Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Overview
This context is based around the study of wildlife that can be found in Scotland. By engaging with the science
and social studies experiences and outcomes, learners within early level will study wildlife that can be found in
their local environment. Learners can then progress onto exploring wildlife native to different habitats in
Scotland looking at their survival needs.
Using wildlife as a context for learning, aims to develop learner skills in observing wildlife, comparing and
contrasting habitats, diets and survival needs and evaluating the impact and interdependence of identified
species.
Social Subjects and Science experiences
and outcomes explored
I explore and discover the interesting features of
my local environment to develop an awareness of
the world around me.
Responsibility of all areas, which could be
addressed in this Learning and Teaching
Idea
I am developing a sense of size and amount by
observing, exploring, using and communicating
with others about things in the world around me.
SOC 0-07a
I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature
within different environments and have played a
part in caring for the environment.
SOC 0-08a
I have observed living things in the environment
over time and am becoming aware of how they
depend on each other.
SCN 0-01a
MNU 0-01a
I have experimented with everyday items as units
of measure to investigate and compare sizes and
amounts in my environment, sharing my findings
with others.
MNU 0-11a
I can collect objects and ask questions to gather
information, organising and displaying my findings
in different ways.
MNU 0-20a
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
1
Interdisciplinary opportunities
This learning and teaching Idea has links between
Social Studies and Science, but further
opportunities may occur in:

Literacy across Learning

Literacy and English

Expressive Arts

Technologies
Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Interdisciplinary Learning
Interdisciplinary learning is an important element within Curriculum for Excellence. It constitutes one of the four contexts for learning in 'Building the Curriculum 3':
o
o
o
o
Ethos and life of the school as a community
Curriculum areas and subjects
Interdisciplinary Learning
Opportunities for personal achievement
All of these contexts are crucial if the potential of children and young people as successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens is
to be fully developed.
Interdisciplinary learning enables practitioners and learners to:

Make connections across learning through exploring clear and relevant links across the curriculum.

Support the use and application of what has been taught and learned in new and different ways.

Provide opportunities for deeper learning, for example through answering big questions, exploring an issue, solving problems or completing a final project.

Focus on curricular areas where there are coherent links and an opportunity to deepen understanding, whilst building on children and young people’s prior
learning. A few experiences and outcomes should be carefully selected in relevant curriculum areas. It is important to build children and young people’s next
steps in learning into planning, to avoid a ‘one-off project’, which is not connected to prior learning.
On the next page, the summary of learning opportunities builds on the overview document and exemplifies possible starting points for an interdisciplinary approach,
which could be used to support planning. This links directly to the context and the experiences and outcomes explored. These suggested learning opportunities explore
only aspects of the experiences and outcomes identified. However, each experience and outcome should be revisited in other ways and contexts to ensure depth of
learning.
*These learning opportunities are further exemplified and broken down into the learning, skills developed and possible evidence on pages 5, 6 and 7.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
2
Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Wildlife found in Scotland interdisciplinary planning gird
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.
NUMERACY ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM
EXPERIENCE AND
OUTCOMES EXLORED
MNU 0-01a
MNU 0-11a
Investigate how many different
habitats learners can find on their
wildlife hunt.

Consider how many animals the
learners see e.g. 2 birds, 1 heron etc.

Display data in a variety of ways (wall
display, pictograph.)

Compare sizes of the wildlife seen in
the local environment and across
Scotland. Make a display regarding
size introducing vocabulary like
height, longer, smaller, larger etc.
MNU 0-20a/b
SOC 0-07a


SCN 0-01a
SOC 0-08a

SOCIAL STUDIES
Discuss where you would find more
animals e.g. would you find more
puffins at the seaside or in the
countryside. (Introducing more, less
and the same.)
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland


Explore the local environment
drawing attention to different
interesting features. Discuss which
different habitats there are in the local
environment. E.g. A pond, river, sea,
grass, trees, nests etch
SCIENCE

Through engaging with various local
habitats consider what local living
things need to survive.

Conduct a ‘Wildlife Hunt.’ You may
wish to use different stations e.g.
listening to the sounds of wildlife,
digging to find mini-beasts etc.
Introduce the words diet, predator
and prey and using local examples
discuss basic interdependence.

