P7 Termly update

Welcome to our first blog post of the current school year.

 

Literacy

Instructional Writing – In Term 1 we introduced Talk4Writing. Over a number of weeks we have taken different approaches to planning our writing, created initial drafts, edited our writing and up-levelled it to create a final piece. Our focus has been instructional writing, with a twist! Ask us how to trap a mythical creature, you won’t be disappointed!  We enjoyed sharing our work with P5 and P6, celebrating our success.

In term 2 we will be looking at persuasive language and writing persuasive letters for a specific purpose.  We will also be focusing on writing settings and character descriptions as beginnings for stories.

Spelling – We are currently following the Wraparound Spelling progression which has involved revisiting the fundamentals of phonics, decomposing words, identifying root words and growing them with prefixes and suffixes. In addition to this, we are also concentrating on sentence work and grammar. Term 1 revision can be found on Google Classroom.

Reading Comprehension Skills – During Term 1 we focused on reading comprehension skills through group reading and individual accelerated readers. We will continue this in term 2. To date, we have been developing our understanding of tricky vocabulary, visualisation and illustration skills, asking and developing effective questions and making predictions. A guide to reading skills strategies can be found on Google Classroom.  We would encourage the children to continue reading at home.  They can access the Accelerated Reading site from home to complete online quizzes and there is a link in the Google Classroom for Bookflix – an online library document with a variety of titles featuring a mix of full texts and extracts from books.

 

Numeracy

Our Term one focus was to revise and extend our knowledge of place value. This has included identifying the value of whole digits and decimals, ordering and sequencing of numbers and rounding. We have explored the properties of 2D and 3D shapes, identified them in our environment and created our own tessellations. We made 3D shapes and nets.

Using natural resources outdoors, we have been learning to play games that enhance our strategy and problem solving skills. Ask your child to teach you how to play ‘Game of NIM’ – it can get quite intense!

We have been sharpening our mental agility and quick recall with mixed daily 20 mental maths questions. You will find links to supporting resources and games on Google Classroom.

In Term 2, we will be focusing on the properties of special triangles and circles. We will continue to deepen our understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages.

 

H&WB

Throughout this year our social, emotional and mental health remains a priority. Through the Zones of Regulation and circle time we continue to explore our emotions, including the triggers and behaviours associated with different feelings. We have identified and devised our own regulation strategies that help to support us during challenging times.

During Term 1 in PE, we successfully developed our throwing, catching, shooting, dribbling, hand-eye coordination, communication and team work skills through basketball. Through the game of field hockey we have focused on stick control, ball control techniques and match play. Ask us to name all of the new moves we have learned!

 

Outdoor Learning

We love outdoor learning and enjoyed playing team building games on the field in Term 1 – we are especially competitive when playing rounders! We had an opportunity to learn skateboarding skills. Doing so allowed us to manage our own speed and risk whilst manoeuvring, as well as challenging our balance and coordination.

Our Outdoor Classroom at Pilmuir has given us an opportunity to engage with loose parts play. We have built dens and assault courses that encourage clear communication, problem solving and team work. Ask us about the Mountain Rescue Challenge!

 

Modern languages

This year we will be learning conversational French with Mrs Lyon and German with Mrs Horne.

 

IDL

Our IDL context for this term will be Christmas Around the World, developing our knowledge and understanding of how other countries, cultures and faiths celebrate Christmas.