EWHCF Class of 2020

This week we were lucky to have assistance from our catering staff to make spring rolls and noodles. We have been learning about different foods that were enjoyed by people in China so we asked if they would help us make them. 

Folding the pastry was difficult and we needed some help! Some of us enjoyed eating them at home whilst others shared them with our families. 

Our favourite things from term 3:

LC – I enjoyed creating Chinese fans and willow pattern vases.

CD – Art was fun, I liked learning about Scottish artists and copying their style.

JL – I enjoyed using the computer to recreate a Macintosh Rose. I also enjoyed poetry writing, getting to create funny stories through poems.

TMcD – I enjoyed making paper flowers to give my mum for her birthday.

PS – I am so happy that  I enjoyed the school netball team this term.

EM – The netball team came 3rd in the East Renfrewshire finals!

ID – In numeracy I enjoyed learning about time.

AD – I liked studying the Scottish Artists.

SR – We created drama to share with the nursery, I enjoyed that!

YM – It was fun making the spring rolls as I have never had them before.

Next term we are looking forward to Bikeability, our fitness and body topic, creating healthy food and smoothies, P.E. and some outdoor art.

Have a great holiday Primary 6!

We have been continuing our research on China by looking at Chinese Fans. We discovered that these date back to the 7th century and were often used to tell a story or a poem. We used fine details in our painting to recreate the type of images you would typically find on a Chinese fan.

As part of our research we have been analysing data linked to China’s population over the last 60 years. During our I.C.T. sessions we have been investigating ways to use Excel spreadsheets to collate information as well as investigating how we can then use and interpret the information we have collected. We learned about using certain tools in Excel and there are ones that allow us to create charts and graphs. We thought this was extremely useful so when some of our maths groups were investigating time to the one hundredth of a second we thought we could apply these skills in our numeracy work as well. We had a great time creating activities and recording the times, so much so that we then continued the learning in P.E. 

Our drama lessons have continued to focus on China. We have been learning about improvisation, once we were in our drama ‘families’ Mrs Norman gave us a different scenario to act out, imagining our family was living in China. It was a lot of fun to see the different characters in the family emerge. When we swapped with P6B, Mr Atkinson taught us some numbers in Mandarin.

Our writing this week has been focusing on poetry. We used basic animal descriptions to create short funny poems about animals. We set ourselves the target of including similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia and alliteration. It was a lot more challenging than we thought!

We are still inspired from our author visit last week. We were so lucky to have a visit from author Alex Nye who wrote the book Chill that we all studied in class. Alex came to us to talk about her inspiration to be a writer as well as sharing some real life photographs of her inspiration for Chill. It was great to hear her stories, as well as being able to share some of our own ideas. She thought that Danny’s story was great! At the end of her talk we were able to get our books signed by the author, as well as being able to purchase some of her newer books. We now all have some holiday reading!

Snapshot of P6B’s learning!

Where to begin, so much has happened over the course of the last few weeks!

In preparation for our China assembly we have been linking our language, art, social studies and P.E lessons to our topic. In writing we created information leaflets on China. This involved researching facts at home as part of our talk homework. Mrs Fry then taught us the purpose and features of a leaflet. We then used plans to organise our leaflets and we included some pictures to make them eye-catching.

Our tennis P.E sessions have been replaced by Chinese dancing which Mr Atkinson demonstrated to us… that was an interesting sight. We used a range of different props including fans to recreate some popular Chinese dances such as the Tiger and Lion Dances. Some pupils volunteered to create and perform a Chinese inspired dance using fans for our assembly.

To help build our reading skills and knowledge we have been investigating the differences between myths/legends and facts. We achieved this by learning about the Chinese interpretation of how the world formed. It was believed that Pan Gu, a giant, broke out of an egg and held one half up in the air to create the sky and pushed down the lower half to form the earth. He stood between the two pieces for many years but later died. His body then helped to create and populate the planet. We then discussed how this is a myth rather than fact as there is no concrete evidence as to whether this did or did not happen. We also recreated this story during our drama sessions in preparation for our assembly.

