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������̳ Teach > School Radio > Assemblies and Collective Worship
KS1 audio: Something to Think About / KS2 audio: Together

Themes:

Celebrating Burns Night.

Before the programme

• Look together at the picture. Do any children know what the instrument being held is… and how it is played?! If not, take some guesses based on what children can see and what they know about other instruments.
• Look at how the piper in the photo is dressed. Is there anything the children find unusual about what he is wearing?
• Look at a map of the British Isles and find out where Scotland is. Can you see a place called Stirling? Would it be a long journey for you to get to Scotland?
• Share together what you know about Scotland, either by using evidence from the photo, or from children who’ve been there – or from any other photos you can find.

Programme content:

1. Welcome and introduction Ben tells us about the Scottish celebration of Burns Night, as we listen to bagpipe music.

2. Song ‘All together as a family’ (All about our school, no. 15). Encourage the children to join in with as much as they can.

3. Feature: Amy, who grew up in Stirling, takes us to a Burns Night party and tells us about how she and her family celebrate.

4. Story How the wolf lost his tail. An adaptation of a traditional Scottish tale by Kate Stonham. Robert Burns is trying to write a poem based on the traditional tale of how the wolf lost its tail… Fox and Wolf are always trying to get one up on each other and one day, Fox decides that Wolf has boasted long enough and needs to be taught a lesson, resulting in the loss of his tail.

5. Reflection on being together with our family to celebrate special times. Ensure everyone is listening carefully.

6. Opportunity for prayer Thanking God for family times and special celebrations. The children can listen or join in with ‘Amen’ at the end if they wish to make the prayer their own.

After the programme:

Talk about the story

• Do you think it’s hard or easy to write a poem?
• Why did Fox decide to trick Wolf?
• Was there really any cheese (crowdie) in the bowl?
• What other things did Fox do to trick the Wolf?
• Who do you think was cleverer – Fox or Wolf? Why?
• Do you think that this story is a true story? Why?
• Do you think that Burns ever managed to finish his poem?

Follow-up activities:

• Look at photos of people celebrating Burns Night. What would you most enjoy about the celebration? What do you think you wouldn’t like?!
• Write the ‘poem’ that Robert Burns never wrote (or at least your own version of the story!) about the wolf and the fox.
• Have a look at some of Robert Burns’ poetry, starting with Auld Lang Syne, or ‘Address to the Haggis’ as they’re mentioned in the programme, but also at a simpler one, such as ‘A Red, Red Rose’. Why are they so hard to understand?
• Read the ‘Katie Morag’ stories (written and illustrated by Mairi Hedderwick) during story times throughout the week and talk together about how life is different for her compared to life in the place where you live.