metaskills – Primary 2A 2024

P2A Weekly Update: Looking Forward to the Holidays!

As we count down to the holidays, P2A has been busy with lots of fun and engaging learning experiences! This week, we continued exploring symmetry through play, using more shapes and patterns. Our learners have been collaborating to create symmetrical artwork, sharing ideas, and helping one another refine their designs.

Taking our phonics lessons outdoors has been a wonderful way to bring learning to life, and the children have loved practicing their sounds and words in the fresh air. “I like writing my letters outside because it makes it more fun!” one child shared enthusiastically. Our time project has also been a great success as we focused on drawing clock hands and understanding how time is represented. Through this, the children demonstrated great focusing skills, concentrating on positioning the hands correctly.

In our sand tray, we introduced water play, which led to some fantastic sensory exploration. “We made rivers and lakes in the sand!” one child excitedly reported. Meanwhile, our budding mathematicians have been learning about halves and quarters, using real-world examples to make sense of these concepts. Their sense-making skills were evident as they cut shapes and objects into equal parts and explained their thinking.

Writing remains a key focus, and we’ve been sharing the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel, sparking thoughtful discussions and storytelling. We talked about integrity and making good choices, just like the characters in the story. A special highlight of the week was when one of our talented children played Hot Cross Buns on the ukulele—what a lovely treat!

As we approach the holidays, we are excited for the adventures ahead and all the learning yet to come. Well done, P2A!

A week in the life of P2A!

What a week in Primary 2A! We’ve been busy with symmetry, subtraction, storytelling, and even some outdoor learning!

Maths & Magic

The children have been creating beautiful symmetrical patterns during play using loose parts.

Pupil Voice:

“I am making a teddy bear rainbow”

They also became number line ninjas, jumping backwards to master subtraction. “Jump back like a frog!” said one pupil.

Storytelling with a Twist

Our fairytales took a creative spin this week. We have been creating our own characters and changing the ending of old-fashioned fairytales! We have had fairytales involving the Northlink, Pokemon and Vikings!

Learning Beyond the Classroom

We took phonics outside, writing words with chalk and hunting for sounds in nature. “I like being outside when the sun is out!” said a pupil. We also had a virtual tour of Lerwick using Google Maps, spotting different types of houses and discussing what makes each one special. “I saw a house just like mine!” someone excitedly shared.

Shooting Hoops & Daily Mile

We kept active with our Daily Mile and had fun attempting to score hoops. I think we all need some practice though. Only Mrs Henry got one in the net!

Metaskills in Action

From creativity in stories, collaboration in games, sense-making in maps, to critical thinking in phonics, we’ve been learning in so many ways!

Here is what we have been up to in week 2 of the term:

Fact Families Fun

In maths, we’ve been learning about fact families. They’re groups of numbers that all work together to make different sums and differences. For example, 2 + 3 = 5, 3 + 2 = 5, 5 – 2 = 3, and 5 – 3 = 2. By the end of the week we were getting the hang of it and doing a great job with our sums.

Archery Adventures

We also had our first-ever archery lesson this week. The kids said they had a “great time.” It took a while to load our arrows and learn the basic technique. However, practice makes perfect and in our next session this process should be a bit easier.

Fairy Tales & A Dragon (Yes, Really!)

We’re diving into fairy tales this term, and this week, we read Jack and the Beanstalk. We spent the week reading the book and focusing our writing on the story. During free time some of us have been helping to paint a beanstalk to our wall so we can “climb” into fairyland. Talking of fairyland, our class got two visits from Dizzy the Dragon! He left footsteps on the floor, a trail of glitter and two letters! Dizzy has tasked us to read as many fairytales as possible throughout the term, along with turning our classroom in to a fairyland! The process has begun. 🐉

Kindness Officers On the Job

Our new role this term is being Kindness Officers. We’re coming up with ways to spread kindness in our class, like helping friends who need it, cheering people up, and giving out compliments. This ties nicely into our school values of respect and inclusion for the term.

—Primary 2

Outdoor Learning – The pull of the tide!

Primary 2 had an exciting, hands-on learning experience at Sound Beach, where we explored the fascinating world of tides and the moon’s role in creating them. The visit combined science, fun, and a little bit of magic as the children measured tides, investigated rock pools, and enjoyed the wonders of the seaside.

Morning Mysteries: Investigating High Tide

We began our adventure in the morning, just as the tide was nearing its highest point. Armed with sticks and big imaginations, the children worked in groups to place their markers at the edge of the water. They were amazed to learn that the moon’s gravitational pull helps control the movement of the ocean!

“I wonder where the sticks will be when we come back”
” Do you think someone will steal them?”

After placing our markers, we had time to explore nearby rock pools, where we discovered tiny crabs, slippery seaweed, and even a few shiny shells that looked like treasures.

Afternoon Exploration: Low Tide Discoveries

When we returned to Sound Beach in the afternoon, the scene had completely changed! The water had pulled far back, exposing sandy stretches and more rock pools to explore. The children were thrilled to see how far their sticks were from the water now—it was a powerful visual of the tide’s movement.

“Wow!! Look how far away the water is”

“Look, our stick is still in the sand”

We measured the distance between the morning high tide and the afternoon low tide using footsteps, sparking lots of curiosity about how far the water travels and how the moon manages this incredible feat.

A Playful Finish

After all our hard work measuring and observing, it was time for some well-earned fun! The children jumped into rock pools, created sand angels, and even unearthed a few “hidden treasures” like shells and smooth pebbles.

What We Learned

Back in the classroom, we talked about how the moon’s gravity pulls on the Earth’s water, creating high and low tides.