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.
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.
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.
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.
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
These are teaching resources for use in Religious and Moral Education, and describe some of the parables of the Christian faith as told in the New Testament. 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 parables in PDF format, sorted by the principles stated above, and an introduction to parables.
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 images is Parable of the hidden treasure, by possibly Rembrandt; possibly Gerard Dou, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Overview:
This is a package for one lesson for the 3rd and 4th level (S1&2) students to develop knowledge and understanding about climate change through a variety of group activities. The lesson starts with a daily topic of weather, leading students to learn the differences between weather and climate and the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather. Then, students are invited to develop climate graph-reading skills and an understanding of the greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases.
This resource was originally developed as part of the Geosciences Outreach Course at the University of Edinburgh then re-adapted for use as an Open Educational Resource (OER) by OER Service, the Information Services Group at the University. As an OER, teachers are welcome to make any changes to their resources according to their needs.
Learning Outcomes:
• I can define weather as what is happening outside right now.
• I can explain that climate is the average of all the weather that has happened in a region over more than 30 years.
• I can recognise that rapid global warming is causing the climate to change.
• I can infer that global warming is causing extreme weather like excessive rain, more hurricanes, extreme heat, cold and drought.
• I can interpret and extract information from climate graphs.
• I can explain the greenhouse effect is like a blanket that prevents heat escaping causing the Earth to warm up.
• I can name some of the (greenhouse) gases causing global warming, for example, carbon dioxide, methane, or water vapour.
• I can illustrate and model the chemical structure of the different greenhouse gases.
Experiences and Outcomes:
LIT 3-10a, LIT 4-10a, MNU 4-20a, SOC 3-12a, SOC 4-12a, SCN 3-05b
‘Weather, Climate and Global Warming’ was developed by Kay Douglas and Katherine Taylor, adapted by Mayu Ishimoto, and is available under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless otherwise stated.
Header: The 1980-2015 seasonal cycle anomaly in MERRA2 along with the 95% uncertainties on the estimate of the mean, 2024 June, Goddarf Space Flight Centre NASA, in accordance with NASA Media Usage Guidelines.
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.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ is created for learners aged 12-14 at the S2 level, introducing basic geological ideas and skills and encouraging learners to explore the rich geological heritage of Edinburgh. (for a full description of this OER series, see the Session One description, with a link in a section below)
This session is a field trip to Holyrood Park to observe sandstones at Camstone Quarry and igneous rocks at “The Dasses” to learn about past environments and how rocks form and erode, by means of hands-on activities. The pack includes a student workbook in Word.docx and PDF formats, along with a Teacher’s guide to help teachers run a class with the slides.
Links to the accompanying sessions:
One: Rock Descriptions: Teaching and demonstration of three different rock types and their formation, followed by a hands-on activity in describing rocks.
Two: Carboniferous Edinburgh and Fieldwork Preparation: Exploring the Carboniferous environment using BGS poster; Preparation for the field trip by writing aims and hypothesis and practising field sketches.
Three: Holyrood Park Field Trip (this session): Field trip to Holyrood Park to visit Camstone Quarry (Sandstones and past environments) and The Dasses (intrusive igneous rocks, cooling rates and erosion).
Four: Reconstructing Past Environments: Group work using Evidence Packs and field trip observations to determine what the environment during the Carboniferous period was like. Students to write a postcard to consolidate this knowledge as a picture and in text.
Five: Edinburgh in 100 years’ Time: Consideration of different development pressures on Holyrood Park in the future. Students work in groups to present a proposed development.
Experiences and Outcomes of this session:
SOC 3-07a: Having investigated processes which form and shape landscapes I can explain their impact on selected landscapes in Scotland, Europe and beyond.
SCN3-17a: Through evaluation of a range of data, I can describe the formation, characteristics and uses of soils, minerals and basic types of rocks.
MNU 3-11a: I can solve practical problems by applying my knowledge of measure, choosing the appropriate units and degree of accuracy for the task and using a formula to calculate area or volume when required.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ was created by Jenny Ridout, adapted into an OER by Mayu Ishimoto. The resource is available under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 license unless otherwise stated.
Header Image Attribution: Arthur’s Seat by Jenny Ridout, 2023, CC BY-SA.
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.
Overview:
This open educational resource for the Second and Third Curriculum Level was developed as part of the University of Edinburgh’s collaboration with Their Finest Hour project, run by University of Oxford. Their Finest Hour aimed to empower local communities to digitally preserve their stories and objects related to the Second World War through a series of nationwide Digital Collection Days.
Through stories and objects collected at a Digital Collection Day in Edinburgh, this resource introduces students to alternative perspectives of WWII history, distinct from the views of political and military decision makers. There is considerable historical value in viewing war and other historical events from a wide range of alternative perspectives. Looking at everyday objects and collecting testimonies from many diverse voices can enable an understanding of how war and significant events affected the whole nation.
