All posts by gw20franklinkirsty@glow

Primary 2, Primary 3

P2/3 Term 1 Update

Hello and welcome to P2/3’s first blog post for the 23/24 school year.

The children have settled in to their new class (for some!) and their new routines fantastically.

Maths & Numeracy

This term we started by looking at Number Processes and Place Value. The children learned to count on and back from any number, read and write numbers in both numerals and words and also to order 1-digit and 2-digit numbers.

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Over the last few weeks of term, we have also been learning about Money. The children are encouraged to use their weekly budget of 25p to pay for art and craft items during Independent Learning so it was important to make sure they all have a good understanding of coin recognition and value, how to make amounts and how to calculate change.

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Literacy

Reading

We have been reading everyday during this term – in our reading groups, for Higher Order Reading and our class novel – The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.

To help us better understand the text, we have been learning to predict what may happen next, to ask each other questions about the text and also to visualise ourselves as a character in the text and think about what we can see, hear, smell, taste and feel.Displaying IMG_9794.jpeg

Listening and Talking

Along with other schools in Forres, we undertook a specific listening and talking session to help us better understand how we can assess and ensure we are meeting the needs of the children in this area.

P2/3 really enjoyed the task – where they had to give and listen to instructions in order to build the same model as their partner!

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Writing

This term, we have using Wraparound Phonics and Wraparound Spelling strategies to help us understand letter patterns and their sounds.

In Talk for Writing, we have been learning the story of the Baby Mouse. We have learned how to write a good opening sentence and co-constructed the toolkit we should use for writing a journey story.

Health & Wellbeing

We started the term by talking about our feelings. We used the Colour Monster to discuss the feelings in colours which links to the Zones of Regulation. The children enjoy playing with the monster toys and are confident in using them to help talk about what makes them feel happy, sad, calm and angry.

In PE we have been focusing on learning the skills to move with control. So far we have practised the skills of balancing, dodging, falling and galloping.

Our Play Journey

In P2/3, we have at least one session per day of Independent Learning – play. The children have access to all the resources in the classroom, from construction toys like Lego, K’Nex and wooden blocks to art and craft materials, maths resources and loose parts. There is no pre-determined learning intention during this time, instead, we observe the children as they play so we can focus on the skills they are developing such as teamwork, problem solving, communication, collaboration and imagination.

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Thank you for reading our blog post – to see many more photos and find out more about our learning each week, please check our Google Classroom.

Mrs Franklin 😊

P2/3 2022

P2/3 Term 4 Update

Welcome to our last blog post for P2/3!

As we head towards the summer holidays it’s good to look back over the learning this term.

Maths & Numeracy

We started the term learning about the symbols used for expressions and equations. We had to apply our prior knowledge of number to compare amounts and start to use the symbols for ‘greater than’, ‘less than’ and ‘equal to’.

We then moved on to a block focusing on data and analysis. The children enjoyed asking their friends questions and collecting tally marks to show the class’s favourite fruits, animals and games. They went on to draw bar graphs to display the information and showed these at their class assembly.

Over the second half of the term, P2/3 have been learning about measure. They have used non-standard and standard units to estimate and measure length, height, mass and capacity.

Literacy

We really enjoyed showing off our ‘Higher Order Reading’ skills during our sharing the learning event. The children have been using strategies such as predicting, visualising, questioning, connecting and determining importance to help with reading comprehension.

In ‘Talk for Writing’, the children have been learning how to plan a story using the five main parts – The opening, the build up, creating a problem, finding a resolution and the ending. It is great to see so many pupils with the confidence to stand up and tell their stories from the maps they have drawn.

Health & Wellbeing

This term, P2/3 have been learning tennis skills. They have demonstrated how to control a tennis ball with a racket and built up their skill to be able to perform a tennis serve and return a ball played to them by their partner.

Over the term, we have also learned new hula hooping skills and the steps to the Jerusalema dance!

Next Steps

All the children have worked so hard this year and we are really proud of the progress they have made. I would like to wish them all the best as they move on to P3/4, and for those that are joining me again – I can’t wait to see you in August! Have a lovely summer 🙂

 

Primary 2, Primary 3

P2/3 Term 3 Update

P2/3 have had a great start to 2023! We have been busy learning both in class and outside in Adventure Island – although we are hoping that we’ve seen the last of the snow in Adventure Island for this year!

Maths & Numeracy

We started Term 3 by looking at and making continuing patterns. The children could recognise patterns made with objects and shapes and applied this knowledge to number patterns too.

