Studying Scotland
Scottish Food Industry >Early and First level > Focus on Health and Wellbeing
Overview
v
This learning
journey explores the variety of foods produced and agriculture in Scotland, the journeys the food
from source to consumer, seasonality and sustainability and the types of jobs within the food industry.
Learners will use investigative skills to classify where food comes from and will develop their planning and
organising skills as they explore different types of foods and make and taste basic dishes.
Through imaginary and real life situations learners will be able to further their understanding of the food and
drink industry within their local environment and Scotland. Learners will communicate with others about what
they have learned and solve simple food related problems.
The following learning opportunities are exemplified:



Create basic foods with ingredients which the children can identify and discuss, e.g., soup, butter, etc.
Children can track the journey of food from source to consumer
Children identify the types of jobs that are involved in the food industry
Health and Wellbeing experiences
and outcomes explored
I explore and discover where food comes from
and I choose, prepare and taste different foods
HWB 0-35a-1-35a
I can describe some of the kinds of work that
people do and I am finding out about the wider
world of work.
HWB 0-02a/ 1-02a
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
Responsibility of all areas, which
could be addressed in this learner
journey:
I listen or watch for useful or interesting
information and I use this to make choices or
learn new things.
LIT 0-04a1-04a
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Interdisciplinary Opportunities:

Science

Social Studies
There may be other opportunities for learning
in Mathematics and Art and Design.
Studying Scotland
Scottish Food Industry >Early and First level > Focus on Health and Wellbeing
Overview of learning in curriculum area
Possible prior experiences



Some children will have
visited a supermarket.
A few children may have
visited a farm/grower/estate


A few learners may have
experience of growing their
own plants.


Most children will have had
experience of imaginary play.


Some learners will have had
experience of preparing food.

Most learners will be aware of
different jobs involved to make
food products
Skills
Possible learning
opportunities in lead
curricular area


 Classifying
Visiting local farmers and
growers
Visiting local
supermarket/high street
shops
Preparing and making
simple dishes, e.g. soup or
butter
Imaginary play in
shop/supermarket setting
Growing simple plants, e.g.
cress or mustard
Discuss: How does food
get to the plate? And
where does it travel from?
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland

 Planning and
Organising
Make their own simple dish,
e.g. sandwich

Grow own plants and taste.
 Solving problems

Say if a food is plant or
animal based.

Draw ingredients/food.

Discuss where food might
come from

Be able to identify areas on
a map of Scotland
 Communicating
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Possible sources of
evidence
Studying Scotland
Scottish Food Industry >Early and First level > Focus on Health and Wellbeing
This interdisciplinary approach shows some possible learning opportunities when the experiences and outcomes listed below are connected. These ideas are
starting points and could be used to support planning, depending on your context. In this example we have highlighted a lead curriculum area, however, other
curriculum areas can be included where relevant, based on needs and interests.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Related Experiences and
Outcomes connected within
this context for learning
Visit supermarket/local shops and explore the
variety of food and drink available.

Visit local farm/grower/estate.

Create simple foods with ingredients which the
children can identify and discuss, e.g. soup, butter
etc.

Taste plants which they have grown.

Children discuss what they eat and where it comes
from.

Discuss/identify which foods come from plants or
animals.

HWB 0-35a 1-35a
SCN 0-15a HWB 0-02a/ 1-02a
SCN 0-03a – 1-03a, SOC 009a-1-09a
SOC 0-20a -1-20a
SCIENCE



www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
SOCIAL STUDIES
Grow simple plants/ingredients e.g.
cress or mustard.
Children by designing experiments can
observe and/or record what plants need
to grow
Children identify different materials that
are part of food waste, and which can be
recycled or reused.
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