This lesson includes an oral history exercise for students. Oral history interviews provide varied perspectives on historical events by privileging voices that are not typically part of the historical record. By interviewing a relative or member of their community, students gain an understanding that history is all around them, rather than something that happened far away, a long time ago, to distant people. In connecting public and private history, students are able to reflect on their family and community’s place in history, and the meaning of history more generally – who makes it, how and why.
The lesson pack includes powerpoint slides, teacher’s notes, a student worksheet, and links to Their Finest Hour Archive.
Learning Outcomes:
Develop important social communication skills: active listening /effective listening
Develop analysis skills
Develop a better understanding of the definition of history
Develop an understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of their local and national heritage within the world
Learn how to locate, explore and link periods, people and events in time and place
Learn how to locate, explore and link features and places locally and further afield
Explore and evaluate different types of sources and evidence
Develop communication skills: conveying information, describing events, explaining processes or combining ideas in different ways.
Experiences and Outcomes:
LIT 2-02a, LIT 3-02a, LIT 2-05a, LIT 3-05a, LIT 2-06a, LIT 3-06a, LIT 2-09a, LIT 3-09a, LIT 2-10a, LIT 3-10a, LIT 2-28a, SOC 2-01a, SOC 3-01a, SOC 2-02a, SOC 3-02a, SOC 2-03a, SOC 3-03a
‘Recording Everyday Social History’ was created by Eden Swimer. The resource is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise stated.
Header: Their Finest Hour Archive, University of Oxford, 2024, CC BY 4.0.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ is created for learners aged 12-14 at the S2 level from the University of Edinburgh’s GeoScience Outreach Course. It introduces basic ideas of geology, such as geological time, rocks and fossils, and geological skills. It consists of five lessons (sessions) including a field trip to Holyrood Park for the Session 3, and the Session 5 can be taught as a standalone lesson as well. Throughout the five sessions, learners are encouraged to explore the rich geological heritage of Edinburgh and to develop a range of skills to determine what the past environment of Edinburgh was like. The resource has been created as an Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) resource, primarily between Geography and Science with relevant English skills. It will encourage students to integrate the knowledge and skills they have learnt from different subjects and use them to approach a subject that may be new to them.
This session introduces three different rock types and their formation to students, followed by a hands-on activity in observing and describing rocks. The pack includes a set of slides in Powerpoint and PDF formats and worksheets in Word.docx and PDF formats, along with a Teacher’s guide to help teachers run a class with the slides.
Links to the accompanying sessions:
One: Rock Descriptions (this session): Teaching and demonstration of three different rock types and their formation, followed by a hands-on activity in describing rocks.
Two: Carboniferous Edinburgh and Fieldwork Preparation: Exploring the Carboniferous environment using BGS poster; Preparation for the field trip by writing aims and hypothesis and practising field sketches.
Three: Holyrood Park Field Trip: Field trip to Holyrood Park to visit Camstone Quarry (Sandstones and past environments) and The Dasses (intrusive igneous rocks, cooling rates and erosion).
Four: Reconstructing Past Environments: Group work using Evidence Packs and field trip observations to determine what the environment during the Carboniferous period was like. Students to write a postcard to consolidate this knowledge as a picture and in text.
Five: Edinburgh in 100 years’ Time: Consideration of different development pressures on Holyrood Park in the future. Students work in groups to present a proposed development.
Experiences and Outcomes of this session:
SCN3-17a: Through evaluation of a range of data, I can describe the formation, characteristics and uses of soils, minerals and basic types of rocks.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ was created by Jenny Ridout, adapted into an OER by Mayu Ishimoto. The resource is available under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 license unless otherwise stated.
Header Image Attribution: Arthur’s Seat by Jenny Ridout, 2023, CC BY-SA.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ is created for learners aged 12-14 at the S2 level from the University of Edinburgh’s GeoScience Outreach Course. It introduces basic ideas of geology, such as geological time, rocks and fossils, and geological skills. Throughout the five sessions, learners are encouraged to explore the rich geological heritage of Edinburgh and to develop a range of skills to determine what the past environment of Edinburgh was like. The resource has been created as an Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) resource, primarily between Geography and Science with relevant English skills. It will encourage students to integrate the knowledge and skills they have learnt from different subjects and use them to approach a subject that may be new to them.
This session explores the Carboniferous environment using BGS and prepares students for the field trip by writing aims and hypothesis and practising field sketches. The pack includes a set of slides in Powerpoint and PDF formats and worksheets in Word.docx and PDF formats, along with a Teacher’s guide to help teachers run a class with the slides.
Links to the accompanying sessions:
One: Rock Descriptions: Teaching and demonstration of three different rock types and their formation, followed by a hands-on activity in describing rocks.
Two: Carboniferous Edinburgh and Fieldwork Preparation (this session): Exploring the Carboniferous environment using BGS poster; Preparation for the field trip by writing aims and hypothesis and practising field sketches.
Three: Holyrood Park Field Trip: Field trip to Holyrood Park to visit Camstone Quarry (Sandstones and past environments) and The Dasses (intrusive igneous rocks, cooling rates and erosion).
