Category Archives: Social Studies

Social Studies

My Dream Street art competition

Leave a comment

What would your dream street look like?

All you need is imagination, pens and paper. Sustrans have launched “My Dream Street Competition” and are asking children and young people to send in drawings or designs of their ideal street. Entries can be made by schools or individuals and the closing date is 31 October 2011. Prizes include eco-furniture for the outdoor area in the school or a family holiday.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/safe-routes-to-schools/my-sustrans-dream-street-competition

Sciences, Social Studies

Glasgow’s Riverside Museum now open

Leave a comment

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/News/RiversideMuseum.htm

The Riverside Museum, Glasgow’s new Museum of Transport and Travel has opened to the public. The opening ceremony was conducted by Glasgow City Council Leader, Gordon Matheson.

It houses more than 3000 exhibits, in over 150 interactive displays telling the stories of the people who made the term ‘Clyde Built’ one which travelled the world and spoke volumes about unbeatable quality. From massive steam locomotives, to the recreation of a city street during the 1900s, the cathedral-like structure provides a stunning backdrop to showcase the innovation and ambition of what was the ‘Second City of the Empire’.

Drama, Languages and Literacy, Social Studies

8 new Glow Groups added to the Creativity Portal

Leave a comment

There are now 30 creativity filled Glow Groups listed on the Creativity Portal – stacked with resources for drama teachers, literacy, social studies and the moving image. Use the broad sweep search tools on the front page of the Creativity Portal to access a broad range of creative partners, online resources and case studies relating to your own field of expertise.

Social Studies

Over 120 free films about Scotland available online

Leave a comment

More of Scotland on film to view online http://www.nls.uk/news

Fans of films about Scotland can enjoy dozens of hours of footage that has been newly digitised by the National Library of Scotland.  Over 120 films are available for the first time through the online catalogue of the Scottish Screen Archive.  Lasting from under a minute to almost an hour, the films range from silent black and white non-fiction film to a colourful set of three ‘film poems’ with piano accompaniment.

The website is also now searchable on the Creativity Portal within Articles and Links.

Languages and Literacy, Social Studies, Technologies

National Records of Scotland (NRS) Schools Programme – bookings now open for September 2011 – March 2012

Leave a comment

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) has launched its 2011-2012 programme of free workshops and Glow Meet sessions for primary and secondary schools.

New topics include ‘Tartan: a Chequered Tale’, ‘Witches on Trial’ and ‘Scottish Census Records’. Senior secondary students may be interested in ‘Study Skills – using primary sources’, and new sessions that support Higher History topics: The Wars of Independence, 1286-1328, The Age of Reformation, 1542-1603, and Migration and Empire, 1830-1939.


Full details of the Schools Programme and the booking form are available on the NRS education website.


http://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/workshops.asp

<http://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/workshops.asp>

Dance, Drama, Music, Religious and Moral Education, Social Studies

Pupils use art, music, dance and drama to illustrate their political hopes and dreams

Leave a comment

Young people set to create their Holyrood vision
More than 200 teenagers from across Scotland will use art, music, dance and drama to illustrate their political hopes and dreams for the future, thanks to an innovative Parliament education project to be held at Holyrood on Friday 17 June.
The ‘Political Voices’ event will see 17-year-olds from 31 Scottish schools take part in a series of creative activities – from spray-painting an 8ft high wall in the Scottish Parliament garden with political ‘street art’ to designing a cartoon with the award-winning animators behind the Dennis the Menace TV series.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/news-11/pa11-021.htm

Health and Wellbeing, Sciences, Social Studies

The Forgotten Island – cross-curricular Primary School Trip Opportunity

Leave a comment

The Forgotten Island, a brand new temporary visitor experience appearing on the banks of the Clyde until the 18th of September 2011.
Further to collaboration with pupils from various Glasgow primary schools The Forgotten Island has been inspired by children for children to explore.

