P5 have had an eventful fourth term as well as year with visiting   the local area the school and learning lots of new things and doing so with an eager and positive attitude to learn each day.

Literacy

Within literacy this term we have been continuing with our Wraparound spelling in a new way where the pupils from P5-7 have come together to form 3 spelling groups. Within these groups the pupils have been looking into different sounds each week as well as common words associated with that sound. The pupils have been developing their understanding of the sounds and words within their spelling by looking into putting the words into sentences, finding out the root of the word and then seeing if they could grow the words. They have also continued to look in depth into the words by using various strategies to aid in their learning.

In terms of Talk for Writing this term the pupils have been looking into writing and creating their own  story with a change with a further focus on description and dialogue. As a class we have been analysing the text of ‘The Story of Pirate Tom’ by Pie Corbett through creating a story map to help in remembering the text as well as help in discovering how the structure of a story like this can use.

Numeracy

In Numeracy this term we have been looking into the topic of measurement as well as time. As a class we began by thinking about the different ways and what we can measure. We then looked into how to use each way of measuring through mental maths games and class actives such as measuring height and length n centimetres and that we can measure capacity in litres. The pupils have also been looking into time and how we cause use digital and analogue clocks and how to transfer between 12 hour and 24 hour time.

Class Trips Visit

The pupils this term have taken a trip to grant part where we concluded our learning of plants by completing a word scavenger hunt in the park. We have also visited the Forres Transition Town where the pupil learnt about sustainability in the garden as well as what different plants you can grow in your garden and their uses. We also learnt about how to composite as well as weed and plant seeds in the garden plant boxes.

Topic – Who made a difference?

In Topic this terms we have been looking into answering the question of ‘Who Made a Difference’. As a class we have looked into people like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa and Ghandi, Alexander Graham Bell, Picasso, Marie Curie and Andy Warhol and who they were and how they made a difference to the world we now know. We have also been looking into what a Primary and Secondary source is as well as being able to say how we know if a source is reliable or not. From this the pupils have completed a research project in class round people that the pupils want to learn about and discover how they made a difference. Some of the examples from this were people like Stephen Hawking, David Attenborough and Winston Churchill. The pupils have all been eager to take part in all aspects of learning and also created a time line of the important dates from the people whom we learnt about in class to express their learning and understanding.

Overall this term and year has been filled with fun, laughter and a lot of learning. It has been wonderful to have been apart of this class and see them progress on their individual learning journeys and I wish them all the best in the future!!

P5 have had an excellent start to the year as they have settled in really well to their new classroom area and worked hard in each aspect of their learning.

Literacy

This term we have been developing our understanding of spelling common words through using Wraparound spelling. From this we have been able to look at spelling patterns as well as looking at the words in more depth by thinking about the sounds and syllables used as well as the strategies that we can use to aid in remembering and practicing our spelling. We have also being looking into the genre of suspense in Talk for Writing. As a class we have been analysing the text of Zelda Claw and the Rain Cat. We have been creating a story map to help us remember the story as well as using the text to aid us in thinking about what makes a suspenseful story. The pupils, from the discussions and activates completed, have then been able to create their own suspenseful story. To further help in this and deepen our understanding the pupils have also been reading the class novel of Varjak Paw by S.F Said.

Numeracy

In Numeracy we have been looking into as a class Place Value and not only been thinking about number with 4 digits in the 1000s range, but they have also begin to develop their understanding of place value to 1 decimal place. The pupils have been able to complete this learning through a wide range of active and engaging learning, through the use of play, to complete their activies and develop their learning further where the pupils have also had opportunities to take charge of their own learning. This term we have also looked deeper into Addition and Subtraction where the pupils have been developing their understanding of mathematical family facts when adding and subtracting multiples of 10 and 100. From this the class have been able to use and build upon their prior learning as well as build on strategies that they can use to work out the calculations.

Topic – Dandelion festival

For our first project the pupils were tasked with learning about wheat for the Dandelion and Harvest Festival. During this time the pupils learned what wheat looks like, the life-cycle, how wheat is harvested and finally what can be made using wheat. The children   designed posters, as well as created and presented PowerPoints on what they had discovered to speak to the rest of the school about at assembly.

Topic – How was it made?

Our next project was to answer the question how was it made? The pupils decided that they wanted to learn how rockets are made. At the beginning of the topic the class were able to discuss what they already knew about rockets and the idea of space. Each  child then  researched and made PowerPoints which they presented to the class about the different planets in our solar systems. We have carried out experiements about how rockets fly through the use of force and friction. We have also looked in the current astronauts of the time such as what and how they eat and how space crafts can communicate with earth.

Independent Learning

The P5s have been completing some wonderful independent learning sessions throughout this term. During this learning though play approach the pupils have been developing:

• Their social skills in their communication and team work as well as their fine motor skills through the creation of art work like drawings and models.
• Their numeracy, literacy and acting skills through the various games provided as well as their creative and at times engineering skills through the creation of various models such as cars, bikes, rockets and air craft through the use of Lego, Duplo and K’nex.

It has been a great start to the year with a lot of fun and laughter, as well as learning, and are looking forward to the rest of the year!!