Free open educational resources from the University of Edinburgh to download and adapt for primary and secondary teaching.
Winner of the 2021 OEGlobal Awards for Excellence Open Curation Award for this collection of high quality student made OER on the TES platform.
Free open educational resources from the University of Edinburgh to download and adapt for primary and secondary teaching.
Winner of the 2021 OEGlobal Awards for Excellence Open Curation Award for this collection of high quality student made OER on the TES platform.
This resource is a set of worksheets about games and puzzles based on simple concepts in graph theory. The resource covers: the seven bridges of Konigsberg, the Shannon Switching game and graph vertex colouring. The resource is aimed at a general public level as formal mathematical knowledge is not required beyond counting, but younger audiences would need more guidance.
This resource aims to provide a very basic introduction to graph theory. The activities are designed to get participants to become familiar with how problems can be simplified into graph theory problems and how that may be used to find solutions.
In this resource:
Graph Colouring: solving scheduling and allocating problems using graphs
Instructor guide
4 Party Problems
3 Radio Problems
Rivers and Bridges: based on the Bridges of Konigsberg problem
Instructor guide
Matching activity
Worksheets for 4 real cities (including Konigsberg)
Shannon Switching game: a simple game which is played on a graph
Instructor guide
PowerPoint explaining the game (with presentation guide)
4 Virus games
Simple examples
Design your own graph to win the game
This resource was originally developed for the Edinburgh International Science Festival with the School of Mathematics.
Authors: Francesca Iezzi, Ana McKellar, Lukas Cerny, Benedetta Mussati and Patrick Kinnear (with
additional input from other members of the Maths Outreach Team), adapted for wider audiences by Ana
McKellar.
Unless otherwise stated, all content (including original images) is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Cover image is Four Color Problem by Jeff Kubina (Flickr) is licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0.
This resource is a booklet with a collection of strategies for improving mental health and wellbeing, a list
of youth support agencies and a section with templates to aid the completion of some strategies.
The target audience for this resource is anyone aged 12+
Aimed at Level 3 and above.
The booklet aims to satisfy the HWB 3-02a, HWB 3-03a and HWB 2-06a benchmarks in the Health and wellbeing curriculum and includes a combination of strategies in different areas:
Sleeping
Stress and anxiety
Self-esteem and body positivity
Socialising
Healthy lifestyle
Online safety
Author: Maria Teixeira-Dias at the University of Edinburgh.
Unless otherwise stated all content is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Kind Clothing is a project written for Girlguides, designed by Hannah Fieldsend. It aims to fit into the exciting and varied programme suited to inspire and challenge Girlguides ages 10-14. Any groups looking to achieve their ‘Global Awareness’ guiding essential can use Kind Clothing as part of their programme, and it covers topics such as Sustainability, Environmental Issues and Practical Skills.
It consists of three interactive sessions that introduce the idea of Fast Fashion and link it to the concepts of the environment and sustainability. Throughout the sessions there is an overarching project where the girlguides recycle a piece of clothing into a DIY drawstring bag.
Learning outcomes:
Girlguiding Programme
Session 1
Express myself: innovate, communicate
Session 2
Express myself: innovate, communicate
Skills for my future: live smart
Session 3
Know myself: reflect, network
Skills for my future: live smart
Take action: make change, influence
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Learning Objectives:
Session 1
Literacy: LIT 2-07a, I can show my understanding of what I listen to or watch by responding to literal, inferential, evaluative and other types of questions, and by asking different kinds of questions of my own.
Environment: SOC 3-08a, I can identify the possible consequences of an environmental issue and make informed suggestions about ways to manage the impact.
Session 2
Planetary Processes: SCN 3-05b, I can explain some of the processes, which contribute to climate change and discuss the possible impact of atmospheric change on the survival of living things.
Environment: SOC 2-08a, I can discuss the environmental impact of human activity and suggest ways in which we can live in a more environmentally responsible way.
Session 3
People in Society: SOC 2-20a, Through exploring ethnical trading, I can understand how people’s basic needs are the same round the world, discussing why some societies are more able to meet these needs than others.
People in Society: SOC 3-19a, I can describe how the interdependence of countries affects levels of development, considering the effects on people’s lives.
