Primary 7 Term 1 Curricular Update

Welcome back. We hope everyone had a lovely summer and enjoyed the fabulous weather. It’s great to have Primary 7 back and we also welcome Mrs Canning to our classroom who will teach on a Monday. Primary 7 is such a special year and we are delighted to support your children through their final year at Mount Carmel.

Below is an overview of the exciting learning and teaching taking place this term.

Literacy

Reading

This term our focus is on fiction texts. P7 will read fiction text pertinent to their CfE level. They will complete daily reading to writing tasks and work on active comprehension tasks, both independently and as a group. Most groups will focus on answering comprehension questions using quotes and evidence from the text, a skill they will need in S1. We will also be expecting P7 to use active comprehension strategies across other areas of the curriculum.

Writing

P7 will focus on two writing genres this term: Descriptive and Discursive. Both genre’s link with our Term 1 topic – Land Uses. P7 will use their descriptive writing skills to describe and compare two different landscapes within our local area. Pupils will build on their discursive writing skills to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a proposed land use development in Kilmarnock.

Spelling

The spelling groups will continue to experience the Active Literacy spelling program; this will introduce common words and focus phonemes pertinent to their level and stage. The pupils will revise the Active Spelling strategies throughout Term 1, these include diacritical marking, syllabification and words within words.

Numeracy

P7 start Term 1 by revising their fraction knowledge from P6 and moving on to identifying and using percentages in different ways, understanding the links between fractions, decimals and percentages. These are important skills so we will dedicate time to ensure pupils feel confident applying them in a range of contexts. Most pupils will focus on decimal place value and using decimals within the four operations. They will also be introduced to negative numbers and practice applying these in real life situations. Mrs Canning will focus on Beyond Number on a Monday. P7 will be building on their understanding of Area and Perimeter.

Health and Wellbeing

In P7 we continue to follow the PATHS programme to support pupils social and emotional wellbeing. In P7 there is a strong focus on developing skills for transition to secondary school. This term the PATHS focus is learning strategies to manage stress.

Primary 7 will be focussing on ‘Super Skills for Super Futures’, life skills that will support them in S1 and beyond. In Term 1 we will focus on positive mental health and how this can be nurtured and fostered collectively.

Our PE days are Monday (Mrs Canning) and Wednesday (Mrs Terras). Pupils are required to have a FULL change on these days. P7 will build on their Badminton and Hockey skills this term with some pupils encouraged to use their existing skills to ‘coach’ other pupils.

French

Mrs Canning will teach French on a Monday. P7 will learn vocabulary related to environment and become familiar use a bilingual dictionary to be able to read simple French texts independently.

Expressive Arts

It is not a secret we love signing and music in Primary 7! This term the Charanga music programme will allow pupils to discuss and learn about different genres of music, rhythm and tempo and instruments. It also allows them to sing different genres as well. Whole school hymn assembly on a Tuesday will allow pupils to learn and sing new hymns and songs together.

RME

P7 continue to work towards their Pope Francis Faith Award. This award encourages children to live out their faith at school, at home and in the Parish. Pupils will work towards their award by reflecting on Gospel values, taking part in acts of service, and sharing their faith through words and actions. The Diocese of Galloway planners will support the core teaching of RME in Primary 7 covering key events in the liturgical calendar.

IDL

Our main topic this term is Land Uses (residential, tourism and business). In this topic P7 will learn about how land is used in Kilmarnock for the purposes of housing, business and tourism. P7 evaluate a proposed land use in Kilmarnock and its impact on their community. Pupils will have the opportunities to analyse maps, discuss sustainability, and compare Land Use in Kilmarnock to another town in Scotland.

 UNCRC

As a school we are working towards our Rights Respecting Schools Silver Award. During the first week back at school P7 (the rights holders) discussed and created their class charter with their teachers (the duty bearers). The rights they chose were:

• Every child has a right to an education
• Every child has the right to play and rest
• Every child has the right to be listened to.

Linking in with the Class Charter, Primary 7 enjoyed the Reward Card system last year and asked to use it again in P7. The reward card system allows pupils to gain reward cards for Wonderful Work, Amazing Attitude, and being a ‘Superstar.’ When the pupils gain five cards, they can choose an individual reward. They can also choose to go for a class reward once everyone reaches five reward cards; this promotes teamwork within the class.

Learner Journals

Pupils will continue to Learner Journals to reflect on their progress and celebrate achievements. We encourage parents and carers to login to Learner Journals as it provides a valuable link between home and school.

Thank you,

Mrs Terras and Mrs Canning