P5/4 had a great morning at our tennis taster session at Peebles Tennis club.  Marc and Paul did a range of skills activities with us individually and in pairs. By the end of the session we were having proper rallies using all we had learned. It was great fun!

P5/4 took their group work learning outside as we explored the loose parts materials that have been a new addition to KPS. Together we found all sorts of ways that there materials could be used – see pictures below.

Our challenge was then to create a den with a safe roof in which all four team members could fit. Many ideas didn’t work the first time but most of us got there in the end by working together. We really enjoyed learning this way!

Today each class received a bumper bundle of books that the school were able to buy from the book fair. P5/4 were very excited to receive books from some of our favourite authors. After lunch we took the books that we are reading in class and found a sunny little nook to sit and read. This block we are looking forward to exploring reading different books in different places and discussing them as a class.

Today we celebrated Mrs Macintyre’s amazing contribution to Kingsland Primary School over the years with a special assembly. Each class contributed something to show Mrs Macintyre how much she has meant to us over the years.

P5/4 created and performed a rap. We also made her a card with a message from each pupil.

We wish Mrs Macintyre a happy and healthy retirement.

Mrs Macintyre you are the best

So much better than all the rest

She always looks after the girls and boys

And entertains them with her box of toys

If you’re hurt she’ll put an ice pack on your head

Then phone your mum to take you home to bed

Mrs Macintyre you are the best

So much better than all the rest

Mrs. Macintyre is by far the best

She answers the phone with friendliness

She puts lots of plasters on our knees

To keep us free from germs and disease

Mrs Macintyre you are the best

So much better than all the rest

Mrs. Macintyre your so kind

The brightest person you’d ever find

She is always helpful and so cheerful

And for her we are so grateful.

Mrs Macintyre you are the best

So much better than all the rest

Yo! Mrs. Macintyre

Now you’re free

Enjoy playing golf

and baking cakes for tea

Mrs Macintyre you are the best

So much better than all the rest

Mrs Macintyre you’re so cool

You’ve done a great job at Kingsland School!!!

In P5/4 we planted 6 tomato plants as part of our mini topic on fertilisers. We have 2 plants growing in normal compost, 2 in fertilised compost and 2 in fertilised compost that will continue to receive special tomato fertiliser as it grows.

Our question is: Do fertilisers help plants to grow? Will more fertiliser mean more tomatoes?

This morning we had a really interesting visit from a real architect.

Here are some of the things we learned.

Elise – there are lots of different types of architect

Adam – we learned you had to be good at maths, science and english – not just art

Lauren- a lot of an architect’s job is talking to people

Angus – he had to really focus on the structure of buildings

Cristina – it takes 7 years to train to be an architect

Rose – the client is the most important part of the team

Elise and Adam – he designs buildings and houses. He has designed pubs and an amazing office building in London near Kingscross Station

In pairs we took on the role of the architect and and client and had a go at designing a building to the brief of the client.

Today we explored the Fibonacci Sequence as part of our number pattern topic in maths. We were given 3 envelopes with a puzzle in each one. Without any help from the teacher we had to look at what was in each envelope and work out what we had to do each time. The tasks had to be completed in a particular order.

There was lots of discussion as we tried different ideas.

Lauren – I saw the 2 ones and then the two. I could see how they linked and then I saw that the 1 and the 2 was followed by a 3 (the total of 1 and 2). I then applied this to the next number in the sequence and it worked.

Reuben – We ignored the numbers to begin with and could see that the pieces went together to make a picture like a jigsaw. Then we looked at the number patter.

Our next task was to  arrange the squares into a rectangle making a new rectangle each time we added a square.

Our next task was to find the significance of the spiral. This was very tricky and we tried lots of different things.

Holly – we started with the smallest squares and put them in the middle. Then we put the next biggest to make the rectangle bigger. We kept doing this until we got to the biggest square.

Elise – I lay the squares in onto the spiral in the same pattern as we did with the rectangle.

Adam – it was better working with each other than alone because then we could have more ideas and more brains together.

Reuben – It was really challenging!

At the end we shared our strategies and how we overcame difficulties.

The class agreed that this was a fun way to learn.

P5 and P5/4 homework due 25th March.

Design and create a Roman Soldier’s Chariot. Research different designs and decoration. It’s up to you what materials you use. We will share our chariots with the rest of our year group.

Here are some ideas. Have Fun!

Today we learned about Roman soldiers and their armour. We thought about how different it is to soldier’s armour today. We learned about the materials used and the advantages and disadvantages of these. Our task was to create a class Roman soldier. We worked on each piece of armour in groups.

We have been looking at 3D shape in P5/4. We have explored features such as faces, edges, and vertices. To create our 3D shapes with spaghetti and plasticine we had to think about what the key features were so that our shapes were stable e.g. edges the same length, edges parallel, right angles.

Some of us discovered that creating triangles within the shapes made them stronger.

As a challenge we had to create a structure linking several 3D shapes. This was difficult because the spaghetti was so fragile.