Map the different types agriculture there
are in Scotland and the journeys they
make to the shops
Go on an environmental walk along their
local high street or town centre taking
pictures of places where we get food in
their local community
Set up a food stall/shop as part of
imaginary play using where possible a
variety of real food or toy food and
packaging.
Studying Scotland
Scottish Food Industry >Early and First level > Focus on Health and Wellbeing
Learning experience 1: Create basic foods with ingredients which the children can identify and discuss, e.g., soup, butter, etc.
Possible Starting Points
Resources
Learners can taste butter and dairy spreads and discuss the
texture and taste.
Cook UK (Step by step guide with photographs)
http://www.cookuk.co.uk/children/butter.htm
Ask learners where they think these come from and how they are
made.
How to make your own butter (For teachers’ use)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rZ1JUMSmDk
Skills
Learning
Learners will understand that butter originates from milk.
Learners will understand that foods can be made by mixing
different ingredients together.
Learners will understand that food can be processed in different
ways.
Planning and organising – the learners will organise the resources and
ingredients that they need.
Solving problems – the learners will think about and suggest how to change the
ingredients into butter.
Possible Evidence
Say – the process of milk and what it can be made into
Write - annotated photographs of the learners shaking the milk into butter and /or
children sitting together sharing a snack with the butter as a spread, the learners
could label them
Do - filming the learners explaining how they made the butter from the starting
ingredients.
Make – the process of making the butter successfully or unsuccessful (what went
wrong?)
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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Studying Scotland
Scottish Food Industry >Early and First level > Focus on Health and Wellbeing
Learning experience 2: Children can track the journey of food from source to consumer
Possible Starting Points
Resources
Identify the types of agriculture in Scotland (e.g. potatoes, soft
fruit cereals)
The Royal Highland Education Trust
Information about farming in Scotland, Scotland’s farming year and food and farming
information and resources
http://www.rhet.org.uk/Resources,
-
can they grow anywhere in Scotland?
what sorts of foods do not grow in Scotland
in what seasons do they grow?
how are they grown?
how are they harvested?
how are they stored?
do they need special packaging?
how are they transported?
how far do they travel?
are they exported to other countries?
can they be eaten straight away or are they made into other
food products?
Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, Teachers Resources
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/knowledge-exchange/community-and-schools/teachersresources/
The Scottish Government – Food and Drink
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Food-Industry
Skills
Classifying – learners will be able to distinguish between different types of food grown in
Scotland their origin, recognise what it will grow into
Learning
The learners will understand plant based foods are grown in
different conditions and that they then are processed to become
familiar and commonly consumed foods
The learners will understand that food is transported in different
ways and travel long and short distances.
Distinguish between different types of processing methods and types of transportation to
consumer.
Possible Evidence
Do -Being able to recognise different food products grown in Scotland
Write about the journey food makes around Scotland
Say - Discussing the journey food makes from plough to plate
Make a storyboard/comic strip/display of the evolution from seed to food product
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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Studying Scotland
Scottish Food Industry >Early and First level > Focus on Health and Wellbeing
Learning experience 3: Children identify the types of jobs that are involved in the food industry
Possible Starting Points
Resources
Identify the types of food industry jobs learners already know
Co-operative Education Trust: an interactive resource. PDF and teachers
Handbook
http://www.cets.coop/resources/fooddownload.html?PHPSESSID=f6c1a01c235abc9e0eb2e9e32b9ad5a3
Invite visitors in from different food industry jobs, some
familiar/some that may be less familiar
Begin to explore the types of food industry jobs learners are less
aware of.
Learning
Learners will understand that there are many different types of
jobs in the food industry and what their roles are
Learners will understand some of the different skills within food
industry jobs
Food a fact for life: Food for farming
http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/section.aspx?t=92&siteId=14&sectionId=63
Scottish Associations of Farmer’ Markets
http://www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk/
Skills
Investigate – Learners will research the range of food industry jobs
Categorise – learners will be able to distinguish the type of work involved in
different areas of the food industry
Possible Evidence
Do & Say - Learners could mime the actions of the jobs for their peers to guess
Write – plan and list how they could create a mini farmers market showing a
selection of the range of food industry jobs
Make - Learners could devise a card game to represent the typical image of the
food and job and match to a picture of the food product they make
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
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