SEMERC's tale of Strumbie Island aids emotional literacyAt BETT 2007 (stand C50), inclusive publisher, SEMERC, will showcase a CD-ROM and workbook that encourage the development of emotional literacy at Key Stages 1 & 2. Highly engaging and interactive, Strumbie Island supports the recent primary PSHE programme of resources, SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), which has been sent to every primary school in England. The Strumbie Island programme can also be used in special schools and in alternative settings, such as children’s homes and within the NSPCC. Strumbie Island invites children to join Billy on a journey to Strumbie Island in order to meet the Strumbies, a collection of larger-than-life characters. Along the way, they have to face new challenges and deal with different emotions. Children are encouraged to make decisions for Billy or help him tell stories, sing or make things, so that they can learn while he learns. The ten-week programme covers themes such as ‘getting on and falling out’, ‘saying no to bullying’, ‘going for goals’, ‘good to be me’ and ‘relationships’. Laura Cryer, senior publisher for SEMERC, explains: “Educators recognise that a child’s level of emotional intelligence has a direct impact on their education. The most significant outcome of poor emotional intelligence is disruptive, difficult behaviour, sometimes resulting in exclusion. Strumbie Island is designed to help children to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express their own and other people’s emotions. Its direct link with the SEAL resources means that it is also very relevant to the new primary curriculum, offering schools access to an effective means to improve emotional intelligence amongst all of their pupils.” Ronnie Rowbotham, Children and Young People’s Participation Officer at Barnardos and author of Strumbie Island, says: “Through Strumbie Island, children can travel to a different world where they can explore and have fun with emotions which at any other time may be frightening or difficult to deal with. The programme’s flexibility means it works as easily with whole class groups as it does in a one-to-one situation. Teaching plans are included with every chapter to help the programme dovetail into any school’s SEAL or PSHE programme. Children are encouraged to add their own sound effects and act out the emotions that the characters are experiencing, enabling them to develop the confidence to carry newly learnt skills into their own lives.” Strumbie Island is colour-coded to match the SEAL materials. The SEAL resources provide a framework for promoting social, emotional and behavioural skills, with built-in progression for each school year group. Strumbie Island is dual format and fully switch accessible. It also includes extension activities, lesson plans, record-keeping facilities, curriculum links and further teaching resources. Costs start from £59. Customers can view the program for the first time at BETT 2007 and can purchase online at www.OneStopEducation.co.uk from March 2007.
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About SEMERCSEMERC is a leader in ICT special needs publishing. SEMERC won the ERA’s Supplier of the Year award in both 2002 and 2003, and supplies ICT resources to more than 3,000 special schools in the UK.
For more information, please contact Danielle Morgan PR and Events Manager, Granada Learning Tel: 020 8996 3632 Email: danielle.morgan@granadamedia.com
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