Art has been fantastic! We have now finished our famous Scottish artist paintings and have moved onto China specific artwork. Mr Atkinson, who studied some calligraphy with a master when he was in China, taught us about the special equipment required to do Chinese calligraphy. He also showed us the different styles and strokes people use when creating calligraphy. We learnt that some masters have stamps which they use to sign their work, similar to signatures. Mr Bickett helped the class to create our very own dragons as well as class dragon which are used in the Dragon Dance. We accomplished this by drawing around our hands and cutting out the sketches which were then used as the body of the dragons. Then we used a range of materials to create patterns that were lifelike scales. Next week we will start designing Chinese lanterns and fans.

In music we are continuing to listen to and comment on the different types of Chinese music. We have been rehearsing our assembly songs, All About China and Confucianism Rap, which required us to learn some Chinese words.

As mentioned in our last blog we performed our UNCRC fairytales to the nursery which everyone thoroughly enjoyed!

Earlier in the week we had a surprise visitor! Alex Nye, the author of our class novel Chill, came to visit P6. It was incredible! She told us about what inspired her to write the Chill series and how she became a writer. Alex also taught us about what makes an exciting and successful novel! A lot of us were able to buy some of her books and even got her signature on them.

Over the last few weeks all maths groups have been very busy! Some of the topics covered include; coordinates, BODMAS, area, perimeter, compass work, multiplying two digit numbers, sequences and patterns, algebra, greater than and less than equations and long multiplication.

Mr Atkinson’s Comment

Congratulations to all of P6B for an excellent assembly! You have worked so hard to create this amazing show and you should all be very proud. The Confucianism Rap was definitely my highlight! It was great to meet some of the parents/guardians after the assembly and again thank you to everyone who allowed their children to bring in props for the show.

Over the last few weeks primary 6 have been busy creating our own versions of some classic fairytales in drama. We applied a variety of drama techniques to use our body movements and expressions to tell the story before adding in some narration. Our purpose for preparing the fairytales was to share with the nursery class and highlight the rights that were not being met for the characters in the story. Some were easy to identify although for some others we needed to look a bit further. As a class we have really enjoyed this and we are sure our audience enjoyed it too. We were all impressed with our nursery audience! On Friday morning we had a visit from some of the nursery boys and girls who had made us a special gift to say thank you, we have it displayed in the classroom and it has given us some inspiration for our topic next term!

We have continued to work on our drama skills through a series of workshop style lessons. We have now all been assigned a family member of one of seven Chinese families to develop through our drama over the coming weeks.

This week we celebrated World Book Day 2019. To coincide with this we had been completing a reading challenge as well as having a go at entering BBC Radio 2’s 500 words competition. We can identify and explain the important link between reading and writing. We have had several pupils enter the competition, remember to print out your certificate if you entered as well!

On World Book Day we looked at picture books aimed at children younger than ourselves. After reading them we developed ‘lesson ideas’ that we felt could be used to analyse and evaluate the story. From ‘Wanted’ posters to Venn diagrams we were able to make an extensive list. After we had a go at some of our activities and we have decided we would like to visit some of the younger classes to try them out. Look how focussed we are!

Later on in the afternoon of World Book Day we joined with primary 3a to do some ‘buddy reading’. Both the big buddies and little buddies were a credit to themselves as we spent quality time sharing our books. We would love to do this again soon!     

In writing we are creating leaflets based on China. We are looking at different aspects of the country and using a leaflet to share our information. We will continue working on these next week. To help emerge ourselves in to our China topic we used the Class VR headsets to visit the Great Wall of China. Hopefully we will use these again to visit other Chinese landmarks. 

Our numeracy focus has been data handling so we are linking this to China as well. Since we have been using excel to create charts and graphs we have been gathering information about the Chinese population and creating a wide range of graphs. On Friday we were plotting the birth rate in China over the last 50 years.

On Friday we had visitors from the Scottish SPCA. At assembly they talked about their role to protect animals against cruelty then later on in the day we were invited to join in with a workshop creating our own ‘wild animals’. Using coding we built a range of Rhu the Rabbit. This was great fun and we would like to do this again soon!

Look out for some Chilling news in next weeks blog…

Primary 6a have been busy!

After the New Year we were busy researching, learning and investigating our country so we could present our ‘Broons’ Guide to Scotland’ show to our family and friends. Our talents and skills allowed us to entertain an audience for the afternoon with singing, highland dancing, acting and even the bagpipes.