This resource was created as part of the GeoScience Outreach Course which is a 4th year undergraduate course in the School of GeoSciences aiming to provide students with the opportunity to develop their own science communication and engagement project.
This resource was originally developed for girlguides, and was successfully run with a girlguide group.
Author: Hannah Fieldsend, adapted by Andrew Ferguson.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC BY SA 4.0 license.
Four lessons giving an introduction to volcanoes and various aspects of geology: Volcano Experiments,
“The Debate to Save Heimaey”, Volcanic Eruption Research, and a Field Trip.
Educational Level 2 and 3
(SCN 2-17a, SCN 2-19a, SOC 2-07b, SOC 3-07a, TCH 2-02a, LIT 2-02a, EXA 2-14a)
This resource makes use of a variety of educational approaches to introduce learners to volcanoes and various aspects of geology. There are four lessons in this resource that lead on from one another.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Volcanos
Lesson 2: Eruption of Eldfell - The Debate to Save Heimaey
Lesson 3: Volcanic Eruption Research
Lesson 4: Arthur’s Seat Field Trip
Created as part of the School of Geosciences’ Outreach Programme, which allows students in their final year to work in partnership with a local school to develop a set of lesson plans.
Author: Isla Simmons
Unless otherwise stated all content is released under a CC-BY 4.0 license.
Cover image is: Fissure eruption in Holurhraun (Iceland), 13. September 2014 by Joschenbacher (Wikimedia), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A set of three posters aimed at Primary School learners that lay out different techniques for finding averages, using the example of Pokemon Hit Points. The posters cover mean, mode and median methods, include graphs to visually show averages and information about the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Also included are versions of the posters that are editable in PowerPoint. For these to display correctly users will need to download the free font ‘Pokemon Normal’ designed by Neale Davidson (available on urbanfonts.com).
Key words: Mean, Mode, Median, Average, Graphs, Pokemon
Created as part of the School of Geosciences’ Outreach Programme, which allows students in their final year to work in partnership with a local school to develop a set of lesson plans.
Authors: Kay Douglas, Tomas Sanders and Rebecca Shannon
Unless otherwise stated all content is released under a CC-BY 4.0 license
This resource contains a workshop with activities about the structure and functions of the brain and what happens when it goes wrong. It also contains short biographies of the two co-authors and details of their academic involvement in psychology. It is intended for learners studying the Scottish National 5 Psychology curriculum.
Learning outcomes
Name and locate the different lobes of the brain.
Understand the functions of each brain, and their real-life applications.
Actively work in a team with a common goal.
Understand the implications of brain damage, such as the case of Phineas Gage.
In this resource
This resource bundle includes pdf and editable versions of the following:
Practitioner Notes: contains in-depth notes as to the characteristics and composition of the brain, along with several support videos that may benefit learners. Also included are the rules for the “Brain Game”
Brain Cut Out: a single page with a coloured image of the brain, as required by the “Brain Game”
Brain Function and Lobe Names: for use in the “Brain Game”
Clue Cards: a set of clue cards for use in the “Brain Game”
Clue Card Answers: the corresponding answers to go along with the Clue Cards in the “Brain Game”
Meet the Psychologists: a single page document with a short description and picture of the two authors of this resource
This resource was created as part of Psychology Outreach and Engagement which allows undergraduate psychology students to develop new projects aimed at meeting the needs of local community partners as part of their degree.
This resource was developed in partnership with Craigroyston Community High School, Edinburgh. Lorna Camus, an MA Hons Psychology student and Agniete Pocyte, a BSc Hons Psychology student, produced and delivered the resource with the help of Eric Freund, a teacher at Craigroyston Community High School. We are indebted to Eric, but we would also like to thank his 1A and his 2C classes for their participation and enthusiasm.
Author: Lorna Camus and Agniete Pocyte, adapted by Kay Douglas and Andrew Ferguson.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Three lessons on the contribution that bees make to our planet on the topics of pollination, bee diversity, and hexagons in the bee hive (STEM activity).
Lesson 1: Flower structure and pollination
Lesson 2: Types of bees
Lesson 3: Why bee hives are made up of hexagons
Includes lesson plans, activities, presentations and worksheets.