Four: Reconstructing Past Environments: Group work using Evidence Packs and field trip observations to determine what the environment during the Carboniferous period was like. Students to write a postcard to consolidate this knowledge as a picture and in text.
Five: Edinburgh in 100 years’ Time: Consideration of different development pressures on Holyrood Park in the future. Students work in groups to present a proposed development.
Experiences and Outcomes of this session:
SOC 3‐14a: I can use a range of maps and geographical information systems to gather, interpret and present conclusions and can locate a range of features within Scotland, UK, Europe and the wider world.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ was created by Jenny Ridout, adapted into an OER by Mayu Ishimoto. The resource is available under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 license unless otherwise stated.
Header Image Attribution: Arthur’s Seat by Jenny Ridout, 2023, CC BY-SA.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ is an Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) resource created for learners aged 12-14 at the S2 level from the University of Edinburgh’s GeoScience Outreach Course. It introduces basic ideas of geology, such as geological time, rocks and fossils, and geological skills. It consists of five lessons (sessions) including a field trip to Holyrood Park for the Session 3, and the Session 5 can be taught as a standalone lesson as well. Throughout the five sessions, learners are encouraged to explore the rich geological heritage of Edinburgh and to develop a range of skills to determine what the past environment of Edinburgh was like.
The pack includes a set of slides in Powerpoint and PDF formats and worksheets in Word.docx and PDF formats, along with a Teacher’s guide to help teachers run a class with the slides.
Links to the accompanying sessions:
One: Rock Descriptions: Teaching and demonstration of three different rock types and their formation, followed by a hands-on activity in describing rocks.
Two: Carboniferous Edinburgh and Fieldwork Preparation: Exploring the Carboniferous environment using BGS poster; Preparation for the field trip by writing aims and hypothesis and practising field sketches.
Three: Holyrood Park Field Trip: Field trip to Holyrood Park to visit Camstone Quarry (Sandstones and past environments) and The Dasses (intrusive igneous rocks, cooling rates and erosion).
Four: Reconstructing Past Environments: Group work using Evidence Packs and field trip observations to determine what the environment during the Carboniferous period was like. Students to write a postcard to consolidate this knowledge as a picture and in text.
Five: Edinburgh in 100 years’ Time (this session): Consideration of different development pressures on Holyrood Park in the future. Students work in groups to present a proposed development.
Experiences and Outcomes of this session:
SOC 3‐08a: I can identify the possible consequences of an environmental issue and make informed suggestions about ways to manage the impact.
LIT 3-29a: I can persuade, argue, evaluate, explore issues or express an opinion using a clear line of thought, relevant supporting detail and/or evidence.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ was created by Jenny Ridout, adapted into an OER by Mayu Ishimoto. The resource is available under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 license unless otherwise stated.
Header Image Attribution: Arthur’s Seat by Jenny Ridout, 2023, CC BY-SA.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ is an Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) resource created for learners aged 12-14 at the S2 level from the University of Edinburgh’s GeoScience Outreach Course. It introduces basic geological knowledge and skills. Throughout the five sessions, learners are encouraged to explore the rich geological heritage of Edinburgh and to develop a range of skills to determine what the past environment of Edinburgh was like.
This session consists of group work using an Evidence Pack and observations from the field trip during the previous session to determine what the environment during the Carboniferous period was like. Students are also encouraged to consolidate this knowledge as a picture and in text by the postcard writing activity. The pack includes ‘Evidence Pack’ in Word.docx and PDF formats, along with a Teacher’s guide to help teachers run a class with the slides.
Links to the accompanying sessions:
One: Rock Descriptions: Teaching and demonstration of three different rock types and their formation, followed by a hands-on activity in describing rocks.
Two: Carboniferous Edinburgh and Fieldwork Preparation: Exploring the Carboniferous environment using BGS poster; Preparation for the field trip by writing aims and hypothesis and practising field sketches.
Three: Holyrood Park Field Trip: Field trip to Holyrood Park to visit Camstone Quarry (Sandstones and past environments) and The Dasses (intrusive igneous rocks, cooling rates and erosion).
Four: Reconstructing Past Environments (this session): Group work using Evidence Packs and field trip observations to determine what the environment during the Carboniferous period was like. Students to write a postcard to consolidate this knowledge as a picture and in text.
Five: Edinburgh in 100 years’ Time: Consideration of different development pressures on Holyrood Park in the future. Students work in groups to present a proposed development.
Experiences and Outcomes of this session:
SOC 3-07a: Having investigated processes which form and shape landscapes I can explain their impact on selected landscapes in Scotland, Europe and beyond.
SCN3-17a: Through evaluation of a range of data, I can describe the formation, characteristics and uses of soils, minerals and basic types of rocks.
ENG 3-27a /ENG 4-27a: I can engage and/or influence readers through my use of language, style and tone as appropriate to genre.
‘Investigating Edinburgh’s Geological Past’ was created by Jenny Ridout, adapted into an OER by Mayu Ishimoto. The resource is available under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 license unless otherwise stated.
Header Image Attribution: Arthur’s Seat by Jenny Ridout, 2023, CC BY-SA.