There will be a focus on literacy and literature at The Ark this autumn, with a programme of literature-based events for schools, families and teachers.
There will be a focus on literacy and literature at The Ark this autumn, with a return of the successful Telling Tall and Tiny Tales experience with seasonal revisions, and programme of events for schools, families and teachers. Curated by Pádraic Whyte, Assistant Professor of Children’s Literature in Trinity College Dublin, the autumn programme also includes performed readings of A Christmas Carol by actors Aaron Monaghan and Bryan Burroughs, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens.
Poor literacy skills can have a profound effect on educational life chances, employability and social cohesion, and our aim is that Telling Tall and Tiny Tales will play a part in helping to raise standards in literacy through an imaginative and engaging artistic approach.
The public programme will be based around a highly engaging, stimulating and interactive exhibition over all floors of The Ark’s building. Children will explore the world of children’s literature by examining the building blocks of literature – how pictures are put together to tell stories; how letters are put together to become words; how words can then become sentences that eventually build to become stories. The full-building experience will be enhanced by a Halloween-themed special event with Derek Landy, workshops in illustration with Laureate na nÓg Niamh Sharkey, creative writing workshops and by weekend family performances of A Christmas Carol in December.
School groups attending Telling Tall and Tiny Tales will enjoy a tour of the exhibition, before participating in a book making workshop where children will make their own miniature books filled with their ideas about reading and writing, and why it is important to them. The children will then be encouraged to bring their books home and place them in a number of areas in their home or community (schools, libraries, shops, hospitals, playgrounds, benches) – anywhere they think others might come across them, in the hope that someone will pick it up, read it, and think about the importance of reading. The aim is to encourage viewing books as more than just pages of words, but something that can be beautiful, creative and inspiring. School groups can also attend the performances of A Christmas Carol over three weeks in December.
A professional development strand for teachers will be included as part of The Ark’s The Creative Self programme. This will consider ways for creatively enhancing children’s commitment to literature and to provide opportunities for teachers to lead inspirational literacy activities within their classrooms.