Jones: Video production:
- Dr Darren Adams, Composer: The Fussbut FlingⒸ
Ⓒ Eiry Rees Thomas 2023/ All Rights Reserved