Hounslow Talking Stories Project
The
Hounslow Talking Stories Project is the result of a collaboration
between the Teaching Support Service, which supports support children
with special educational needs, and the Hounslow Language Service,
which supports children with English as an additional language,
in Hounslow, West London. The aim was to devise a set of literacy
resources that are as inclusive as possible.
The result is a CD with three multi-lingual, multimedia stories
and a sequencing activity for each. All the stories are presented
in eleven versions. Nine versions have English with another home
language, one has English with British Sign Language using video
and one has symbol supported English using Rebus symbols from Widgit
Software. All the stories and activities are fully switch accessible.
Users who cannot operate a keyboard or mouse are able to use the
materials.
The stories are presented in English and an alternate language.
Each page has the text in both languages and the user can listen
to each language by clicking on a speaker icon. Each version also
has a sequencing activity related to the text.
The books can be printed for use away from the computer.
Additional stories or new language versions of the existing stories
can be added by users.
The stories were produced using the Clicker 4 program from Crick
Software. This was chosen because it provides an easy way to assemble
multimedia resources and it has integrated switch access.
The stories have been combined into a CD that can be purchased
from the Hounslow Language Service for £12. Users must have
Clicker 4 installed on their computer to use the CD. Dual language
printed copies of the stories are also available. Contact Karen
Kadem by email: karen.kedem@hounslowvtc.org.uk or telephone
020 8583 4166/4167.
The HLS website has information on using dual language texts. You
can also see an online version of one of the stories (without speech)
at the HLS website: www.ealinhounslow.org.uk
Click
here to read a write-up of the project on the BECTA website
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