Well done to the Star Writers ⭐⭐⭐! We loved reading their stories about their snow adventures.

Hard at work during numeracy time!😀

Happy New Year to all our Primary 1 parents and families. Hope everyone had a lovely break. We are now back to working hard and learning lots in Primary 1!

Literacy

In literacy this term we are continuing to learn the sounds our letters make. We have nearly been introduced to every letter in the alphabet!!! We will be focusing on using our knowledge of the letter sounds to make words and help us “decode” unfamiliar words.

We are becoming more confident in writing letters the correct way so we will be doing more writing in class each week. We will be writing sentences and remembering that each one starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop!!!

Reading books is a wonderful thing to do, in and out of class!! This term we will continue to read in our groups but will also be encouraging reading for enjoyment in our library. We know to use the pictures on the front cover and the title to give us clues as to what the book might be about. We will continue to make predictions about story books and will be starting to sequence the main points of a story.

Numeracy

Now that many of us are confident in working within numbers to 10, we are exploring numbers to 20. We are also continuing with addition and reinforcing our addition strategies such as “counting on” and “using a number line”. Some of us are working our way through the addition facts to 10, using lots of different toys and materials. We have also been exploring calculations involving doubles! We will be looking at the subtraction facts too and investigating how these link with addition.

Our “beyond number” focus this term will be “Time”. We will be thinking about day and night time activities to begin with, sequencing our daily activities into the correct order. We will be exploring clocks and particular times of the day that are special to us! We will be looking at how we can show an “o’clock time. Similarly we will be talking about the days of the week and months of the year, ordering these and exploring the corresponding seasons.

Interdisciplinary Learning

We will continue with our topic of Materials this term, exploring and sorting different materials from indoors and outdoors according to their properties and type. We will be creating things with materials, using the knowledge we have gained to help us select the most appropriate ones for our jobs.

The second topic we will be learning about this term is “Sun, Moon and Stars”. During this we will be thinking about when the sun and moon are in the sky, thinking about their position and relating this to day and night. We will explore shadows and how they are made. We will be introduced to some of the other planets and will look at their position in the solar system. As part of our interest in topical science, we will research space travel.

RE

During RE we are thanking God for giving us His only son, Jesus, to be our friend. During Lent, in particular, we will be thinking of ways we can be like Jesus by being kind, caring, helpful etc. We will be trying to fill our purple heart of kindness with as many acts of love as we can.

Health and Wellbeing

During Health and Wellbeing we are focusing on the importance of personal hygiene, in particular daily tooth brushing and hand washing. We will also be talking about friendships and who we can go to if we have a problem.

In PE, we are taking part in a block of “Fun Fitness”, developing a range of skills using various parts of our bodies. We will also be developing our racket skills, learning to direct and pass beanbags and balls using a variety of sizes of rackets.

What a busy term for Primary 1!!! We have had Hallowe’en celebrations and attended our first mass for “All Saints Day”.  Our Christmas Show celebrations are well underway!! The next few weeks will be very busy indeed!

Literacy

We are now learning the sounds that the individual letters make.  As well as being able to recognise and write these, we are beginning to put them together to make small words, eg at, it, is, sit etc.

We are continuing to work on our fine motor skills to help us when writing our letters.

In reading we are using pictures to help us to read words that are unfamiliar to us.  We are also remembering to point to each individual word as we say it.

Numeracy

We are continuing to think about the numbers before, after and between within numbers to 10.  We have started to count two separate quantities “altogether” and have been recording this in our own ways.  We are now going to be looking at adding on one and two more and learning how to lay this calculation out.

We are looking at patterns all around us and using what we find to help us produce our own.  We will be looking at 3D shape and making connections between these and the 2D shapes we have been learning about.

Number formation will continue to be a focus as there are some numbers which we find very tricky to write!!

Health & Wellbeing

In health & wellbeing Mr Bertocini will be talking about the effects of exercise on our bodies. Mrs Duff will be discussing our emotions and how different experiences make us feel .  We will also be talking about what we can do if we need help to feel better and who we can go to for help.

During PE, we are developing our gymnastics skills and focusing on jumping, travelling, rolling and balancing. We will also be learning social dances in preparation for our Christmas party!!!!

Religious Education

In RE we have been thanking God for the wonderful natural gifts He has given us.  We have also been thanking God for giving us people who love us and care for us.   We know that God has given us these things because He loves us so much.  In November we will be discussing Saints, focusing on the story of St Andrew. Our focus in December will be advent and the story of the Nativity. We will be preparing for Christmas by trying to be kind and caring to others.  We will explore the nativity through drama, art, music and stories.

Interdisciplinary Learning

Our topic for this term is “Materials”. We will explore and sort different materials, categorising these into their best uses. We will look at which materials float and sink and use this knowledge to help build a boat.

Expressive  Arts

Christmas will be the stimulus for our art, music, drama and dance activities this term.

Welcome to Primary 1 and the school blog. The children have all settled in very well and are ready to learn!! This first blog will give you an outline of the learning that will take place in each curricular area until the October holidays.

Literacy

In Primary 1 this term the children are developing their skills in hearing the different sounds in words. We have been reciting nursery rhymes and clapping syllables to get us “tuned” in to the words around us.  We are also giving our fingers a daily workout at “Finger gym”.

Each morning we come into class and take part in an activity that helps to develop our fine motor skills. These skills will be so important when we start writing our letters and numbers.

We are reading lots of stories and looking at the pictures to help our understanding of what is going on.  We are also using the picture on the front cover and the title to think about what the story might be about.

Numeracy

Numbers are all around us in Primary 1 this term! We will be going on number hunts to become more aware of where we find numbers and what we use them for, understanding their importance in everyday life.

We will be working with numbers to 10, exploring quantities by counting out, ordering and playing with concrete objects. The children will also be learning how to write numbers properly.

We will also be developing our ability to use the language of maths, thinking about “before”, “after”, “more”, “less” etc.

Health & Wellbeing

Emotional and social health will revolve around “settling in” for Primary 1.  They will become familiar with their new school environment through an introduction to class routines as well as the rules and rights of our discipline policy which makes our classroom a safe and happy place to learn.

PE – The children will go to gym twice each week on a Monday and Thursday afternoon.  Please ensure your children have no jewellery and full gym kit in school on these days.  Polo shirts are also advisable on these days.

Initially the children will participate in developmental play to familiarise them with the gym halls and ensure they are aware of how we keep ourselves safe.

Religious Education

We are learning about God and His unconditional love for us.  We will be “talking” to God through our special prayer times where we will learn how to make the sign of the cross as well as our morning and afternoon prayers. We will also learn that God made each of one of us and we are all unique with our own “special” talents.

Interdisciplinary Learning (Topic)

Our topics for this term will be “Nursery Rhymes” and “History of Me”. The children will be asking for information and photographs about their birth and early childhood. They will be learning that we can find things out by asking questions and looking at dates/photographs.

Technologies

We will be using our STEM area to design and build constructions through collaborative play or to solve a design challenge.

In ICT the children will use Ipads and Promethean boards to aid their learning across the curriculum.  The children will also have the opportunity to develop their abilities in using the mouse.

Expressive Arts

Primary 1 will be continuing their theme of “nursery rhymes” in Drama and Art by making puppets and acting out the rhymes.

We look forward to meeting you all at the Parents Night in October!

Mrs Duff