Curriculum for Excellence: SCN 1-02a, SCN 1-02b, SCN 2-01a, MTH 1-16a, MTH 1-16b, MTH 2-16a.
Author: Natasha Michaelides, School of GeoSciences at The University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with Ratho Primary School, with thanks to Amy Dixon (class teacher, science specialist and STEM advisor).
This resource provides materials to run a workshop about Escher’s printmaking, exploring the artist, his process and the mathematics underlying his work. There is a practical art element which involves participants designing and printing their own piece of work.
This resource aims to show participants a creative side to mathematics. Knowledge of symmetry (rotational and reflectional) is assumed but also explained within the resource. The workshop is aimed at general public level - it is suitable for anyone with a basic understanding of geometry and symmetry.
Learning outcomes: MTH 3-19a, MTH 4-19a, EXA 4-02a, EXA 4-06a
To learn about the life and work of Escher
To understand how mathematics influenced Escher’s work
To learn about symmetries and wallpaper patterns
To be able to identify the wallpaper group of a tessellation design
To learn how to make lino prints
In this resource:
Workshop plan
Part 1: Presentation
Part 2: Designing a tessellating pattern
Part 3: Printmaking
Part 4: The mathematics behind your work
Presentation slides
Part 1: Who was Escher?
Part 2: Regular divisions of the plane
Part 3: Escher and mathematics
Presentation guide
Presentation content
This resource was created as part of the Festival of Creative Learning by the Maths Outreach Team with the School of Mathematics.
Author: Mairi Walker, Ana McKellar, Lukas Cerny and Benedetta Mussati.
Except where otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Cover image is a photograph from the original workshop courtesy of the University of Edinburgh School of Mathematics.
Three lessons covering, adaptation, survival characteristics and the extinction of the woolly mammoth with comparison to living elephants. Includes presentation slides and student worksheet with answers.
Aimed at Level 2 (Biodiversity and interdependence, SCN 2-01a)
This resource bundle includes:
Lesson 1: Woolly mammoths and the ice age
Lesson 2: The pygmy mammoths
Lesson 3: Comparison of African elephant and the woolly mammoth
Created as part of the School of Geosciences’ Outreach Programme, which allows students in their final year to work in partnership with a local school to develop a set of lesson plans.
Author: Chloe Young, adapted by Cecily Plascott.
Unless otherwise stated all content is released under a CC-BY 4.0 license.
Cover image: Model of Mammuth primigenius at the Royal BC Museum by Iain Reid is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0.
A power point resource for teachers of biology, geography and environmental science for pupils studying at Advanced Higher (AS-Level, and above), and early FE/HE levels.
Of use for helping to achieve a basic understanding of the different terms used to describe data and variables commonplace in literature on the internet. It complements the Geoscience Guides (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/guide-to-descriptive-statistics-in-geosciences-11308746).
A power point resource for teachers of biology, geography and environmental science for pupils studying at Advanced Higher, ( AS-Level, and above), and early FE/HE levels.
Of use for helping to achieve a basic understanding and application of the ‘spread of data’ in fieldwork, assignments and examination questions. It complements the Guide to Descriptive Statistics in Geosciences (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/guide-to-descriptive-statistics-in-geosciences-11308746).
Teacher and student resource pack covering the effects and causes of cardiovascular disease and medical
methods for preventing it.
Educational Level: Higher (AS levels)
(CfE Higher Human Biology, physiology and health)
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of disorders that refers to any disease affecting the heart or the blood vessels. It can also be called circulatory disease. This resource pack focuses on the most common cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Other types of cardiovascular disease (CVD) include congenital heart disease (i.e. structural defects in the heart or vessels that are present when at birth), heart valve disease (i.e. disease that affects the valves that control blood flow in the heart) and infective diseases of the heart (such as rheumatic fever). This resource pack will not cover these diseases.
Learning outcomes
Covers the process of atherosclerosis, thrombosis, causes and effects of peripheral vascular disorders and control of cholesterol levels in the body.
This resource was created as part of the as part of the Edinburgh Medical School outreach education.
Authors: Amy Gray, Simon Walker & Kay Douglas.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Cover image is by Kay Douglas and is licensed under a CC BY license.