The island is a growing space created from natural and recycled materials. With a range of spaces including a beach area, a sound forest, labyrinth and
Museum of Curiosities there are lots of things to try out and learn from.

· Links to all 4 Curriculum for Excellence Learning Capacities

· A range of cross curricular links including: Science, Health & Well Being, Expressive Arts, Social Subjects

· An ideal school trip for those who are part of the Eco Schools programme and/or studying environmental subjects

· Key themes include: Nature, play, discovery, creativity, sustainability and community

· Suitable for all children 12 years and under



Tickets: An exciting trip to start off the new term, school groups will receive 2 free places for every 10 children they buy a ticket for.

Call Ticket Soup on: 0844 481 8898 (group discounts are not available online).



More information: http://bit.ly/ja7UFXSch


I hope to see you there! Regards,

Social Studies

Wee Movies: Your City, Your Stories – 4 short Glasgow film competitions for under-18s

Leave a comment

Wee Movies: Your City, Your Stories

Competition 1: Bird, Deadline Monday 4 July

Dear Teachers,

There’s less than a month to get your entries in!

Our new competition, Wee Movies: Your City, Your Stories, comprises of 4 short film competitions for under-18s in the run up to next year’s Glasgow Youth Film Festival in February 2012.

The themes of the 4 competitions are the emblems in the Glasgow Coat of Arms: BIRD, TREE, BELL and FISH.

The first competition theme is BIRD and the deadline for entries is Monday 4 July.

The films, which must be under 5 minutes long, can be about absolutely any idea that the theme inspires, from an animation about a pet budgie to a documentary about whale song. Any technique can be used and even a film shot on a camera phone will be eligible. The competition is open to schools, as well as youth groups, families and individuals aged under 18.

Our friends Derek and Muvizu have made a short film called The Bird That Never Flew to inspire you! We’ve also made a list of resources to get pupils started on their film masterpiece.

The prizes

The winning films will be shown ahead of appropriate features in the cinema. You and your school will receive complimentary tickets to the screening. There will be an awards ceremony and screening during GYFF12 where winners and runners up will be awarded special prizes and certificates.

Plus, for under 12s: Some DVDs of films inspired by our love of birds!
And, for 12-year-olds and over: 4 complimentary cinema tickets

The next competition theme is TREE and the deadline for entries is Monday 5 September.

For more details on how to enter, click here.


Looking forward to seeing your entries soon!

Paul Macgregor,

Learning Projects Coordinator: Children and Young People

Glasgow Film Learning


Wee Movies has been made possible through the sponsorship of Muvizu in association with a New Arts Sponsorship Grant supported by the Scottish Government in conjunction with Arts & Business Scotland.

Social Studies, Technologies

Local Heritage and Digital Know How – Libraries Software wins design award

Leave a comment

An innovative software project led by The City of Edinburgh Council’s Libraries and Information Service has scooped a prestigious design award.

Whose Town?, an educational resource which uses real life Edinburgh case studies to illustrate key moments of recent history, emerged victorious at the Scottish Design Awards 2011, with designers Eskimopicking up the Chairman’s Award for Design. The awards were presented at a ceremony held at Glasgow’s Thistle Hotel in May.

Libraries project lands top design award

Languages and Literacy, Social Studies

16 to 21? Interested in great films that makes a difference?

Leave a comment

Would you like to organise events in your local community?

Here’s your chance to take action.


Take One Action – Scotland’s global action cinema project – is organising it’s first youth film festival residency for young people aged 16-21 and their educators/youth workers at the Macrobert Centre in Stirling in September 2011.

Being part of a residency you’ll have the chance to spend 2 days with us, staying overnights on campus. You’ll take part in workshops led by internationally acclaimed film specialists and directors, and organisations such as Oxfam and The Co-operative. By the end of the residency you’ll leave with the knowledge and skills to host a film screening in your local area which will engage community members to “take one action” that might positively change how they live, think and act.