We continued to learn about Scotland and some famous Scottish artists. We recreated works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Jack Vettriano, Alison Watt, Sir Henry Raeburn and Samuel John Pepole. We discussed the colours, techniques and expressions of each of the artists before selecting a style to create on our own.

February brought ‘Safer Internet Day.’ As a class it was a great opportunity to discuss and debate about our own issues and worries online. A visit from the Campus Police Officer alerted us to the serious nature of online bullying, as well as what to do if  we don’t feel safe online.

We have now started our investigative research on China. As a class we all had different areas we wanted to learn about so we split in to different groups to produce a fact file. Mrs Norman allowed us the freedom to present our work in anyway we like although we need to be able to present our findings back to the class to share our learning. Our display is looking good. We have discussed areas we would still like to investigate and are looking forward to these over the next few weeks.

We were very fortunate that Henry’s mum visited us last week to share some videos of dance from the Confucius Society. We enjoyed watching her dance, exploring the fans she brought in and learning some dance moves ourselves.

Last Friday we took part in ‘Mini Mudder’ organised by the pupil council in order to raise funds for the school Activity Trail. Although it was a lovely sunny day we all ended up VERY muddy! Even Mrs Norman took part, although she may have been targeted by more water soakers than the children!

Our literacy work has been focusing on creating stories that are interesting to a variety of readers. Following our class novel ‘Chill’ we are trying to complete a reading challenge by reading as many different styles of books as possible. This is helping us to create some entries for BBC Radio 2’s 500 word competition. We are looking at editing and improving our stories as we work on them.

Over the next few weeks our numeracy work will focus on data handling and research which we have decided to link to our China research. We are hoping to investigate the current and past population of the country as well as levels of pollution. Using excel we are aiming to create a range of graphs and charts that we can share.

Snapshot of P6B’s learning!

This week in P.E. we started practising skills related to tennis. First we worked on our ability to control the ball and then we learnt about the importance of positioning. Next we were introduced to a forehand activity which required us to work in pairs and throw the ball at our partners racket. Then, in a controlled way we would hit the ball back.

In ICT we resumed our spreadsheet and information handling lessons. This required us to use a range of formulas related to addition, subtraction and multiplication to complete questions based on the data. Mr Atkinson also explained to us how these formulas can be used in jobs.

In language we all finished our class novel Chill by Alex Nye. During our time of reading this book we have been applying lots of different reading skills such as evaluating, predicting, analysing, comparing, contrasting, inferring, summarising and assessing. By using these techniques we have a greater understanding of the plot.

P6 are also in the process of creating dramatisations of popular fairytales but with a focus on the UNCRC articles. Next week the P6 pupils plan to perform their stories in front of the morning and afternoon nursery sessions.

Mr Atkinson’s Comment

Well done to everyone who organised and took park in the Mini Mudder challenge! It was thoroughly enjoyed by all and helped raise funds for the new activity trail. Thank you to all the parents and guardians who are allowing their children to bring in items related to the China topic. It provides the pupils an opportunity to share their knowledge with their peers.

Snapshot of P6B’s learning!

P6B spent the week celebrating Chinese New Year! We learnt how to say Happy New Year, researched the Chinese Zodiac story, practised writing some names in Mandarin and created our KWL for starting the topic next week. Through compare and contrast activities we are going to link the rights of a child and the UNCRC articles to this topic. The class also got to experience first-hand the tao hongbao custom of giving red envelops.

In maths Albert Einstein have started the algebra topic. Isaac Newton created their own perimeters by using measuring tapes and metre sticks. Emmy Noether have been converting grams and kilograms. They also used scales to weigh different objects. Maria Agnesi finished their grid reference topic by challenging each other to plot and connect several grid references.

Mr Judge has started the fitness block for his P.E. sessions.

As part of our Health and Wellbeing topic we have been learning about substance misuse. In groups we discussed how medicines can be used safely and how some substances can affect the body and behaviour differently.

Snapshot of P6B’s learning!

Our class novel is Chill by Alex Nye! Mr Becket, who is an archaeologist, shared with us his experience of exploring the actually area where The Battle of Sheriffmuir occurred, which we read about in the book.

During our natural disaster topic we carried a range of science experiments such as volcano and blizzard making. Everyone in the class also had to prepare debates and presentations on their disasters. This involved researching a natural disaster and then peer assessing each presentation. We then discussed how the rights of a child may be affected   in the aftermath of a natural disaster. For example, children may not have access to education, clean water or a safe place to play. 

