Welcome back, I hope everyone is feeling refreshed after their October holiday and P5 are now ready to tackle more exciting new learning up until Christmas!

Literacy –

This term we will be consolidating our recently acquired new Active Literacy skills and putting them into practise in our daily activities across the curriculum. In class, we will continue to develop further our phoneme knowledge to help with our spelling as well as our vocabulary. We will also be developing our talking and listening skills in groups and individually as we focus in particular on debating , using persuasive language and questioning techniques for our new topic. We will be reinforcing and developing our grammar by revising  paragraphs, adverbs, direct speech and other language features for added effect and style. In writing, we will be creating reports, designing a manifesto and looking at/ writing our own discursive texts. We will hold our own class debate to elect party leaders who will represent a pretend party of our choice.

Our Bug Club readers used in class/home will enhance and further support progression in our comprehension skills recently introduced e.g. prior knowledge, main ideas, looking at inferential questions or meta linguistics -how to find out what unknown words mean using strategies to work it out.

Our book focus will be varied this term including stories : The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge  & Extracts from ‘The Breadwinner’ as well as non-fiction reading on Local Politics.

Maths – This term we will be focussing on

Measure :

• Estimation. Going outdoors for some lessons.
• Different units of measure (mm, cm, m, ml, kg, g, km and l).
• Volume (capacity) and Area.

Subtraction :

• Subtract 2,3,4 digit numbers with or without exchanging.
• Engage in active maths games.
• Participate in daily mental maths activities to improve recall , underpin knowledge and develop our strategies for learning.
• Use ICT to enhance our learning.

Topic -Having enjoyed our initial topic, this term we will be concluding  ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ and moving onto our new topic.

                              

Our first topic this term will be  ‘Local Politics’.

We will be using WordAware in class to look at key vocabulary we need to know before we can understand our topic. We will look at issues affecting us locally and how we can help, also, how people use their influence in politics to make changes local e.g. through charitable work. We will discuss recent visits from our local councillor and invite a councillor in to our class debate.

• Look at local social issues e.g. Homelessness/Foodbank/Hillhouse Care etc./Mary’s Meals.
• Fairtrade – ethical trading.  Run a charitable enterprise.
• Create a manifesto.
• Look at different methods of payment.

  Science – Sound and Light (Mini Topic 2)

We will be busy conducting experiments to investigate sound and light up until Christmas. Here are the main points to be covered:

• Understand and explain the process of how light and sound travels.
• Sound/Light as Communication – Morse Code/ Sundial
• Various effects  – Reflection, Refraction, White light Spectrum and the design of a Camera Obscura.
• Creating our own musical instruments/ phones/amplifiers.
• Research  Project- John Logie Baird or Alexander Graham Bell.

 ICT –

• Personal project on Powerpoint /SWAY on Science topic.
• Sumdog/IDL/Glow logins and familiarisation.

Expressive Arts- 

Music – P5 will be learning Christmas songs in French /hymns and attending weekly choir lessons with Miss Donnelly for our Christmas fayre.

Art- Creating Christmas fayre craft. Collaborative Assembly Hall Artwork Frieze. Graffiti Art.

Drama – We will be debating and taking on different roles such as MP/ Councillor Surgery hot seating and thought tunnel conventions.

R.E –  October – we have been focussing on the creation and how nature is God’s gift to us. We have spoken about St Francis Of Assisi and reflecting on Mary, Mother of God. We are beginning to learn new prayers such as the Angelus (prayed at noon) and honouring Mary by praying the Rosary during this month.

November – This is a month of Remembrance as we pray for loved ones who are no longer with us and think of the good memories. The centenary of WWI Armistice will be an additional focus where we can revaluate what really matters in the world.  We have already attended ‘All Saints Day’ mass at church and will continue to look at more stories of the Saints throughout November . Our Class will focus on St Vincent de Paul, research his life and linking it to our topic, understand what this Society does in our local community.

Finally, in December, as we move into the Season of Advent. We prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth and reflect. P5 will look at this through the gospel of St Mark and how his portrayal of the birth of Jesus compares to the other Gospels. As a class we will understand the important signs and symbols of Christmas, liturgical colours and learn about the Advent Wreath.

Health and Wellbeing (HWB) – Mr Bertoncini /Mrs McIntyre – 

Topics this term include – Peer Pressure and dealing with these scenarios, Smoking and Alcohol and writing a CV / Job Specifications.

P.E –  Social dance (Mrs Mc/Mr B in Oct/Nov) – Primary 5 will be participating in a ‘Day Of Dance’ on November 14th to celebrate traditional Scottish Social Dances. We have already started to add new dances to our growing social dance repertoire ( Gay Gordons/Canadian Barn dance/ Flying Scotsman) to now include the ‘Red Nose Jig’ , ‘Haymakers’ and ‘The Waratah Weaver’. Happy Ceilidh-ing P5! We will have the moves ready for our Christmas party in December!!

• Football (Dec)– Mrs McIntyre
• Gymnastics (Dec)–  Mr Bertoncini