Our pizza shop in the role play area helped us to learn more about fractions and we have explored how to find a half, a quarter and a third.

Learning about fractions really helped as we moved on to ‘time’. Understanding what a half and quarter is made reading the time on a 12-hour clock a little easier. The children have learned about the minute and hour hands and are confident in reading o’clock and half past times. We have also looked at quarter past and too, and even telling the time to 5 minutes.

Learning about clockwise and anticlockwise has led us in to our position and direction block of learning and it has been fun to follow and give directions to our friends using mathematical vocabulary. We are now having fun programming the BeeBots to follow our route!

Literacy

P2/3 continue to read everyday – in groups and as a whole class. The children really enjoy stories and this term we have chosen to read a chapter book to end each day. Mr Fox by Roald Dahl has been a big hit!

The children have continued to learn through ‘Talk for Writing’ and this term have concentrated on journey stories. By following the original story structure, the children have become confident in changing the main characters and settings through the innovation stage. They have been learning to use time connectives and sentence openers to make their writing more exciting.

Health & Wellbeing

Our main focus in PE has been to improve our fitness and exercise techiniques through circuit training. All the children increased their number of repetitions over the term, but the best progress has been made in  their technique – we have some fanatastic demonstrators of squats, sit-ups and even burpees!

Other Curricular Areas

The first half of the term we focused on all things ‘Scotland’. The children learned about the Scots language through stories, poetry and songs. They also found out about the Scottish Colourist Painter, Samual Peploe and created paintings in his style.

Over the second part of the term, we have learned about the weather and the water cycle. Miss Ritchie has joined our class again and has delivered some exciting science lessons!

Sharon from the Royal Voluntary Society has also visited for the final time this year and this time taught us all about different types of bees and how they help us. We planted sunflowers to encourage the bees to visit, along with courgettes and peas.

P2/3 2022

P2/3 Term 2 Update

Maths & Numeracy

We started the term with a focus on money. The children learned to recognise, count and make amounts, as well as calculating change. This learning has continued in our play as the children now have a weekly ‘budget’ of 50p to spend on art & craft materials and for hiring equipment such as the laptops and the Promethean Board.

We have also spent time learning about multiplication and division and strategies to help us solve calculations.

We are currently learning about 2D shapes and 3D objects.

Literacy

The children continue to read in groups every day and complete Higher Order Reading challenges on a Friday.

Our phonics group have completed their learning of all the single sounds and will be moving on to learn about digraphs – two letters that make one sound. We call these ‘special friends’.

The spelling group have continued to make great progress with their Wraparound programme and are applying this learning across reading and writing.

Spelling words and phonic sounds can be found each week on Google Classroom.

This term, our Talk for Writing unit has concentrated on creating character descriptions. The children have enjoyed creating their characters to add to out class story – ‘Finding a Friend’.

Health & Wellbeing

The children have been learning Gymnastics this term with Miss Masson. They have focused on balance, rolling and creating sequences.

We have also continued with our weekly Yoga. The children enjoy following the moves along with the story while developing their strength and flexibility.

Other Curricular Areas

This term our learning in P2/3 has been led by the events we have celebrated such as Bonfire Night, Remembrance and Christmas. Lots of our play activities have come about because of the children’s interest in these events.

We are looking forward to ending the term with our Carol services!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Everyone!

P2/3 2022

P2/3 Term 1 Update

All the children in P2/3 have settled in brilliantly. You can see photos from our very first week here:

Go to this Sway

Maths & Numeracy

This term we have been learning about place value – tens and ones, addition and subtraction.  We have been focusing on learning strategies which will help us solve calculations mentally, like learning our number bonds to 10.

 

Literacy

The children have really engaged with the WrapAround Spelling and Phonics programme. They are becoming confident in applying the strategy of stretching and blending to both their reading and writing. Our spelling words and new sounds are added to Google Classroom each week.

In Talk for Writing, we have learned the words and actions for ‘The Sleepy Bumblebee’. We created a class story map and have innovated it by changing the main characters and the setting. The children are looking forward to sharing their new story with the rest of the school at our assembly this week.

We are reading every day, both in groups and also as a whole class for Higher Order Reading.

Health & Wellbeing

The children are really enjoying PE with Miss Masson and have been concentrating on their ball skills, including throwing and catching. In class we are also doing yoga each week as we work our way through the Cosmic Kids Yoga Quest map.

Focus Children

To see more of your child’s personal learning journey, please follow the link in our Google Classroom which will take you to their Focus Week SWAY.