In preparation for the P6 show, A Broons Guide to Scotland, some of the pupils were busy making props! As part of our Scotland topic, Mrs Norman and Mr Atkinson helped us recreate our very own Charles Rennie Mackintosh paintings which are now displayed outside the classroom. We loved learning about the history of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and how his designs still influence modern architecture.

Every Friday the class and the Eco Committee gathers and counts the crisps packets from all the classes in the school as part of a new recycling scheme.

Mr Atkinson’s Comment

Congratulations to everyone in P6 for a fantastic and entertaining show! I am very proud of how hard you worked to master your lines and stage directions!

Summary of the last couple of weeks in P6B

Over the last few weeks we have been learning about natural disasters. We first researched the wildfires in California that are happening right now. We then wrote a piece on surviving the wildfires and applied our knowledge of words related to the five senses to create detailed descriptions. The firefighters are still fighting the fires so we wish them luck and we are thinking of those affected by this disaster. The next natural disaster we learnt was Earthquakes. To fully grasp why earthquakes happen we created our very own earth layers model, this helped us to understand the movement of tectonic plates. After earthquakes we studied tsunamis. Earthquakes under the water create waves in the ocean which can result in an tsunami. We are making powerpoints with a partner on the Boxing Day Tsunami which we will present to the class over the next few weeks. FACT: Did you know that the word tsunami is Japanese and it means harbour wave. Soon we are going to be making Volcanoes and conduct a science experiment. – Holly

In maths Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein have finished the decimals, fractions and percentages topics.We have been adding, subtracting, multiplying  and dividing decimals by multiples of 10, 100 and 1000s. Emmy Noether have been dividing whole numbers by 10s, 100s, 1000s resulting in either a whole number or a decimal number. Maria Agnesi have been learning about position and directions which has required them to use compass directions and angles. As a class we have been thinking of different strategies to use in mental maths. – Hashim

Here are some P6B achievements. Lucas has won 2 badminton tournaments and got into the Anglo-Scottish County Event Ren Team! Corinne got her first challenge badge at Cubs. The badminton team came 2nd in a tournament with Mr Weir. Alexander won a Rugby match against Stirling and Cameron won a football match! – Emily 

On Tuesday Ricky Munday visited our school to give us an inspirational talk about following our dreams. He told us that he had attempted to climb Mount Everest and initially failed. The second time he tried he was successful and raised around £7000. He also told us about going to Antarctica and what his job as a polar ambassador involved. After the presentation Mr Atkinson talked to us about how Ricky had a growth mindset and we discussed this further. – Rayyan

In R.M.E we are looking into the religion of Islam and the five pillars. – Farhan 

Mr Atkinson’s comment

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all the plastic bottle donations for the ECO Christmas tree. We have started building it and we are hoping to finish it over the next couple of weeks. Before the end of this term pupils have been asked to create a presentation on their chosen natural disaster, this can be delivered in any format. The weather has not been ideal recently but pupils should be encouraged to bring in the appropriate clothing for P.E.

This week in PE with Mr Atkinson we have been working in groups of three to create a sequence of roles and balances which we will perform in front of the class at the next session. We have finished our Soft Ball lessons with Mr Judge and he has told us that we are now going to be moving onto Athletics next week.

We combined our reading and language lesson with our natural disasters topic by working in partners and studying a comprehension piece of text on tsunamis.

On Friday Mr Atkinson shared with us the importance of Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. Armistice Day is commemorated every year on 11^th of November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War One and Germany. We also learnt that this year was particularly special as it was the hundredth anniversary of when WW1 came to an end. Mr Atkinson taught us about what the poppy represents and how they are created by veterans. We then learnt about Scotland’s involvement and contribution to the war’s effort. Afterwards we discussed the life a  teenager during this era and reflected on how their lifestyle would be very different from our own. We pondered how the rights of a child and some of the UNCRC articles may have been overlooked during this era. Finally, we investigated two Scottish war heroes who were awarded the Victoria Cross for their brave acts. During Mr Atkinson lesson and activities, Mrs Norman took groups out at a time to help finish the Remembrance display.

Below are photos of us sharing our learning!