Creativity is at the core of reading and writing, at the heart of speaking and listening. So our range of Creative Literacy programmes offers S1 - S5 students opportunities to explore and experiment with words in different contexts.

Experiential, exciting and empowering, our imaginative approaches harness tried and trusted approaches from the worlds of drama, visual art and creative writing. Approaches specifically developed to support young people in developing their reading and writing skills – and to boost motivation, build on existing knowledge and enhance progression.

Our workshops are a perfect way to celebrate Book Week Scotland, World Book Day, World Poetry Day and Shakespeare Week in your school! 

"I was totally in awe of your ability to engage the students; it has really given me food for thought with respect to how to introduce reading skills across our department (I think I have learned as much as the students!)." St Michael’s Catholic School, Aylesbury

"Thank you again from everyone here at Lathom's English Department for an absolutely fantastic day. My colleague's really enjoyed your insight and I will be sure to forward all the positive feedback we receive from pupils as a result of the sessions." (Streamed Literacy Workshop) Lathom High School

Soundscape Poetry 

Soundscape Poetry has always been one of the most popular workshops, as it engages students in creating their own poems –  with content that’s closely linked to texts they’re exploring in class!

Those students who said they don’t like poetry will be writing furiously at the end of this magical workshop. Realising the power of “sound”, they’ll design and perform contrasting soundscapes on a text or theme of your choice – then be guided through a structure that will help them create poems that tell both individual and collective stories.

Longer workshops will see them gaining experience in presentation skills as we support them in exploring the most effective ways to deliver their poems vocally.

Exploring (according to age): onomatopoeia, alliteration, descriptive writing, contrasts, rhythm, tone, pace.

Duration:  Soundscape Poetry is suitable for up to 30 students (S1 - S5) at a time and, depending on how many classes you’d like us to work with, lasts between 1 and 2 lessons.

"Soundscape Poetry was pitched really cleverly, great ideas were teased out of the kids without making them feel uncomfortable” Parklands School

Personification Poetry

What would the world look like from the point of view of a withered tree on the Somme in World War I? How would it sound to the tree in which Scout, Jem and Dill hide their treasures in “To Kill a Mockingbird”? What would be the memories of Mount Etna? And what might the clock on your classroom wall dream of as it gazes down on all the learning below? This highly imaginative and interactive workshop allows students to harvest the fruits of both their own and their classmates’ imaginations as they explore notions of empathy to construct some uniquely moving poetry. Longer workshops will see them gaining experience in presentation skills as we support them in exploring the most effective ways to deliver their poems vocally.

Exploring (according to age): empathy, personification, subtext, descriptive writing, contrasts, rhythm, tone, pace.

Duration: 1 - 2 lessons, depending on how many classes.

 

Shakespearean Clerihews – Looking for the "Truth" in Characters

While most of Shakespeare’s greatest characters seek to be true to themselves, many of them fail - and that's where the drama lies, of course. So although Macbeth wants to be his country’s brave and loyal servant, he ends up betraying it in a sea of blood. Juliet's dreams of romance end up in tragedy – and Bottom simply doesn't know what the truth is when Ophelia seems to fall in love with him! This experiential workshop uses drama techniques to introduce students to characters from a play of your choice, then introduces them to Clerihews – four line, descriptive, rhyming poems, packed with descriptive language.

Duration: 60minutes – half a day

Exploring (according to age): Shakespeare’s plays, characters and characterisation, poetic structure.

 

The Poet-Tree

Every tree starts as a seed – a seed that germinates and flourishes. And every poem starts with an idea – an idea that finds its form in words. In both cases, the journey to fruition is an organic one. And while neither topiarist nor poet can know what the final outcome will be until it’s there in all it’s glory, they both shape and prune their creations carefully.

This enchanting workshop supports children and young people in appreciating how a poem evolves from the pen of its writer – and offers them scaffolds allowing ideas and words to take root and grow. We’ll provide them with stimuli to start the process off, enable them to think structurally as they begin to piece their poems together – and emphasise the role that “choice” plays in poetry as they select the words, phrases, similes, metaphors and personifications that best suit their needs. 

Duration: 60minutes – half a day

Exploring (according to age): descriptive writing, connection-making, simile, metaphor, poetic structure.

 

“A fantastic experience for the students and the staff present. Your team added depth and fun to our Reading Week – and adds the perfect touch to the activities I plan and implement!” (English Teacher, Archbishop Beck High)

“Lots of great ideas that I can apply to my GCSE teaching of ‘The Tempest’ and loads of accessible/ fun ways into introducing Shakespeare to lower school classes” (English Teacher, Fazakerley High)

 

From Page to Stage

It’s not just with Shakespeare where you and your students can benefit from the input and experience of our team of professional theatre practitioners – as we’re able to take any text from Play to Stage.

Exploring: character, motivation, cause and effect, close textual reading, simple stagecraft.