Primary 2, Primary 3

P2/3 Termly Update

As we head towards the end of another school term and school year, it’s great to look back at all the learning that has taken place.

In P2/3, we have enjoyed getting outside each week to the outdoor classroom – our very own Adventure Island. The children have amazing imaginations and are becoming skilled at designing, building and working as a team. It was fantastic to share our Adventure Island with parents and we really hope you had as much fun as we do!

Over the past two terms we have covered a range of topics in Maths & Numeracy including: Measurement – length, mass and capacity; Multiplication and Division – focusing on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables and Fractions. We will be learning about time between now and the end of term.

Although we have still been covering reading and spelling each week, our new literacy focus has been to use the Talk for Writing approach.  The children have learned the words and actions for two stories – Rosie’s Walk and Charlie. They have had opportunities to ‘play’ out the stories before drawing their own story maps and changing parts to make a new story of their own.

Through IDL we have learned about Scotland, Global Goals, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds and are now concentrating on planning Pilmuir’s 40th Birthday Party!

Everyday we continue to learn through play. It is great to see the children’s creative, problem solving, collaborative and thinking skills in action. If you would like to see more of our learning journey over the past two terms, please click on the links below to access our class SWAY. There are so many photo’s – we have had to make 3!

Go to this Sway
Go to this Sway
Go to this Sway

This term, instead of a whole class learning journey, we have trialled ‘Focus Children’ for a more personal report. The link to your child’s very own learning journey SWAY can be found in the Google Classroom.

P2/3 2021, Primary 2, Primary 3

P2/3 Termly Update – December 2021

It has been a very busy term so far and the children have been concentrating on learning the songs, lines and actions for our Nativity – ‘Hey Ewe’. We now have two versions of the Nativity for you to watch using the links that have been sent out.

I think you will agree they have done an amazing job!

In Mathematics and Numeracy, the children have been learning all about 2D shapes and 3D objects and have applied their learning when designing and building models.  Money has been introduced during independent learning with the children each being given a budget of 10p per day to spend on art and craft materials or renting ICT equipment. This has led to lots of discussions about making amounts, receiving change, saving and collaborating with others to make their money go further. The children still find very imaginative ways to include mathematics into their independent learning as you can see….

We are still reading every morning in our groups and learning new sounds and spelling patterns through Wraparound Spelling and Phonics. Mrs Kinlin’s phonics group even showed off their learning by demonstrating how they stretch the sounds during our class assembly.

Adventure Island remains the highlight of the week, even with the weather turning colder. We have recently purchased new equipment for the children to use, including tarpaulins, ropes and bungee cords. To celebrate the end of the year, we warmed up with a hot chocolate!

Looking forward to next year – we will be learning about Scotland, Robbie Burns and traditional foods and drink, before starting a new IDL concentrating on being eco friendly and the Global Goals for Sustainability. In mathematics we will learn about multiplication, division and fractions.

Writing will be the focus of our literacy learning next term as we begin to use the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach.

Please have a look through our class sway to see all the photos of our learning this term.

Go to this Sway
Go to this Sway

We wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

P2/3 2021

P2-3 Termly Update

Welcome to the P2-3 blog!

Last term, the children settled well in to the new classroom as a composite P2-3 class and enjoyed learning together. They have made new friends, organised the room and been engaged in their activities.

For the majority of our day, we learn through play – or ‘Independent Learning’ as the children have called it. It is fantastic to see all the children following their own interests, cooperating, problem solving and using their imaginations. The classroom is always buzzing with activity and it is amazing how many opportunities arise for literacy, maths and numeracy and other curricular areas, during play.

Last term in Maths and Numeracy, we focused on numbers to 100 – counting on and back, ordering and comparing, making numbers, addition and subtraction.  This term, we will learn about 2D and 3D shapes, place value (3-digit & 4-digit numbers) and also begin to use money in the classroom to pay for the resources we are using.

We are reading each morning and learning a new sound and spelling pattern each week.

We have also been enjoying outdoor learning. Each week, whatever the weather, we head outside to Adventure Island. Here, the children have created and imagined a ‘Troll Lair’, ‘Witch’s Corner’ and ‘Mount Tyre’. There is often a hunt for hidden messages and number passwords too!

The winter term is always exciting with activities planned around Halloween,  Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day and Christmas.

If you would like to see more of our learning from last term, please look through our sways by clicking the links below.

You can access the Sway with your child as they will need to be logged in to their Glow account.

Go to this Sway
Go to this Sway