Badges of responsibility

Planning the project

After attending an in-service event on Curriculum for Excellence, Debbie decided to take the opportunity to integrate different areas of children’s learning within an enterprise project. She used a detailed planning grid to record the pupils' learning and to identify cross-curricular links.

This method of planning 'connected the agendas' of Citizenship, Enterprise, Creativity, Eco Schools and Health Promotion.

Download Debbie's Badges of Responsibility planning grid

Investigating responsibility

The children explored what ‘jobs’ and responsibilities people took on within the school community. They engaged in active learning, visiting other classes in the school and interviewing staff and pupils to learn about these roles. 

Badge production

A grant of £90 from Dundee Enterprise Fund was used to purchase badge-making equipment. In small groups, the children used catalogues to find out how much badges would cost, and worked out how many to order.

Various pieces of software were trialled, including Textease, Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word. The children found that they could draw circles using Microsoft Publisher and also add Word Art to the badges, which would give them the curved shape they required for the text on the badges.

Having worked individually, in pairs and in small groups to design the badges, the children then involved the whole school by asking them to vote for the best designs to be used in the finished badges.

Sharing the product

The completed Badges of Responsibility were given to class teachers to distribute amongst their pupils. They were worn proudly by children throughout the school. 

Pupils also designed a leaflet to go out to all parents to inform them about the project and the learning that was taking place.

Download the pupils' leaflet for parents.

A web page was developed for the school website and the designs were uploaded to the site to showcase the pupils’ work to a wider audience.