science – Page 2 – Carmondean Primary School Blog

Primary 4 17.5.19

Hello everyone

This week has been an exciting one in Primary 4. We are really enjoying watching our caterpillars grow and grow. They are so much bigger than they were last week and we hope that by the time we are back to school on Tuesday that they will each be in their chrysalis! See the photo below to see how much they have grown.

In maths we have been continuing to develop our knowledge of fractions. We have been using whiteboards, pens and coloured counters to help us to find fractions of amounts (such as 1/4 of 24). The children have worked very hard with this and most are now also able to find 2/5 or 7/9 of a number too! Well done P4!

Show rehearsals are continuing and our dress rehearsal in front of the school is in 3 weeks time. If your child has a script at home and still has words to learn can you please encourage them to have their words fully learned by Tuesday. We really appreciate all the support you are providing your child with at home.

Our first homework share today was a huge success! Many children were able to share fantastic pieces of homework and tell us all about what they have been doing at home this week. This learning experience would not be possible without your help so thank you so much for working with the children on this at home. We look forward to homework share again next Friday!

Reminders
PE days – Tuesday and Thursday
Homework share – Friday
Reading pages – Read pages before Friday 24th

Thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely long weekend and we look forward to welcoming back the children on Tuesday 21st May.

Miss Clark & Miss Donaldson

Primary 4 15.3.19

Hello everyone

We have had a very exciting week in Primary 4 this week. We have been continuing to rehearse our space assembly which we will perform to parents, families, carers and the upper school on Friday 22nd March at 9:10am. Your child should have received a letter home about this now. Please fill in the tear off slip and return to the school as soon as possible if you can attend.

Next week we will begin to hand out spelling homework again after two weeks of charting the movements of the moon. Thank you for supporting your child with this at home. It has been really interesting to hear the children’s observations of what is happening in the night sky.

This week in writing we began to write a report about The International Space Station. We were fascinated to learn about how the ISS was created and how it makes one orbit around the earth every 90 minutes! This week we wrote our introductions to the report and we will continue to work on our reports for the next few weeks.

Today we were learning about how rockets take off. We learned that hydrogen and oxygen are mixed together to create a reaction. This thrust then allows the rocket to escape the earth’s gravity and take off. The children then made their own rockets that took off into the sky. We went out into the playground and used film canisters, alka seltzer, coca cola and water to send our rockets flying into the sky! This was very exciting! Look out for a video of these rockets at our assembly next week!

Reminders:
New PE days – Indoor PE: Monday, Outdoor PE: Wednesday
Spelling homework resumes on Monday. Due in on Friday.
Reading pages to be completed at home.
Assembly letters to be returned ASAP.

Thank you for your continued support. Have a great weekend.

Miss Clark & Miss Donaldson

Primary 5 Week beginning 8.03.19

Thank you to everyone who came to our assembly last week. We enjoyed performing for you and hope you enjoyed learning all about the Scottish Wars of Independence as much as we did.

On Monday some parents came to join in with our number talks where we were learning different strategies for mental addition.

This week in Science we have started our topic on Solids, liquids and gases. We completed an investigation on how solids react to water. We made predictions and then checked the results. In writing we wrote a report about it.

In reading we have started a mini topic on poetry. This week we read a poem called morning and wrote our own poems.

This term we have started learning Spanish. We can already say our name, talk about feelings and greet someone in Spanish.

In Maths we have been working on division.

Next week some of us are going to Lendrick Muir. We are looking forward to this and hope to update you everyday on our activities so keep an eye out for more news next week.

We are also going on a trip the Bannockburn to complete our topic.

Mrs Jamieson and Mrs Davies

Primary One Volcano!

Today we have been learning about volcanoes as part of our dinosaur topic. Mrs Steel prepared a special experiment for us and we made our very own erupting volcano! We added washing up liquid, red food colouring and bicarbonate of soda together in a bottle that Mrs Steel had made to look like a volcano. Then we added in vinegar and stood right back. All of a sudden the volcano erupted and there was red lava everywhere! We had great fun with this and could maybe even try it again at home!

P1S Girls and Boys.

Primary 5 7.12.18

Primary 5 have been getting into the Christmas spirit this week. On Monday we watched a pantomime called Beauty and the Beast. It was very entertaining and everyone loved it.

