Iaith a Gweddi Introduction
A letter from Tim Riley. Please read before starting the project.
Click to download (PDF)
Iaith a Gweddi
Join us on a musical journey as we explore the Lord's prayer and discover how languages connect us.
We have worked with advisory teachers and creative professionals to develop a project that combines prayer and music to develop an understanding of how language has developed in Wales and the world.
It allows children to discover similarities between languages and start to identify patterns that connect languages.
By exploring the words in the Lord's prayer children are able to think carefully about the words they are saying when they pray and further understand the meaning.
Languages and the Welsh Curriculum
The introduction of a new curriculum for Wales will allow schools to develop their own approaches based around the four core purposes.
Each Area of Learning contains "What Matters" statements . The first statement in the Languages, Literacy and Communication Area of Learning is "Languages Connect Us"
The guidance states:
Languages connect us with people, places and communities. This Area is designed to equip learners, as citizens of a bilingual Wales in a multilingual world, with the ability to use Welsh, English and other languages in a plurilingual context. By raising an awareness of the diversity of languages from a young age, the aim is to enable learners to recognise similarities between languages and to embrace the differences between them. Learning and experience in this Area can support learners to develop an understanding of the origins, evolution and features of a range of languages.
Religion, Values and Ethics
The Lord's prayer, taught by Jesus to his friends, is one of the most popular prayers used by Christians across the world. It is spoken in many different languages. The new Religious, Values and Ethics curriculum for Wales will encourage learners to develop their own spirituality and thoughts about prayer alongside learning about religious sources of authority.
Resources
Bible Society Lord's Prayer Resource
An additional resource from the Bible Society
Click to download (PDF)
The Music
Demo tracks and backing tracks
The Translators Project
A fun video all about the translation of the Bible into Welsh. Following the distribution of a Welsh New Testament and Prayer Book to every parish Church in Wales in 1567, translated by William Salesbury, Welsh became the 13th language into which the whole Bible had been translated in 1588, through a translation by William Morgan, the bishop of St Asaph Cathedral.
With thanks to St Asaph Cathedral Heritage for permission to use.
Teaching Videos
Lesson 1
Lesson 3
Lesson 5
British Sign Language Lord's Prayer
Lesson 2
Lesson 4
Lesson 6
Learning the Lord's Prayer using British Sign Language
About our Contributors
Carrie Fisher
Carrie is currently Acting Deputy Headteacher at Llansannor & Llanharry Church in Wales Primary School. She has worked with Central South Consortium to develop their languages programme for several years and is now the region’s Lead Primary Coordinator for International Languages. As part of this, she is responsible for developing the Professional Learning support for Primary teachers in keeping with Curriculum for Wales’ vision to include International Languages and the Languages Connect Us strand of the LLC AOLE. She also sits on the Welsh Government’s Global Futures steering group which is tasked the strategy for rolling out IL in Primary schools across Wales.
Tim Riley
Tim has been working as a composer and musical director since the late 1980s. Much of his work has been linked to education including a time as composer in residence with the education department at Welsh National Opera, musical director for the National Youth Theatre of Wales and numerous credits with Theatre in Education companies in South Wales. He has also written songs and incidental music for many Radio Four plays recorded in Cardiff.
In recent years he has worked on a number of projects for British Council Wales, National Orchestra Wales and Central South Consortium. All of this work has explored the links between music, language, culture and identity and has been delivered in a Primary School Context in Wales.
With thanks to the Bible Society for the permitted use of their Lord's Prayer resource.