Ditty Box
Ditty Box resources for Early Years, now downloadable here. These materials also appear on the 'Glow' network for schools.
Shetland Dialect Ditty Box
The Dialect Ditty Box (2007) contains Shetland dialect resources for Early Years children. Following on from research carried out in 2005 and 2006, this resource pack was originally produced to help meet the demand for dialect material for under-fives. It was funded by the Schools Service and ‘Shetland ForWirds’. The pack was created by ‘Shetland ForWirds’ members Christian Tait, Laureen Johnson and Iris Sandison working together with Frances Tait, SIC Creative Links Graduate, and Noelle Henderson, Creative Links Officer. A series of workshops was held with primary teachers and pre-school staff, whose input was most valuable to the project.
Most of the content in this pack is new, though some items were included in the 1996 Early Years resource pack. All items in the Box could be used purely for enjoyment, but all relate to common topics and are carefully matched to modern curriculum requirements, and backed up by supporting Activity Sheets and additional resources.
The material can be used to supplement or replace Standard English material as considered appropriate. The aim is to value the language children bring into nursery, playgroup and school, encourage children to feel at ease using the Shetland dialect if they wish, with confidence, and to encourage them to respect each other’s cultural and linguistic differences.
The Ditty Box was praised by HMIe as an example of good practice. Ditty Boxes are in all Shetland's nursery schools and larger playgroups, and in Shetland Library.
Contents
| File | Name | Author | Topic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creepie Craalies | Catherine Gibb & Julie Anderson | Minibeasts | Downloads |
| 2 | Fingers | Traditional | Hygiene, Me, My Body, Number | Downloads |
| 2 | Tree Craws | Traditional | Number | Downloads |
| 2 | Number line | Frances Tait | Number | Downloads |
| 3 | Hair | Christian Tait | My Family, Myself | Downloads |
| 4 | Jeemie Tammie Speeder | Catherine Gibb | Minibeasts, Weather | Downloads |
| 5 | Keetie Bairdy | Traditional | Animals, Crofting, Farming | Downloads |
| 6 | Lost | Laureen Johnson | Favourites, Me, My Family, Toys | Downloads |
| 7 | Mary O Burland | Jean Ramsay | Animals, Crofting, Farming | Downloads |
| 8 | Noo dan Moorit Yowe | Kathleen Williamson | Animals, Clothes, Crofting | Downloads |
| 9 | Peerie Cat | Rhoda Bulter | Animals, Pets | Downloads |
| 10 | Peter Patter | Traditional | Sea, Seashore | Downloads |
| 11 | Da Rabbit's Lullaby | Vagaland | Animals, Me, Me and my Feelings, Pets | Downloads |
| 12 | Robbie Redbreest | Vagaland | Birds, Seasons, Weather | Downloads |
| 13 | Row da Boats o Maelie | Traditional | Boats, Transport | Downloads |
| 14 | Sam’s Guttery Day | Iris Sandison | Clothes, Favourites, Myself, Weather | Downloads |
| 15 | Sam’s Pal | Iris Sandison | Animals, Pets | Downloads |
| 16 | Shadows 1 & 2 | Laureen Johnson | Dark/Light, Weather | Downloads |
| 17 | Shiggly Shair | Laureen Johnson | Houses and Homes, Me | Downloads |
| 18 | Squeak Squeak | Heyddir Johnson | Animals, Crofting, Farming, Houses and Homes | Downloads |
| 19 | Wir Dug | Kathleen Williamson | Animals, Crofting, Farming, Me and my Feelings | Downloads |
| 19 | Emotions | Frances Tait | Me, Me and my Feelings, My Feelings | Downloads |
| 20 | Wirsit Drawers | Catherine Gibb | Clothes, Me | Downloads |
| 21 | Wadder | Frances Tait | Weather | Downloads |
| 22 | body | Frances Tait | My Body | Downloads |
| 23 | Ditty Box vocabulary and grammar | Downloads |