In RME we revised the Christmas story and wrote news reports which we performed to the class.

In Maths we have been learning about the properties of 3D objects and have made cubes, cones and cuboids from nets. Some of us turned these into Christmas decorations which are on our class Christmas tree.

We have continued learning about endangered animals in Science and this week we were learning about Invasive Species. We discussed red squirrels and learned about conservation projects to try to help save them from extinction.

Next week we have our Christmas party on Tuesday, we have been learning some traditional dances and games in preparation at PE.

Have a lovely week

Mrs Jamieson, Mrs Davies

Primary 4 6.12.18

Hello everyone

Primary 4 have had an exciting week. On Monday we saw the panto “Beauty and the Beast”. The children loved joining in with the show! On Tuesday many children ate their Christmas lunch – it looked delicious!

This week in science we have been learning about Inheritance. We have been discovering that many of the traits we have are inherited from our parents including whether we have attached or detached earlobes or if we can roll our tongue! We have also been learning about how some of our behaviours are learned – like riding a bike or doing a cartwheel. Today the children used coins to create their own baby monsters with traits from their monster parents. Heads meant the mother monsters trait and tails meant the father monster!

Our Indoor PE day has changed to a Wednesday. The children enjoyed playing different catching games and also learning Scottish country dances which they will perform at their Christmas party next week.

The P4 Christmas Party is next Wednesday afternoon. The children can bring their party clothes to school with them to get changed into after lunch. Alternatively you may pick your child up at 12:30 then they can go home for lunch to get changed. We can’t wait! 🙂

This will be the last week of spelling and maths homework this term. Both will resume in the new year. Each group will finish their reading books by the end of next week and all books should be returned to school by Monday 17th December at the latest if possible.

Reminders –
Spelling due Friday
Reading pages due Monday
PE days – Tuesday and Wednesday
P4 Christmas Party – Wednesday 12th December @ 1:30.

Thank you for your support. Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Clark & Miss Donaldson

Primary 4 5.10.18

Hello everyone
We have had a very busy week in Primary 4! We just performed our Harvest Assembly to Primaries 5, 6 and 7. The children sang beautifully and performed spectacularly! We were very proud teachers 🙂 Well done everyone!

Parents’ nights are next Wednesday from 5-7:30pm and Thursday from 4-6:30pm. We are looking forward to meeting with you then. If you haven’t booked an appointment yet please contact the school office.

In PE the children have been developing their skills in Handball. They have been working very well as part of small teams. On Wednesday 31st October we will all be attending a Handball Festival and playing games against other schools. Keep practising P4! 🙂

This week we have been learning about the science of floating and sinking. We discussed what items we thought might float or sink and there were a few surprises! We learned that the weight of the objects wasn’t always important but that the materials the objects were made out of and their DENSITY were very important. Today we are using Plasticine to make Viking long boats. We will then test them to see if they float!

Next week there will be no spelling homework. This will resume again after the October Holidays. Maths homework will be a task on the website “Studyladder”. Children have their username and password in their homework diaries.

Reminders:

Outdoor PE – Tuesday
Indoor PE – Thursday
Parents’ evenings – Wednesday and Thursday evening
No spelling homework next week.
Maths due Friday (StudyLadder)
Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Clark & Miss Donaldson

Primary 7 20.4.18

Hello everyone!

In P7 this week we have been very busy organising our last term in Primary School.
Our Leavers hoodies have arrived and they look great! We also have started planning our Leavers Assembly and we have been allocated parts. We can’t wait to perform it.

In indoor PE we are learning how to play badminton, it is really fun! Mrs Ferguson teaches us on a Wednesday every week.

In writing we are focused on mystery and suspense paragraphs. This week we wrote a paragraph about a haunted house and now they are on the wall with a matching picture.

In Science we have a DCHS transition passport and we have activities to complete to get us ready for high school science.

We have self, peer and the teacher has assessed our WWII projects and they are fantastic! Miss Clark & Mrs Macaulay are really happy with our work! 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone!

By Luci, Daisy, Imane and Ellie

P7M – Swimming on Monday
P7C – PE on Monday

Both classes – Indoor PE on Wednesday

A fun indoor snow experiment

If you want to stay cosy and indoors today but would like to try out a fun Science experiment, then copy and paste this link:

https://www.kiwico.com/projects/two-ingredient-tuesday-snow-and-hot-water-equal-melting-experiments/409

All you need is water, snow and bottles (or cups would work too!)