Duration: 1 – 2 lessons, depending on the number of classes

 

Shakespeare

Our Shakespeare programmes prove popular and successful both nationally and internationally - and we've been lucky enough to work this year with The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the brains behind Shakespeare Week. Our programmes work with any of the plays in the canon - and can normally be accomplished in as little as a single lesson (although we always prefer longer, of course!)

 

Introducing Shakespeare

The ideal way for your students to begin to get to know both the man and his works, Introducing Shakespeare gives an actor's perspective on the writer and the writing. And, fittingly, it's all done through drama techniques, as students work as a whole group, in smaller groups and in pairs on a range of activities designed to take them through the landmarks of Shakespeare's life, explore the contexts in which he wrote, analyse the genres in which he specialised and bring to life some of his most famous (and infamous!) characters.

 

Spotlight on Shakespeare

Over four hundred years since his death, Shakespeare’s poetry is still being read, performed and listened to all over the world – which says something for its power and beauty! This experiential and highly active workshop sees pupils being introduced to a number of drama activities and approaches as we take them right through the play, exploring the backstory, meeting the main characters and bringing key moments to life. Our Shakespeare programmes are all planned and delivered by professional theatre practitioners, and so give pupils a uniquely “actor’s eye view” of the text. We certainly don’t shy away from the verse - and our approaches work with any of the plays!

 

Shakespeare and Poetry

Shakespeare’s greatest characters change as the plays they inhabit progress. So Macbeth moves from acting as his country’s brave and loyal servant to betraying it in a sea of blood. Juliet changes from a spoilt and truculent teenager to a tragic heroine – and Prospero undergoes a complete sea change from vengeful sorcerer to paragon of forgiveness. This experiential workshop uses drama techniques to introduce students to characters from a play of your choice, then introduces them to Clerihews – four line, descriptive, rhyming poems.

Exploring depending on age, focus and time): backstories, narrative structure, characterisation, cause and effect, simple stagecraft, the roles of verse and prose, iambic pentameter, the power of metaphor, theatre history, “hidden stage directions”, Shakespearean conventions.

Duration: 1 lesson – 1 day, depending on focus and number of classes.

 

Stage Your Own Shakespeare!

One of our professional theatre practitioners will bring our specially abridged "Forty Five Minute Macbeth" and spend a day directing your pupils as they rehearse it. By the end of the day they'll have explored all the characters, mastered the verse and learnt the moves - and we'll also provide you with a list of cheap and/or easy to make costume and prop suggestions. All you'll have to do then is continue rehearsing them (making sure they learn their lines!) until you have a performance fit for an audience!

Exploring: character and characterisation, narrative structure, Shakespearean verse and prose, performance skills, staging.

Suitable for: P7 - S5, up to four classes over the course of a single day.

 

CSI: Reading Skills

Students who tell us they don’t like “reading” are always amazed when they realise quite how much skilful reading they’ve accomplished by the end of this fun and busy workshop. From inference and deduction to skimming and scanning, from previewing to predicting and from context to content, CSI: Reading Skills makes no bones in drawing connections between the everyday skills required to interpret infographics and play computer games and those required to delve into more formal texts.

Specifically designed to support students in making those connections between different ways of “reading”, CSI: Reading Skills sees them working in small teams to help out in a time of national emergency – because a briefcase containing some Top Secret plans was discovered on the 8.42 to Little Padworth, destined for an Enemy Power. The only clues to the identity of the traitor are to be found in a pile of old train tickets, recipe, book reviews and faded photographs. If “read” correctly, however, they’ll allow the pupils to discover who took the plans and why.

Suitable for: S1 - S5 (up to 30 students at a time)

Exploring: generic and transferable “reading” skills; the roles of speculation, inference and deduction in reading. 

Duration: 1½ hours – half a day

 

New ... CSI: Reading Skills - The Sequel!

Developed by popular demand for schools who have already enjoyed and benefitted from CSI: Reading Skills, this engaging workshop sees students reacquainting themselves with the secret agents they've already investigated. This time, though, there's a plum job going - but only one of them can get it! Confronted with some of the candidates' work, students will need to recall their knowledge of famous books and authors, analyse spelling, read for context and use their powers of inference and deduction to decide which of them should be rewarded.

"Many of the students involved said it was one of their favourite parts of the week! I will be recommending as creatives to colleagues in other departments and schools without a doubt and I very much hope to be able to include you in our literacy week next year." Head of English, The Kingsway School

 

World Book Day, National Poetry Day and Shakespeare Week

World Book Day celebrates the joy and value of books and reading – and we’ve put together an exciting portfolio of programmes that does just that! No-one is ever too young, too old or too cool to enjoy a journey with books and stories, so our drama and visual arts workshops have been carefully developed to promote a lifelong love of reading. And, whether you’re looking for a character visit, an opportunity to learn more about well-loved characters through drawing and illustration or some magical ways of inspiring pupils to tell their own tales, you’ll find something to suit you here!

view the full list of World Book Day workshops

view the full list of Shakespeare workshops 

view the full list of Poetry workshops

“I was impressed by As Creatives’ approaches to storyboarding – this is definitely something I will consider for my lessons!” English Teacher, Haydock Sports College

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