Presentation with activities about different forms of advertising technique including inattentional blindness, change blindness and Pavlovian conditioning. It also contains short biographies of the two coauthors and details of their academic involvement in psychology.
Educational Level 3 and 4
This resource was created as part of Psychology Outreach and Engagement (in partnership with the
School of GeoSciences) which allows undergraduate psychology students to develop new projects aimed
at meeting the needs of local community partners as part of their degree
Authors: Agniete Pocyte & Lorna Camus, adapted by Tomas Sanders
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC-BY 4.0 license.
Cover image is Times Square by Eric Salard (Flickr) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
This Meteorological Observation Guide has been written as part of a NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) Research Experience Placement carried out in the School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh.
Aimed at National 5 to Higher.
The aim of the research project was to investigate specific aspects of how global climate change affects the climate of Britain.
There are two main aims to this project:
1. Conduct visibility observations from Blackford Hill in Edinburgh, observing to see whether in times of anti-cyclonic weather, pollution build up in the atmosphere reduces the observed visibility.
2. Analysis of historical climate models to see how the frequency of anti-cyclones over the UK has changed due to anthropogenic climate change.
This guide is part of the former section. The procedure that follows is the procedure used over the period of the project, and the Blackford Hill example used is the actual visibility observation that was conducted.
This element of the project is transferable to other locations with a suitable vantage point. The work can be carried out by a class group or as part of a specific scientific project for senior pupils.
Author: James Holehouse
Unless otherwise stated all content is released under a CC-BY 4.0 license
Keywords: Anti-cyclonic weather; Meteorological Visibility Observations; hill; Climate Change; Weather; Climate
Cover image is The view over the City of Edinburgh looking towards the north from Blackford Hill by Brian Cameron, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
This resource is made up of informational power points focussing on earth observation technology and activity packs which guide students through the interpretation of satellite data to observe the effects of deforestation, human activity, seasons and climate change.
This is an interdisciplinary resource which includes historical background, graphical and map data, with regular pauses for students to make written considerations of the observed geography and events. The activity packs also provide opportunities for students to develop their technical skills and gain awareness of the worldwide environment and the impacts of human action on the environment.
This resource is suggested as a third and fourth level science resource (suggested ages 10 - 16).
Relevant Learning Outcomes: SCN 3-11b, SCN 4-06a, LIT 3-28a, LIT 4-28a, LIT 3-06a / LIT 4-06a, SOC 4-10a , SOC 3-14a , SOC 4-14a, MNU 4-20a, MNU 3-11a, MNU 4-11a, TCH 4-14c
It is suitable as a standalone resource. The activity packs also match up with the topics covered in the other SatSchool modules so can supplement and enhance those materials.
This resource bundle includes the following:
• Power point ‘Hands on with Data’ Introductory Presentation
• Power Point ‘History of Earth Observation’ Presentation
• Intro Activity Booklet
• Land Activity Booklet
• Oceans Activity Booklet
• Ice Coding Activity Booklet
• Summary Quiz
There are three versions of each activity booklet: online, offline friendly and printing friendly to suit the resources that you have available.
More detailed information on the resource content is provided in the resource cover document in the downloadable pack. The download is made up of a compressed folder containing the entire content bundle, along with a selection of images which are used to provide a preview of the content on tes.
This resource is an adaptation of the ‘Hands on with Data’ Module available on the SatSchool Website. SatSchool is an Earth observation outreach programme designed and delivered by PhD students from SENSE CDT, spanning multiple universities and research groups.
This version of the resource was developed in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh OER Service.
Authors: SatSchool Team, module development led by Sol White, website designed by Sam Bancroft, adapted into document form by Alyssa Heggison.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Cover Image: Astronaut photograph ISS041-E-081461, Image courtesy of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center. NASA does not maintain copyright.
These are teaching resources for use in Religious and Moral Education, and describe some of the stories of various Hindu traditions. Although the resources have been created in consultation with Education Scotland and Scottish school teachers, we hope they will also be useful to teachers in other parts of the UK (or even beyond).
The resource is structured to meet the Education Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence standard for RME. The resource is divided according to the three structuring principles of the experiences and outcomes for RME in Scotland: Beliefs, Values and Issues, and Practices and Traditions. Keywords are also provided to indicate the particular relevance of the story.
