Author: Mrs Allan

We have been exploring patterns in Maths Week 2020.  We created patterns using lines, and looked at the patterns and links between multiplication and division.  Exploring the links and patterns helped us to create more complex calculations.

Perfect parabola

A parabola is a special type of bend in a semi circle (R.H).  Parabolas make an upside down U, and you can predict the angles, which makes them important for satellites.

We made these part-parabola patterns using lines and rulers not curves! Some of us coloured them in like a checker board to make it look more 3D. We created parabolas in PE on the MUGA by throwing balls to each other, making them high enough to see the upside down U shape.

Amazing arrays

Arrays can help us with multiplication and division. We used pebbles in rows and columns to make the calculations.  for example, 4 rows of 7 pebbles would make 28, and then show the division for that too. We wrote all the calculations we could make with the array next to it: 2 multiplication and 2 division. Making arrays helped us to do more complex multiplication and division, as you can see…

Marvellous multiplication pebbles

Through the week, we made multiplication stones.  We used chalk pens to create dots and numbers for multiplication tables.  We are going to use them to make calculations and to skip counting. We also added them into our fraction walls…

Fabulous fraction walls 

When we were at the woodland, we gathered some natural materials to help us make fraction walls.  These showed us the patterns and links between fractions and multiplication and division.  We created walls, some of us showed complex fractions, some equivalent fractions, and some showed division facts.

We used different colours to make our fractions. We divided our shape into ninths. 4 ninths were green in different ways, using leaves, apples, grass and parts of a tree.

In our wall, the top is one whole and then halves, then thirds, then quarters, then sixths.  We talked to Mrs Allan about equivalent fractions, that 3 sixths is the same as one half.

We used different colours of leaves and stones for our wall.  We used one colour at the top of brown leaves, two colours in the middle and then four colours (red, yellow, and brown leaves and stones for quarters.

We found it difficult to gather all the resources. We used the multiplication pebbles on each part.  On the top, we used 4 stones to make 36 (4 x 9), and then we divided in each half (2 x 9 twice) and then again (1 x 9 four times). when we divided the quarters again, it was 4.5!

We used twigs for the top part and it was hard to snap the twigs. We wrote calculations using the multiplication pebbles at the side.  The total that we had was 24 using the 6 times table stones.  Every layer added up to the same amount because it was the same as the one whole at the top.

We were going to make our lines longer, but we changed it because we didn’t have enough resources.  We talked about moving from halves to quarters and then we talked about eighths, but it was hard to show the eighths using the resources.  We had a lot of different ideas!

 

Abstract Emotions Art

We explored showing our feelings by using colours in oil pastels. For example, using blue for sadness and yellow for happiness.  We talked about what colour more complicated emotions (like confusion) might be. We also used shapes, lines and squiggles instead of making our picture look like a real thing.

 

 

Outdoor Learning

We used clay to create faces on trees in our woodland, based on Green Men, which appear in lots of cultures to help new starts and rebirth. We gathered branches, stones, leaves and sticks to create our faces.  Some have beards and some have nostrils…

 

Numeracy and Maths

We were exploring symmetry this week.  That means that both sides of something are the exact same.  Our patterns and pictures had two lines of symmetry. We practised these skills inside and outside the classroom, using things from nature and other materials to make pictures in the playground. We also did some pixel art.

Literacy and English

We completed a story starter this week about a cable car, trying to make our story funny or scary! We worked very hard on our vocabulary and our punctuation.  We used pyramids to help us with spelling exciting words and suggest punctuation.

 

In our Wandering Adventure we used a story to think about questions. Ask us what we think about living somewhere instead of visiting and if you can be sure that you know something.

We have been settling in well to Primary 5b, concentrating on working together again and enjoying spending time getting to one another once more.

We made paper planes about ourselves and threw them in the MUGA.  When we picked up a plane, we had to think about who it described.  We know lots about each other! We created self-portraits with a fold down mask, and talked about our personalities… Who is the person behind the mask?

We watched a short film about vultures and meerkats called “Catch it”. As you can see, we learned a lot about teamwork and resilience by watching the meerkats working together.  We want to Be more Meerkat!

In Health and Wellbeing, we have been taking about keeping our worries in perspective and that talking to someone can really help. We talked about two stories together to explore these ideas.

In Numeracy and Maths, we have been practising our skills through games using our own resources.