The stories, tales, and legends of their local area — how Carmarthenshire pupils are preparing to host the Urdd National Eisteddfod

As Wales’ attention turns towards this month’s Urdd National Eisteddfod in Carmarthenshire (29 May – 03 June), the county’s primary school pupils have been busy learning about the history of their local area – thanks to a new resource package developed by Partneriaeth, which provides a school improvement service in South West Wales.

An educational package was created by Partneriaeth, called Stori’r Sir – Sir Gâr, in collaboration with local writers and teachers from the county, led by Dr Hanna Hopwood – to bring the history of the area to life for pupils aged 8 to 12, and instil a sense of pride in them as they prepare for the Urdd National Eisteddfod in Llandovery.

From the origin of the area’s most significant place names and local legends and histories to a map of the county marking many major cultural and historical events – the package is tailored for Welsh and English-medium schools to introduce and deepen the knowledge of as many pupils as possible.

In addition to the package itself, teachers will have access to a special website which houses a number of additional classroom materials including over 150 various Carmarthenshire-related activities designed by local teachers.

Lowri Davies, a Partneriaeth Consultant, said: “The main focus of the resource is to strengthen learners’ language skills, and there are a range of activities from various areas of learning and experience in the package to achieve that. The response so far has been astounding – with the concept, stories, activities, and form all receiving praise.

“So many have already gone about using the resource in their classrooms — to instill in learners that sense of belonging to the land beneath their feet. We intend to further develop the resource to include recordings of young people reading the pieces to assist others with pronunciation.

“We’ve also started work on creating similar resources for Pembrokeshire and the City and County of Swansea, so keep an eye out for more developments.”

Bethan Parry, a teacher from Ysgol Llechyfedach who worked on the project, added: “The texts are truly brilliant and written in an understandable way that is full of new idioms and vocabulary for pupils – to broaden their understanding of Welsh, their writing and communication skills, and above all, embed that sense of belonging to an area.” 

For more information, and to download the Welsh-medium resources, visit: sites.google.com/hwbcymru.net/storirsirycc. For the English medium resources, visit:

sites.google.com/hwbcymru.net/storirsirycs

Clwb Ysgol, which is operated by Partneriaeth, is delighted to share additional content inspired by Stori’r Sir – Sir Gâr – as well as additional, useful resources for teachers in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and the City and County of Swansea. Follow Clwb Ysgol on Facebook and Twitter for more.