Today, P6/7M spent hardly any time in the classroom but lots of learning was to be done!

The day started off with a visit to the Mosset Burn Flood Alleviation Scheme where they learnt about why this is an imprortant feature in Forres’ future. The visit linked to their learning about Natural Disasters and how Global Warming is increasing the risk of flooding in our area. They learnt that the scheme acts like a bath and will hold back the river water letting only a little bit at a time out through the ‘plug’ therefore reducing the risk of flooding. This means that our homes, businesses and wildlife is not in danger. They also learnt about the role of a Civil Engineer and have realsised that maths and communication skills are vital for this job! A big thankyou to Kenna and Stuart for giving their time to tell us about the flood alleviation.

After lunch it was back to the outside for some Numeracy. They used chalks, sticks and pine cones to represent clocks on the playground. Each clock represented the start time of a film and beside it the pupils wrote how long their film lasted. Pairs then swapped around and had to calculate the end times of the films. This built on what we had been learning in class. Lots of the pupils felt that drawing the big clocks really helped them with calculating the durations.

Finally the day ended with PE. Groups had worked together to design small activities to improve throwing and catching skills. Today the groups shared their activities and we all got a chance to try out each others ideas. There has certainly been an improvement in throwing and catching.

As part of our context for learning, P7H have been studying global warming.  We investigated the causes, the impact and how we can prevent it.  After this investigation we took our learning into the playground to present our understanding.  We were split into groups and used different materials to make displays.  These were presented to each other and peer assessed.  This really helped to embed our learning as well developing our collaborative skills.

Today 29 pupils in 6W, 30 from 7H, 23 from 6/7M and parent helpers walked through Sanquhar Community Woods to meet two Civil Engineers at the flood alleviation scheme.
It was very interesting to hear how the topography and the ecology of the area was considered before building the scheme. The algae, the wetlands and landscaping have all enhanced the area for otters, bird life, frogs, etc. In addition the area is designed for walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders.
It is good to know that Forres is well protected from flooding in the future. The pupils asked many interesting questions that were answered by Kenna and Stewart. The work of a civil engineer involves a love of problem solving, design and sustainability.