The file contains six stories in PDF format, sorted by the principles stated above, and an introduction to the Mahabharata (or Mahābhārata, pronounced ma-haa baa-ra-ta), one of the great epics of
India. The Descent of the Ganges also has an accompanying PowerPoint presentation for illustrative purposes.
The complete set of resources are contained within a zipped folder when downloaded. Selected documents are duplicated outwith this folder to allow their previews to be displayed on tes.
Resources provided as part of the project Approaching Religion Through Story are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. They are free to use, copy and adapt for all non-commercial purposes.
More RME resources can be found at Resources section of Story and Religion website run by the School of Divinity, the University of Edinburgh.
Cover image is Mahabharata, 1852, Miniature 11, from The University of Edinburgh collection, CC BY 3.0.
A card game to develop HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) using climate change in the Alps. Learners
discuss whether a fictional ski instructor should exchange his skis for bicycle wheels. Included in this
guide is ‘Meet the Scientists’, about the real climate scientists. For learners aged 11 to 14.
Educational Level 2 - 3
(SOC 2-12a, SOC 2-13a, SOC 2-14a, SCN 2-20b, SCN 2-20a, MLAN 2-09a, LIT 2-02a, LIT 2-08a, LIT 2-09a)
This resource includes:
A practitioner guide (PDF and Word versions)
Details about learning outcomes
Instructions on running the activities
Items to be printed off or photocopied to play the game
A Meet the Scientists section about the real climate scientists who are Richard Fromm, Jack
Schaeffer and Viktoria Engel.
Map board for playing the game on
Presentations
Presentation 1: Setting the Scene: an introduction to Germany, its language and Richard’s
dilemma.
Presentation 2: “Where is that place?” - Map skills
Presentation 3: How to play the Board Game Help Richard decide if he should exchange his
skis for bicycle wheels.
This resource was created as part of the School of GeoScience Outreach.
Author: Kay Douglas.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Cover image is Aerial tramway La Grave France by NielsB (Wikimedia commons), licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0.
This resource is on forces, specifically gravity, and includes a ten-minute video and a PDF with four follow up activities. Including: recommended books to borrow, watching a video, doing a quiz, researching and conducting your own experiment. The target audience for this resource is children aged 8-11 years-old. There is also another session which follows the same structure but is about forces, called: Spaceman Sam and Comets.
This resource aims to encourage borrowing books from the library - particularly books relating to STEM subjects. This project focuses on forces which is a key area of physics outlined in the Science Benchmarks, Experiences & Outcomes (Es & Os) in the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). This project also utilises principles of active learning by following the stories with a variety of activities. These are very versatile and aim to reinforce the knowledge introduced during the stories. The activities range from less to more involved so the participants can progress through them, but they also serve as standalone activities.
This resource bundle includes the following:
The Forces Video is available to watch via the link in the Word document, titled ‘Forces Fiona asks about Gravity’ on Media Hopper Create website, the University of Edinburgh. The video is written and read by Amy Cook
The follow up activities sheet accompanying the video is Forces Fiona Activities, it is available in a downloadable PDF.
SCN 2-08a I have collaborated in investigations to compare magnetic, electrostatic and gravitational forces and have explored their practical applications.
SCN 2-20a (Topical Science): Through research and discussion I have an appreciation of the contribution that individuals are making to scientific discovery and invention and the impact this has made on society.
LIT 2-04a: As I listen or watch, I can identify and discuss the purpose, main ideas and supporting detail contained within the text, and use this information for different purposes.
LIT 2-07a: I can show my understanding of what I listen to or watch by responding to literal, inferential, evaluative and other types of questions, and by asking different kinds of questions of my own.
ENG 2-12a: Through developing my knowledge of context clues, punctuation, grammar and layout, I can read unfamiliar texts with increasing fluency, understanding and expression.
To find more Open Educational Resources from the University of Edinburgh, visit open.ed.ac.uk.
This resource was created as part of the GeoScience Outreach Course which is a 4th year undergraduate course in the School of GeoSciences aiming to provide students with the opportunity to develop their own science communication and engagement project.
This resource was originally developed for the City of Edinburgh Libaries.
Author: Amy Cook, adapted by Alysha Wilson.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.