Share any pictures you take 🙂 Happy Thursday.

Snow + Hot Water = Melting Experiments

Primary 5 Snow day 2

Good morning Primary 5

I hope you have had lots of fun playing in the snow. There are plenty of activities from yesterday’s blog that you can still do but if anyone wants more ideas watch the clip below and try to make your own snow sculpture. I would love to see pictures of your creations.

www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zqmqxnb

You could also practise your tables using the link below.

www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=hit+the+button

Watch this video of teachers in Antartica, then make a list of equipment you would need to take with you for an expedition.

www.stem.org.uk/elibrary/resource/31005

Have a lovely day and stay warm.

Mrs Jamieson and Miss Farren

Primary 5 Snow day activities

Good morning Primary 5. Here are some activities you could do today to keep you busy.

Mr Shanks added a winter weather booklet to the blog earlier this term. Have a look at it try some of the activities.

Here are some ideas of work you could also do related to the work we have been doing in class.

Read the next 2 chapters in your novel.

Complete your maths homework. Mrs Jamieson’s set could work on making their equivalent fraction game.

Have a look round your house, can you make a list or take photographs of different examples of solids, liquids and gases.

Play some of the maths games assigned to you on studyladder.

Practise your assembly words.

Have a lovely day. We will see you soon

Mrs Jamieson and Miss Farren

P5 Friday 9th February 2018

Hi everyone!

This week we have continued with our Scottish Wars topic and we began a group challenge. Within this task we had research for information on castles and burghs. We are learning how to read for information and write up what we learn in our own words. It’s not an easy thing to do!

In Science we are learning about Solids. Liquids and Gases. There is a lot to learn as our initial “What do we know?” quiz revealed that we do not know much at this point. I am confident by the end our knowledge will have developed a good amount!

Basketball is our unit of work in P.E. We are now playing small team games and having a lot of fun doing so. It is not easy to remember all of the rules and score goals too!

Please remember that next week we are on holiday Monday 12th and Tuesday 13^th. All return on Wednesday 14^th February. Additionally, our BIG homework presentations are to be returned on Thursday 15^th February. Presentations will take place over 2 days.

Enjoy your long weekend and we look forward to seeing you all after the small break.

Miss Farren and Mrs Jamieson

Primary 2/3 30.1.18

Primary 2/3 would like to say a huge well done to Zara Walker and Oliver Wheelans!! They both did a fantastic job reciting their Scottish poem in front of the whole school. Well done!!

Primary 2/3 have been learning about Roman numerals. They managed to use the Roman numerals to count confidently up to 10 and also use them to crack codes. This week we are learning about Roman towns and villas.

In science, we have been continuing our lessons in the Polar Explorer programme. Yesterday we were learning about the Arctic food chain and how important it is in keeping some of our beautiful arctic animals alive! We even learned about a little fish called a copepod!

In health last week the boys and girls were learning about our feelings when we have good days and bad days. The children were able to describe these days and how it made them feel. We also learned that if we are having a bad day we can always turn it round to a good day by changing our thought process! Primary 2/3 are hoping for lots of good days to come!

Primary 3 have started learning their 2x tables and are hoping to move onto their 10x next week- keep practising P3!

Primary 2 are working hard in subtraction, using concrete materials and number lines. The children are also been working out missing subtrahends which can be tricky but they are doing really well. Keep up the hard work P2!

Reminder- P.E is on a Monday and Wednesday

Homework- Spelling, Reading, Maths

Thanks, Miss Rafferty

Primary 7 25.1.18

Hello everyone!

This week we have been to the Risk Factory there was lots of different stages it was amazing. We’d love to tell you more but we don’t want to spoil it for next year’s P7s!
We had auditions for the Burns Assembly. Daisy, Imane, Ammad and Robyn have been selected to represent P7 – well done!

6 members of Primary 7 went up to the local Morrison’s with Mr Shanks and Mrs Harding to ask people how they feel about alcohol in our community as part of our health topic.

In PE we have been working towards the Sports Hall athletics competition where 30 primary 7s are going to compete in 4 events.

In science we have been planning a polar expedition just like Craig our polar explorer. We have been working using a budget and planning what equipment, clothing and food we would need to take on a Polar Expedition.

