Aberdeenshire Charters Lesson

Aberdeenshire Charters Lesson

The following documents provide elements for delivering a primary school lesson about archives and charters. They are also an example of how archives can be used in a creative way to teach several different areas of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Using some local Aberdeenshire documents the lesson covers areas relating to evidence, rights, and artistic elements of some archives, including old handwriting. It culminates in a practical artistic activity to create visually attractive charters expressing a right (perhaps linked in to the school value system) with an option to then allow the children to declare their right in a public area, such as at a local Mercat Cross.

It is aimed at Stage 2 of the Curriculum for Excellence, covering P5-7, and the detailed plan document links each stage of the lesson to specific areas of the Curriculum. The plan also provides links to different resources that can used in the course of delivering the lesson. Sample worksheets also provide templates to help teachers in implementing some of the activities detailed in the lesson plan. These are not rigid though, and can be adapted by teachers to suit their teaching styles and the needs of their classes.

The lesson documents can be accessed here

Images of the two Aberdeenshire charters are also provided for the use of schools here

Should any school wish to discuss this lesson, or the possibility of working with archives in another way in the classroom, please contact Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives using the details below:

Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives
Old Aberdeen House
Dunbar Street
Aberdeen
AB24 3UJ
Tel. 01224 481775
Email: archives@aberdeencity.gov.uk