Consider other environments in
Scotland and discuss other wildlife
you may find there.
Consider the human impact on the
local environment e.g. pollution and
litter and their effect on the habitats
and the animals within them.

Study wildlife unique to Scotland (or
most commonly found in Scotland.)

Consider why these animals live
where they live what their diet is and
what they are dependent on.

To care for the environment –
consider creating feeders for animals
and observation stations.

Eco Schools activities such as
collecting litter and the effects litter
and pollution have on the living things
in the environment.
3
Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Overview of learning in social studies (lead curriculum area)
Possible prior experiences
Learners will know that there
are different animals living in
Scotland.
Learners will know where they
live and will perhaps be able to
identify some of the key
features of their environment
e.g. park, river.
Learners may already have
been on a ‘bug hunt’ or a
‘wildlife hunt with their family/
friends.
Learners may already know
that some animals eat other
animals to stay alive.
Learners may know that
dropping litter is bad for the
environment.
Possible learning
opportunities
Skills for learning, life and
work
Possible evidence
Learners could suggest/ observe
animals that might live in the
playground/ garden
Communication – During
observation work and group
discussion about the various animals
in the garden/ playground
Observation during activities
Learners could talk about what
animals eat.
Analysing and predicting –
Through basic interdependence work.
What would happen if there were no
spiders?
Study a native animal to your learner
environment.




Habitat
Diet
Prey
Interdependence on other
animals.
Comparing the characteristics of
different animals/ habitats/ diets
Discussing their thoughts and ideas
Sort wildlife according to the
environment they inhabit.
Identify one environment and explore
its features
Make a model of the environment
suitable for a chosen animal to
survive. Evaluate each others model
and say why the model would be
effective or not.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
4
Recordings of learner discussions
Analysis answers (there would be
more flies if there were no spiders.)
Sorting activity results
Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Learning opportunity A: Exploring the local environment
Possible Starting Points
Skills
A ‘Wildlife Hunt’ in the local environment (immediately beside
the early years setting/ school.)
Observing, understanding, remembering and analysing
Learning
Possible evidence
Key vocabulary:

Habitat

Species

Features of environment
Recordings of sounds of species, matching activities (where
would this animal live?)
Resources

Key learning:

There are many different species living in the
environment around the school/ nursery.

Different species of animals need different habitats to
survive e.g. a black bird would not live under water
because it would drown.

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/w/genericresou
rce_tcm4242164.asp?strReferringChannel=educationscotland&
strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64

Scottish Natural Heritage
http://www.snh.gov.uk/
The environment around the school may be urban,
rural, green, industrial, housing etc.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland
The wee green school pack

5
Use picture books from the library about where different
animals live.
Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Learning opportunity B: Survival: Relationships between species
Possible starting points
Resources for Learning
Look at pictures of red squirrels and grey squirrels and
consider the differences in appearance/ size and other
characteristics.
BBC Bitesize
http://wildlife.visitscotland.com/unique/
AND/OR
Skills
Look at Food Chains and consider the implications of one
species being absent
Comparison, analysing and evaluating information, problem
solving.
Learning
Interdependence – Animals rely on things for their survival e.g.
food, habitat etc.
Possible evidence
If one animal is taken from the chain the population of the
species on either side of the chain grows – e.g. If spiders are
absent from a food chain the population of flies will grow.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland


6
Recording comments
Creation of food chains using picture cards.
Wildlife found in Scotland – Learning Journey
Early level - Focus on Social Studies and Science
Learning opportunity C: Scottish Habitats
Possible starting points
Resources
Consider the different environments in Scotland e.g. town city,
seaside etc.
Wildlife Scotland
http://wildlife.visitscotland.com/unique/
Explore the wildlife that live in these areas.
Sort wildlife according to the environment they inhabit.
Skills
Comparing and contrasting habitats,
Identifying and remembering uniquely Scottish wildlife
Learning
Some animals rely on their habitat for survival
Possible evidence
Some animals unique to Scotland can only be found in certain
areas
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland


7
Matching animals to their habitats
Recognising (and naming) uniquely Scottish Wildlife