Primary 1a Wallacewell Primary

What a wet and windy week it has been! Despite the gloomy weather outside, Primary 1a have been busy having fun and learning inside our cosy classroom and playroom.

In numeracy, the children have been extending their understanding of data handling. They loved creating their own graphs and discovering how information can be organised and compared. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they worked together to collect and display data.

In literacy, we focused on describing settings. Using the exciting theme of a funfair, the children thought carefully about what they might see, hear, and smell in such a lively place. Their imaginative ideas helped them create detailed descriptions, and we were so impressed with the vocabulary they used.

Our NHS topic continued this week as we explored things that are safe and unsafe around the home, especially in the context of medicines and household items. The children showed great understanding and were able to talk about the dangers of touching unknown or unsafe items. We are very proud of how sensible and thoughtful they have been during these discussions.

We have also been enjoying lots of lovely stories together. The class is becoming more confident in predicting what might happen next and in identifying rhyming words. Story time continues to be a favourite part of our day!

As always, it has been a busy and enjoyable week of learning in Primary 1.

What an exciting week we’ve had celebrating World Book Week! Our classes have been buzzing with stories, creativity and a whole lot of book-themed fun.

We began by listening to a wide range of stories (some brand-new adventures and some comforting old favourites). We also attended a special assembly all about the joy of reading and why books can be so much fun. Some of the older children from our Library Committee even shared their own book reviews, telling us all about the stories they’ve recently enjoyed.

Back in class, we wrote our very own book reviews of You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus. Everyone had the chance to rate the story and draw a picture of their favourite part. It was wonderful to see how differently each child imagined the scenes!

Thursday was the highlight. It was World Book Day and we got to dress as our favourite storybook character day! The classroom was filled with Disney princesses, superheroes, police officers and people dressed cosily in pyjamas ready for a story. We even had someone dressed as the elephant who couldn’t get on the bus…so creative and very funny. We had a fantastic time sharing who we were dressed as and which stories they came from.

In Primary 1, our love of stories is at the heart of our learning. We enjoy listening to a story every single day, and this week has made our reading time feel even more magical.

This week in Maths and Numeracy, we have been strengthening our addition skills and building confidence when counting money. The children have been exploring different coins and practising counting combinations up to 10 pence. We have also been learning about weight, using balance scales to compare objects and identify which are heavier and lighter.

In English, we have been practising the spelling of our common words and developing our writing skills. The children wrote about their own experiences of visiting the doctor, linking their work to our exciting new topic.

Our new topic is the NHS, and the classroom has been full of wonderful role play! The children have been taking on the roles of doctors and dentists, dressing up, bandaging “injuries,” and diagnosing pretend illnesses. We have also been learning about dental health, exploring which foods are good for our teeth and which can cause decay. We were very lucky to welcome the dental team into school, who carried out dental health checks and shared important advice about keeping our teeth healthy.

There has been a small change to homework this week. Moving forward, we are asking the children to practise their spelling words by writing each word and then using it in a simple sentence. Please encourage your child to have a go at spelling the words independently, as this helps to build their confidence and support their progress.

Everyone has returned after the mid-term break feeling refreshed, positive, and eager to learn. It has been wonderful to see so many smiling faces and to hear all about the children’s adventures over the holidays!

This week in Maths, we have been exploring measure using non-standard units. The children had great fun measuring different objects around the classroom using their hands and feet. We measured tables, chairs, books, and even the carpet!

It quickly became clear that this was not the most reliable way to measure. We discovered that we were all getting different answers and after some fantastic discussion, the children worked out why: our hands and feet are all different sizes! This was a brilliant introduction to understanding why standard units of measurement are important.

We have also been working very hard on our common words. The children are making fantastic progress with reading and writing them. We are so proud of their efforts!

Some children are still reversing certain letters when writing. This is very common at this stage, but extra practice at home really helps to build confidence and accuracy. Please continue to practise common words regularly in short, fun bursts.

On Friday, we celebrated our school’s Diversity Day. We spoke about what diversity means in our classroom — recognising, valuing, and celebrating the unique differences each child brings to our learning and friendships.

We discussed different cultural and religious celebrations. Some of our children shared their experiences of Chinese New Year and Ramadan and we compared these to Christian celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from one another.

One of our Support for Learning Workers wore traditional cultural dress and spoke to the children about it, kindly answering their thoughtful questions. The children also learned how to say hello in Urdu, which they thoroughly enjoyed practising!

Embracing diversity helps to ensure that every child feels respected, included, and safe in our classroom. We are very proud of how thoughtfully the children listened and contributed to our discussions.

Click on the link below to view our term 3 curriculum newsletter. 

