Primary and High Schools
In-class and outdoor activities
What We Offer
Overview
We are committed to offering early exposure to real-world career scenarios. To achieve this, we have developed engaging and challenging exercises that can be customized for any age group or skill level. Our workshop integrates computer science, biology, geography, and mathematics into an exciting learning experience.
In the following sections, we explain how the basic course outline (below in the workshop summary) is adapted with activities to meet the needs of primary or secondary school students.
Simplified Workshop Summary
Introduction to the workshop, where tasks are laid out and students are put into groups.
Students will be set free with their copy of QFIELD on their tablets or mobile devices (provided by the school) and given a specific task to complete. For a few hours, they will be roaming around their school field or a nature spot of the school’s choosing, gathering data on plants or on other features.
Upon completion of the field component, they will return to the classroom and importing their data into QGIS. With QGIS and excel, depending on proficiency of the class, they will analyse and reflect on the data and put it into a real world context.
Primary Schools
For primary school children, we will focus on the fieldwork aspect, where students will gather data from their surroundings. Depending on the season, this could involve tracking the number and positions of dandelions in a field or the locations of puddles around the playground.
Any feature with a reasonable quantity and identifiable location will work.
Using the free, open-source app QFIELD (available for tablets and mobile devices), students can easily map the locations of each feature.
After mapping, we will briefly analyse the data and discuss their findings back in the classroom. This workshop is suitable for any time of the year.
Secondary Schools
For secondary school students (Highers in Scotland), we will build upon the activities for primary school students, with a focus on setting up their own projects using QGIS, analysing data with Excel, and engaging in group-led discussions of their findings.
We will encourage students to develop their own research ideas and outline their initial hypotheses. By setting up their own projects in QGIS, they will gain an understanding of GPS, coordinates, mapping, and the integration of real-world and digital data.
Using Excel, students will apply basic statistical analysis and present their results in group discussions.
Important Details
- This workshop can be easily adapted and tailored to the needs of your school.
- These workshops are free of charge for any school within the Lothian area of Scotland.
- If you’re interested, please contact us.
Primary and Secondary School Age Comparison
We provide our services to schools worldwide, and to assist, we’ve included a table comparing primary and secondary school age groups in various countries. If you’d like to arrange a remote session or discuss any details, please feel free to contact us.
| Age Group | Scotland | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Canada | Australia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary School | P1 - P7 (Ages 5-11) | Reception - Year 6 (Ages 4-11) | Grundschule (Ages 6-10) | École Primaire (Ages 3-10) | Elementary School (Ages 5-11) | Primary School (Ages 5-12) | Elementary School (Ages 5-11) |
| Secondary School | S1 - S6 (Ages 12-17) | Year 7 - Year 13 (Ages 11-18) | Sekundarschule / Gymnasium (Ages 10-18) | Collège & Lycée (Ages 11-18) | High School (Ages 12-18) | High School (Ages 12-18) | Middle School & High School (Ages 11-18) |