Kaydi, Ellie, Mason, Tyler, Natasha & Nicole P7C

PE days – Monday and Tuesday
Literacy Circles homework due on Wednesdays
Spelling and maths homework due on Fridays
My Life so Far first draft due on Friday 9th March
WW2 Booklets (see big homework sheet) due Friday 16th March

P5 25.1.18

This week Primary 5 have been learning about life the the 17th century as part of our Scottish Wars of Independence topic. We have started reading a non fiction book and have used the information we have read to write facts about Living in a castle and the country. We made clay castles which will be decorated next week.

We have also learned about the life of King Alexander III and the problems with succession after his death. We have started writing a news interview with Queen Yolande to record the main facts of the story so far.

In Science we have been studying the effects of climate change on the Polar ice caps as part of the Polar explorer project. We have learned about the effects of gases on the ozone layer and investigated the change in the size of a glacier over several years. We have also looked at the effects of carbon on our oceans. We really enjoyed using PH paper to test liquids and learned about the effects carbon is having on our oceans.

This week we have been learning Scots poems to participate in the Burns competition. The children have worked very hard to learn their poems and the standard when reciting them has been very impressive.

Have a lovely week

Mrs Jamieson and Miss Farren

Primary 6 24.11.17

The entire school has been preparing for our St. Andrews Day assembly next week. Primary Six are performing the Burns song, “Your Welcome Wullie Stewart”. The song is about welcoming a dear friend. We have added guitars, drums and other percussion instruments to our ensemble and it is sounding superb.

We had an interactive science session this week, where we made part of the human digestive system! The pupils questioning skills have certainly added to our learning and we have now created a new science section within the classrooms where pupils can write down their ‘Big Science Questions’. Selected pupils then research the answers to the questions and present back to the class. It’s proving to be extremely interesting!

Many pupils have been choosing to do extra work on their European country books during their own time and it is wonderful to see such enthusiasm from them. The children are working hard in class and we have been impressed with the standard of work being produced. Well done Primary Six.

It’s hard to believe that we will be entering the month of December next week, may we remind you that the Primary Six Christmas party is on the afternoon of Monday 4th of December. The children can bring their party clothes to school and change at lunch time.

The school is having a reading day next Wednesday and we would like the children to come dressed as their favourite book character. There will be lots of exciting activities happening in the classroom and the children are getting to design their own library area.

Our Christmas Fair is next Friday and tickets are selling fast. The choir will be singing, Santa will be in attendance and there will be a variety of stalls selling exciting goods. Please come along if you can.

REMINDERS
PE – outdoor Kit on Mondays / Indoor kit on Wednesdays

Homework
Spelling due on Friday. Please note that spelling homework jotters should NOT be handed in before Friday as the children should be using them to practise their spelling words daily.

Maths – we would like to remind all pupils that they have maths homework EVERY WEEK. If we do not give out maths homework in the form of worksheet we still expect the pupils to be practising Times Tables, Fact Families, and Number Bonds. We have shown the pupils’ games and activities they can do to practise.

Thank for your continued support.

Mrs Wylie, Mr. Woodward and Mr Shanks

Primary 7 16.11.17

Hello!

This week in Primary 7, P7C went swimming at Deans Community High School. We began by playing a game in the shallow end then we went into the deep end and did 2 laps.

Also Michelle from the West Lothian Drug and Alcohol service came in to talk to us on Wednesday about the dangers of second hand smoke. We then started to make leaflets about smoke free homes and zones. These leaflets are being entered into a competition. The best leaflet will be printed professionally and handed out to the whole school community to make everyone aware about the dangers of second hand smoke.

In PE we are doing gymnastics with Mrs Ferguson. We are trying to get perfect landings and shapes in the air. Some of us are going to a competition next week. Wish us luck!

We have also been looking at energy in science. We started making energy posters in small groups about different types of energy.

In art we have been making Japanese cups with clay and we are painting them. We are now adding the finishing touches.

Have a nice weekend!

By Mason, Megan, Ryan, Natalia.

Primary 6 10.11.17

There has been much excitement in primary 6 this week as the children have started their visits to the nursery. On a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday two children from each class visit the nursery at lunch time. Primary 6 have enjoyed playing with the children and interacting with them. On a Thursday P6 will read to the nursery children and talk about the book. We have been practicing asking questions in the classroom!

