Create a magical relationship between the generations through a shared story…

Roles within the scheme:

Silver Stories

Title of the project

Listener

Silver Listener

The elderly member of the community

Reader

Silver Reader

The child reading

The children reading at the school where this was created are Year 2, 6-7 year olds but the scheme could work for various ages.

Below is an explanation of how the process was implemented at our Primary school in Cornwall, so will hopefully provide useful guidelines to follow. If you have any questions or feedback please get in touch.

THE PROCESS EXPLAINED

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  • Phone calls take place each week on a day that is convenient to the Silver Listener and during the children’s lunch break. On average there are three phone calls each day.
  • Calls take place in the presence of a class teacher using the school’s mobile phone.
  • The children read short stories, a chapter from a longer book or a poem. What the children read is often relevant to the time of year e.g. at Christmas they will read Christmas stories and/or poems.
  • What is read is a joint decision between the teacher and the child.
  • It is important if using a phone to choose books which do not rely upon the pictures to make sense of the story.
  • All children volunteer to take part.
  • Parents are sent a letter at the beginning of the academic year explaining the scheme and are asked to contact school if they do not wish their child to take part.
  • There is a short conversation at the beginning and end of the phone call with both the child and the class teacher and the Silver Listener.
  • Listeners come mainly from the local community although currently two Silver Listeners live many miles away.
  • Other sources of knowledge about lonely elderly members of the community are local churches, GPs surgeries and the parent population, who may identify relatives or neighbours.
  • Leaflets can also be placed in the local community such as library.
  • Some Silver Listeners are still living in their own homes, others are living in Care Homes (but still very lonely).
  • The class teacher often records the positive comments made by the Silver Listener.
  • Children’s views are sought about their feelings on being part of the scheme.
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Please note that it is important that no personal information is shared by either party such as home address and bank details

“It is a delight to hear the positive comments from our Silver Listeners after they have been read to. Comments such as ‘ Thank you. You have really made my day.’”

“Not only does this project have a positive impact on our Silver Listeners but also there has been notable progress on the children’s confidence when reading aloud. Over time they have developed increasing fluency and the ability to capture the interest of the Listener by using expression in their voice.”

“I hope this project exists in years to come when I know I would gladly welcome a call and a story to make me smile!”

“That story has made me smile, thank you for sharing it with me. I always look forward to my phone call on a Tuesday”

“Silver Stories is most definitely one of the highlights of my week.”

“The children leave the room with a beaming smile, full of pride, as they head back to their classroom.”

“…enable the children to realise that they are making a difference to the lives of the elderly members of our community.”

“The children are always so eager to share a story or poem with the elderly members of our community.”

Get involved!

We'd love more schools to enrol in the Silver Stories scheme. To take part or learn more please get in touch...
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