Five thousand years of Scottish history from the establishment of Stone Age settlements to the cloning of Dolly the Sheep will be available to the nation through a new website.
Scotland’s History Online is a free internet site which has been developed to help Scottish pupils – and the wider public – learn more about the past.
The website features more than 200 topics, starting with the history of early people such as the Caledonians, Picts and Romans and progressing to the Wars of Independence, the Union, the Jacobites and the making of industrial and urban Scotland.
New topics for schools, which have previously not been supported by curriculum materials, include the Scottish Enlightenment, the Caledonians and Picts, the history of Gaeldom and Scots and Australia.
The most recent entries cover devolution and the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, the advancement of green technologies and the arrival of immigrants from across the globe.
Launching the resource at the National Galleries of Scotland, in Edinburgh, Fiona Hyslop, the Education Secretary, said: “From innovations in the fields of medicine, science and industry through to Scotland’s place in an evolving European Union, it’s essential that our young people develop a strong understanding of Scottish history.
“Scotland’s History Online will stimulate interest in our past, present and future. Not only will this site be an outstanding resource for pupils and teachers, it will also help inform all Scots – both at home and abroad – and everyone who shares an interest in learning about our country.
“For too long Scottish history has been neglected in our schools. That’s why – for the first time – learning about Scotland’s history, heritage and culture is embedded within the curriculum and this new resource helps ensure schools can deliver informed, exciting and varied Scottish history teaching.”
Bernard McLeary, chief executive of Learning and Teaching Scotland who led the development of Scotland’s History Online, said: “This is a fantastic online resource that explores more than 5,000 years of Scottish history, en-abling learners to develop an understanding of how Scotland has grown as a nation, as well as an appreciation of their heritage within the global community.”
Tom Monaghan, president of the Scottish Association of History Teachers, said: “We are delighted to support the development of new online resources for the teaching of Scottish history in our schools and colleges.
“We hope that these resources will encourage colleagues to start local but think global when teaching young Scots about their past, present and future.”
Scotland’s History Online – which is available at www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlands history – aims to support the teaching of a wider range of history topics to pupils than is currently available.
The topics include video clips, photos, illustrations, maps, interactive games, downloads and archive materials.
Two years ago, The Herald revealed that Scottish history was to become a compulsory part of the Higher exam following concerns from teachers that the nation’s past was not properly represented in the paper.
The new Curriculum for Excellence also states that pupils should develop their “understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of their local and national heritage within the world” as part of their studies.
