Aims
- To investigate the concept of Scottishness or Scottish identity
- To think critically about the complex and shifting nature of identity
What you need
- Work Sheet: What Makes You Scottish? (Cut into sets of statements, one per group)
What to do
- Brainstorm the question: What makes you Scottish?
- Ideas might include name, place of birth, language, where you live, how long you have lived there, whether you contribute to your community.
- Group pupils in threes and give each group a set of the ‘I am Scottish because…’ statements.
- Read through the statements and encourage pupils to add in a statement of their own.
Other possibilities include:
- I am a Scot because I am proud to be Scottish
- I am a Scot because I speak Scottish
- I am a Scot because I dress in Scottish clothes
- I am a Scot because I think and act like a Scot
Encourage groups to discuss their understanding of the statements and to diamond rank them in order of relevance and importance. With the most important statement at the top and the least important statement at the bottom.
Hold a plenary session to share their decisions and discuss the points below.
Reflection and evaluation
- Can we agree on what elements make us Scottish?
- Are any of these elements likely to change? How many will always be the same?
- How would your concept of your Scottish identity change if you were in a different situation? For example, if you moved to live in a different country, changed your name or lost your Scottish accent.
Further ideas
Pupils could compile an exhibition of artefacts that say something about their Scottish identity that matters to them.