P1a Curriculum Newsletter – Term 3 2025-26 (5)

This week, Primary 1 enjoyed a very exciting visit from Zoolab! The children had the opportunity to learn about,  and even hold, a fascinating selection of animals. They were introduced to a tortoise, a stick insect, a tarantula, a corn snake and some gerbils. Some children were very eager to hold the animals, while others were a little more reluctant and preferred a gentle touch. Everyone showed great curiosity and bravery!

It was a fun, exciting and informative experience for all, and we can’t wait for Zoolab to return.

Our learning linked perfectly with our class topic on dinosaurs. After listening carefully to Zoolab host Ash, the children discussed what dinosaur skin might have felt like and why. This led to lots of thoughtful questions and brilliant ideas.

The children have also created their own non-fiction fact files about their favourite dinosaurs. They wrote about what the dinosaurs looked like, what they ate, their colour and where they lived. We found it especially interesting learning about the different shapes of dinosaur teeth and why these were important for helping them to eat.

As always, it has been a very busy and enjoyable week of learning in Primary 1!

This week in Primary 1, we have been very busy learning all about dinosaurs!

In topic work, the children explored different types of dinosaurs and learned how to categorise carnivores and herbivores. We had some fantastic discussions about what dinosaurs might have looked like, thinking carefully about their size and colour. The children also learned about camouflage and why it would have been important for dinosaurs to blend into their surroundings, either to hide from predators or to sneak up on prey.

In maths, Primary 1 have been developing their data-handling skills by learning how to use tally marks to record information. They then used this data to create a pictogram showing the class’s favourite fruits. The children did a great job counting carefully and presenting their results clearly.

In literacy, we continued our work on describing settings. The children wrote about where dinosaurs lived, using their imagination to describe forests, jungles, and prehistoric landscapes. They also practised uplevelling simple sentences by adding adjectives to make their writing more interesting and detailed.

We have also been learning the difference between fiction and non-fiction books.

Non-fiction books help us learn real facts and true information. We especially enjoyed reading non-fiction books about dinosaurs, where we discovered interesting details about how they lived, what they ate, and what they looked like.

Fiction books are made-up stories. These stories allow us to use our imagination and enjoy tales that can be funny, exciting, and entertaining. Even though they are not real, fiction stories help us develop creativity and a love of reading.

By reading both fiction and non-fiction, we have learned that books can teach us new information while also providing enjoyment. We are building important reading skills and discovering that there is something special to enjoy in every kind of book!

To finish the week, the children used a variety of construction materials to build their own dinosaurs. We were very impressed with their creativity and teamwork. Some children even built dinosaur enclosures, inspired by Jurassic Park, and discussed what safety features would be needed to keep the dinosaurs safely inside.

Well done, Primary 1, for a fantastic week of learning!

We’ve had another busy and exciting week of learning in Primary 1! The children have continued exploring our topic on Scotland, comparing rural and urban areas and talking about what we can see and experience where we live. This sparked some lovely discussions and thoughtful observations from the class.

We’ve also been enjoying stories by Julia Donaldson, listening to them in Scots. A particular favourite was The Glasgow Gruffalo, which brought lots of laughs and smiles – a real highlight of the week!

In maths, we have been learning to recognise and order coins up to £2. If you’re able to, it would be very helpful to show your children real coins at home and talk about their values to reinforce this learning.

In literacy, we are developing our descriptive skills by learning how to describe settings. The children wrote wonderful descriptions of castles and Katie Morag’s island, linking beautifully to our Scotland topic.

We also had a lovely visit from some parents who came along to observe and take part in our spelling and phonics activities. The children thoroughly enjoyed showing off their skills and knowledge – and we were very proud of them!

Well done, Primary 1, for another fantastic week of learning! 🌟

Primary 1 have returned to school after the festive period full of enthusiasm and energy! The children have settled back into routines very well and are eager to learn.

In literacy, we have been revising our sounds and common words and using these to support our sentence writing. This term, our focus is on sentence structure, ensuring we use capital letters, finger spaces and full stops correctly.

In numeracy, we have been skip counting in 2s and learning how to group objects into pairs. The children have enjoyed exploring these concepts through practical activities.

Our new topic this term is Scotland. We have been very creative, designing our own tartan patterns and making Saltire flags. We have also been learning about different places in Scotland with the help of Oor Wullie. Please talk to your child about any places in Scotland they have visited so they can share their experiences with the class.

Homework plays an important role in supporting learning. Please continue to support your child by focusing on homework tasks and revising numbers, sounds and common words, as this greatly helps to develop their reading and writing skills.

We look forward to sharing lots of exciting learning with you this term!