Hello and welcome to our blog post for term 2. Primary 4 have had a busy first term, looking at our mini topics on animal classifications and deforestation. Children have been working hard in literacy and numeracy within their group and are ready to move on to our new topics within each curricular area.
Literacy
Our reading and spelling activities from term 1 will continue as children focus on their Bug Club reading texts, recognising spelling sounds and phonics within these texts and using their awareness and strategies to tackle unfamiliar words. Reading with expression and fluency will also be a focus whilst using our skills to make appropriate predictions about the text whilst giving reasons for reaching this understanding.
Whilst children have a good grasp of the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts, children will take these skills forward, being able to use key words to locate relevant information from a range of books useful for our topic. They will be able to find, sort and organise information related to specific tasks within fiction and non-fiction texts and make notes in own words that will be used as the basis for their writing. In writing our focus will be on extending sentences and paragraph length, whilst using interesting openers and connectives to join sentences and a wide range of descriptive words.
Maths
Our focus in maths is number and number processes, focussing on place value and partitioning numbers to understand the column value. Those working within the circle and rectangle maths groups will be focussing on numbers up to 9,999 and addition and subtraction strategies when dealing with 4 digit numbers. Those in the square group will continue to develop an understanding of 3 digit numbers, whilst making the link between multiplication and division. Division will be the focus for this group and developing strategies to help with division problems.
Children will regularly use their ‘Thinking It Through’ jotters to develop problem solving skills, applying knowledge of number to new contexts and developing strategies for any number problems. We will also encourage these skills through our daily number challenges and number target board!
Health & Wellbeing
All children have had the opportunity to be pupil of the day and enjoy wearing the special sticker and privileges that come with this. We will continue with this so as each child have the opportunity again in term 2. We have been exploring emotions, comfortable and uncomfortable and how we recognise these emotions within ourselves and in others. We now have a bank of strategies to support us when we feel uncomfortable, and these emotions will continue to be explored as we reach a deeper understanding of how these feelings can impact on us and how to seek help or support.
In P.E, our sessions will continue to take place outside where possible, on a Monday and Wednesday afternoon, however we can now access the hall once per week and indoor sessions will commence soon. Our focus will be on developing racquet skills further through badminton/tennis and on fitness, building stamina and strength through a variety of exercises.
R.E
Our focus during R.E sessions will be the sacraments as children prepare for their Confirmation and First Holy Communion. We will look at the Sacrament of Baptism and how this is the starting point in our journey with God. The booklets which support First Holy Communion will be issued, later in term 2, to those pupils who are taking part, and there will be activities for parents to complete at home with their child. This will also be our in-class focus, so children fully understand each of the Sacraments and their importance in their relationship with God.
Topic
Our topics for term 2 will be ‘The Vikings in Scotland’ and ‘Food Chains and Webs’ in science. The focus in our Viking topic will be to look at Viking life, society, and class systems. We will explore Viking Gods as well as look at the impact of the Vikings in Scotland. In science, understanding food chains and food webs of animals from different environments and ecosystems across the globe, will be the focus. We will also examine the impacts human beings are having on food chains too.
We hope this is the start of another successful term as we navigate the continued impact of the pandemic on our lives. Please be assured we will continue to keep things as normal as possible for our children, despite the different restrictions in place.
Take care,
Mrs Travers
J 
