Ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices

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We found out about what people in Ancient Egypt believed about gods and goddesses. We compared the facts to what we know about other religions and found some similarities and some differences.

Using what we had found out we then created a god or goddess of our own. The style of our drawing was like the drawings found from ancient times. We also gave each god or goddess an interesting name and a special power, just like in Ancient Egypt.

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In our next lessons we learned about beliefs and practices linked to death. The day after the February holiday was all about this. First we made notes in a listening activity and completed some follow up tasks with the key facts and vocabulary.

Then we used the reading strategies we have been practising recently to sequence the steps of how to make a mummy. We talked about whether or not we would have liked to have been ‘mummy makers’.

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Next we used what we had learned about mummification and preserving bodies to try and make a science prediction. We took six equal pieces of freshly cut apple and covered each one in a different substance. One piece was left alone – this was a ‘control’ piece. We then predicted which substance would be best at drying out and preserving the apple. The ancient Egyptians left bodies to dry out for at least forty days so we may have to wait a while for the results! What is your prediction? Why?

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Finally, in Art+Design we each designed a sarcophagus and mummy to go inside. We used colour, line and pattern on the highly decorated top section.

Please come to our open afternoon to find out more about daily life in Ancient Egypt!

Art + Design

In art we have recently been inspired by famous artists and some of their best known works. So far we have learned a little about Piet Mondrian, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. We tried to create images using some of the same elements that appear in their masterpieces. Here are the results:

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Ancient Egyptian homes

We made notes about Ancient Egyptian homes. We found out that they all had some common features but also had differences that depended on how important or rich people were.

After that we chose from a range of materials and made our own Ancient Egyptian house models. Here are some of them on show!

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Super science!

This week we used what we know about the human skeleton to play ‘bone bingo’, complete a quiz and make these detailed diagrams. We used art straws for the bones then labelled them, trying to use as many sciency words as possible. Next week we’re going to start learning about the organs.

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Leading our Learning

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Here are a few recent examples of collaborative learning where Miss Paterson plans experiences before we take control.

The Fairy Bread some of us made was delicious! And the excavation site and museum role play have given us lots of chances to share our growing knowledge of Ancient Egypt as well as think about what people do in different jobs.

 

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A Hairy McLary Adventure

We started our week with a literacy workshop based on the tales of Hairy McLary. We used talking, listening, problem solving and some fabulous drama skills to find the haggis, neeps and tatties that had been stolen from Donaldson’s Dairy.

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Technologies: Angry Birds and Drawing Puzzles

 

We have been challenging ourselves in the ICT suite as we get to grips with coding. Working in pairs we have used skills in reading, directions and movement, talking and listening and problem solving strategies like ‘Guess, Check, Improve’.         ab

Nathan “I really like the Angry Birds because you need to think about the direction carefully.”

Laura ” Me and my partner worked very well together.”

Ben ” I didn’t like the drawing one because it didn’t tell you the starting position but after a few tries we found it.”

Rabiya “I found it hard to move onto the next level but by trying hard we got there.”

Hassan “It was very hard to get past the fourth level but after four or five tries we got to the next one.”

Harris “When me and my partner found it hard to get to the next level we went back and changed some bits.”

Sophie “We had to go back and change quite a lot each time so we could get to the next level. And that was okay.”

 

A magical start to the year!

This started by looking at the ingredients and how to make a magic potion. We worked as groups and we read again then followed the instructions. When we put in the final ingredient it overflowed and exploded all over the desk.

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We also made magic wands by colouring and cutting then attaching the paper to Art straws.

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Uncovering Ancient Egypt

We were learning how the ancient Egyptians used writing. Only special people got to learn that language. Hieroglyphs are the special writing.

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Festive fun!

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Parents and family members, thank you for all your continued support. Wishing you all a relaxing, happy holiday together! In the new year the children will be further supported and challenged through a wide variety of experiences, further building on their interests (and perhaps some of your skills) – watch this space!

Here are some of our latest experiences…

At the end of November we marked St. Andrew’s Day in lots of different ways. Arlo’s Mum played her fiddle and we sang and danced along to traditional Scottish songs and famous tunes like Auld Lang Syne. Miss Paterson was happy to hear us warming up for the Nativity performance that was soon to follow.

 

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We wowed the crowds during our Nativity last week. During our preparations and the show itself we talked about beat and rhythm as we had learned in music earlier in the year. We all improved our oral presentation skills and enjoyed the thrill of sharing our poem and song with an audience, not to mention our unique camel dance! Thank you for all your help getting us ready for this. We hope you enjoyed the show.

 

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As well as measuring and recording weather at our Weather Station, we also had a go at presenting a weather forecast. We used weather vocabulary as well as UK place names and directions from a four-point compass. We thought about how weather affects people’s lives and tried to give the viewers some helpful tips! Watch some clips below:

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We ended the term with a party to celebrate all of our hard work and success over the last few weeks. We had a great time dancing and playing games with Primary 4!

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Finally, in case anyone needs a little extra motivation to tidy all those new toys from Santa, here is a link to our class favourite, the Tidy Up Rumba:

 

A busy few weeks

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Inspired by the weather, we created different scenes using sound and movement. Our friends had fun guessing which type of weather each group had chosen!

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We won the Line of the Week award. Again! We enjoyed an extra play time as a reward and got to share some of our games with Miss Paterson.

Kyle – It feels good to get the extra play time as a treat.

Harris – I feel really happy. It’s a good reward to have an extra break and more time outside.

We also enjoy personal choice and reward time with Golden Time each week. Popular choices are art and craft, construction, role play and time in the Reading Den and Writers’ Workshop.

Raine – Golden Time is the best time ever because we get to play.

Hayah – Golden Time gives us a break.

Aleena – It’s fun because you get to choose what to do.

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As well as junk models, we’ve recently been using K’Nex in Technologies. After making our own creations today we were given a design brief to create a weather station.

Hassan – I’ve learned how to make things with new resources

Liam – We helped each other to make different bits then switched around

Oscar – We made a plan but sometimes we had to rethink and do it differently.

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