In Science we have started our new topic-The Body. We are learning all about the major organs in the body, how they work and where they are. We are hoping to carry out some investigations to demonstrate what happens inside our body.

The children have been given reading homework this week –The Rainforest. The children will read the text then find out the meanings of words, decide if information is true/false/don’t know and make up questions. We would prefer the children to use a dictionary to find the meaning of words but if you do not have one your child could borrow one from school or you could use an online dictionary. Please let us know if this is a problem.

The children have been given the opportunity to design a red nose which will be sold as part of Red Nose Day 2019. They are very excited and have been busy designing noses with the theme ‘magical lands’ Next week the children will decide on their final design and draw it. Unfortunately only 3 designs can be entered from each class so the House Captains will decide the winning entries.

REMINDERS –
PE – outdoor Kit on Mondays / Indoor kit on Wednesdays

Homework
Spelling due on Friday. Please note that spelling homework jotters should NOT be handed in before Friday as the children should be using them to practise their spelling words daily.

Maths Homework – we would like to remind all pupils that they have maths homework EVERYWEEK. If we do not give out maths homework in the form of worksheet we still expect the pupils to be practising Times Tables, Fact Families, and Number Bonds. We have shown the pupils’ games and activities they can do to practise.

Reading – due on a Wednesday but can be handed in before.

Thank for your continued support.
Mrs Gilmour, Mrs Wylie, Mrs Tully and Mr Shanks

Primary 1 w.b. 25/9/17

Primary 1 have had a busy couple of weeks. The children are now settled well into school life and routines and are enjoying learning lots of new things in our lessons. In phonics, we have now learnt the sounds a, t, s, p, i and n. This week we are revising these sounds and are beginning to blend them together to make short 2 and 3 letter words (sat, pan, sip etc). Any work you do at home practising to read, say and write these sounds is hugely beneficial for your child.
In maths we are continuing to learn our numbers to 10. The children have been making the quantities in different ways including fingers, with cubes and cutting out pictures. We have also been practising writing the numbers and ordering forwards and backwards 1-10.
In science the children have been learning about their 5 senses. Last week we focused on the sense of hearing and made musical instruments. We spoke about how to make a loud and quiet sound.
In your child’s homework folder this week you will find an A4 sheet of card with a variety of sounds on it. Please cut out the cards of the sounds taught so far (a,t,s,p,i and n) and help your child to make short words. There is a list of possible activities to try in the homework folder. We are also asking for every child to bring in a photo of them self as a baby tomorrow (Wednesday 27th Sep). The children will be talking about how they have changed and the different needs a baby has to an older child.
Reminders:
-Please provide your child with a named water bottle every day.
-PE is on a Monday. Please can you ensure that all clothes are named in case they get misplaced.
-It is really helpful if your child can write their name confidently and clearly. Please practise this as part of your homework.
Thank you for your continued support, please contact us if you have any questions.
Miss Christy. Mrs Harris and Mrs Oliver

Primary 4 5.5.17

We hope you had a nice couple of days holiday this week. Although short, it has been a very productive week here in Primary 4. We have been busy writing letters to pen friends in France telling them all about us. These will travel with the teachers visiting France as part of our Erasmus project and they will bring some back for us. We were very impressed with their English when we read their letters to us and now have a target to be able to write a letter in French to them by the end of Primary 4.

We have been learning all about time in Maths and have used timetables. We were able to think of lots of occasions in life where we would need these skills. We worked out the duration of programmes and transferred digital times into analogue and back again. We will move on to doing measure next week and hopefully will get outside now that the weather is nicer.

We hope also next Thursday to go on a mini-beast hunt in groups. If there are any parents who would be willing and free to come on our mini-beast hunt as a helper at 1:30pm, please call the office to arrange.

We are in the midst of writing a story in the style of the Famous Five books in order to enter a competition. The competition involves using ‘Sway’ on Microsoft to produce their story in an interactive way. The children wrote their openers this week and attempted to hook the reader into their story through use of exciting vocabulary and ideas. Watch this space! We have some budding authors in our midst.

Reminders:

Monday – Indoor PE Kit

Tuesday – Outdoor PE Kit

Thursday – suitable outdoor wear and footwear for going to the woods.

Homework:

Spelling

Reading

Maths if appropriate (new measure activities added)