The Scottish Wars of Independence – Carmondean Primary School Blog

Primary 5: 10.06.2021

Hello,

It has been a busy week in Primary Five!

We had lots of fun at our annual Sports Day on Thursday morning! It was a little different than normal but we had lots of fun with all the fun activities set up by Mrs Ferguson and Miss Malloy! There were lots of fun potted sports to start; javelin throwing contests, rugby tosses, tennis ball serves and relay running. We then moved on to Beat the Goalie which was lots of fun and a lot trickier than it looked! Last up there was lots of fun running and relay races; there was some close finishes!Well done to every Primary 5 member who took part, tried their hardest, showed great sportsmanship and had fun!

The overall points were so close and there was less than 20 points in it! These are the rankings for the Primary 5 Sports Day but we will have to wait until all the year groups scores are added together!

Waverley = 1^st

Sutherland = 2^nd

Deer Park = 3^rd

Raeburn = 4^th

This week in Writing, the class wrote superb senses poems inspired by a 13^th century battlefield. The children used their imagination to transport themselves onto the battle field at Stirling Bridge, Falkirk or Bannockburn and tried to envisage what they might see, smell, hear, taste and touch. They came up with lots of gory words to create some really gruesome descriptions. The children were very creative coming up with different bodily fluids that you might find on a battlefield . They then organised their ideas into five different stanzas each focussing on a different body sense. The finished poems were fantastic and we had fun sharing them with the class.

In Maths, both classes were working on measuring weight. Primary 5a faced the tricky task of organising 10kilograms worth of (imaginary) fruit for the new (imaginary) Carmondean Fruit Tuck Shop. This involved having to convert weights between grams and kilograms as well as using fractions and decimals.

In Numeracy, both classes have been working hard on decimals. They have been learning how to convert between fractions and decimals, and this week took on the challenge of adding decimals. Both classes have made excellent progress on this!

In Reading, we have reached the final chapter of our non-fiction text for The Scottish Wars of Independence. The classes were amazed that they had managed to read the whole book so thoroughly alongside making their own books! This weeks chapter focussed on the Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn and the Declaration of Arbroath.

During Health, we have been looking at the growth of a foetus during pregnancy. Both classes loved looking at the comparison charts and finding out what fruit a foetus compares to each week. We had lots of excellent discussions about what babies can see/hear/do inside the mothers womb!

PE- Tuesday and Thursday – Please remember to provide your child with a water bottle on these days J

Have a lovely sunny weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Ms Munro, Mrs Muir and Miss Herd

Primary 5: 03.06.2021

Hello,

What a hot and sunny week it has been!

This week in Writing the children wrote acrostic poems for a Top Secret Project. We had excellent discussions and brainstormed our ideas connected to our secret mission. The children worked hard on their poem, created some beautiful descriptions and the finished pieces of writing looked fabulous! We cannot to share them in the next few weeks!

During Health, we had lots of fun discussing our Birth Fact Files. The children had been tasked with finding out their full name, date and time of birth, where they were born and how much they weighed. They could also share any other interesting information about their birth! It was lovely to see all the cute baby photographs!

In Maths, both classes were working on measuring weight. We estimated the weight of household objects in grams and kilograms before using a variety of measuring scales to get the actual weight of each object. The children were surprised about how heavy/light some objects were; who knew a paperclip does not weigh one kilogram!

In Reading, we are continuing with our non-fiction text connected to our history topic; The Scottish Wars of Independence. This week we were investigating Robert the Bruce and how after the death of William Wallace he became Scotland’s new king. The children were fascinated by the story of Robert the Bruce and how the spider in the cave inspired him.

In numeracy P5G have been decimals and investigating the link with fractions. The children took to this new concept exceptionally well and were able to explain how to convert fractions to decimals and vice versa. Next week we will be looking at adding decimal numbers.

In PE all our practicing for the flash mob dance came to fruition. On Thursday filming of the P5 section of the flash mob took place and the children all danced very enthusiastically (even the adults managed it!). Look out for the video on the blog in the coming weeks!

On Thursday afternoon, we had lots of fun watching the auditions for the talent show. Some of the different acts were gymnastics, dancing, magic tricks, xylophone and trumpet playing, singing and stand-up comedy! We were blown-up away by the talent, and have two wonderful acts to represent P5 in the school wide Talent Show; Ayden and Monica the hilarious ‘Red Magicians’ from P5A and Sarah Kirk’s singing ‘1000 Years’ from P5B. Well done to all that auditions!

Next Thursday, P5 will have their Sports Day Events with Mrs Ferguson. Please come dressed for the weather and in your house colours! Hopefully next year we will be able to have spectators, however we will take plenty of photographs to post on the blog!

Reminders

Homework next week- Spelling due on a Friday. Look, Cover, Write, Check and sentences using spelling words. This will be completed in their spelling jotter.
Please encourage your child to practice 2-10 times tables and number bonds to 100 on a regular basis.
The children have chosen a book to read for enjoyment in class and it would be appreciated if you could continue to encourage your child to read for enjoyment at home too.
PE- Tuesday and Thursday – Please remember to provide your child with a water bottle on these days /

Have a lovely sunny weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Ms Munro, Mrs Muir and Miss Herd

Primary 5- 28.05.2021

Hello,

It has been a short but lovely week in Primary 5!

In reading, we are continuing with our non-fiction text connected to our history topic; The Scottish Wars of Independence. This week we were investigating William Wallace and how he was a part of defeating King Edward I at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. We also found out what happened to him in 1305 which was a bit grisly! Ask your child to tell you all about it! The children’s own non-fictions books are looking fantastic with some super detail and illustrations.

This week in writing the children completed a diary entry about the Battle of Stirling Bridge from either the perspective of a Scottish or English solider. They were focussing on having the facts in the correct order, including feelings and using lots of descriptive language. After reading some of the finished pieces it was just like we were there. Well done everyone for bringing this battle to life!

During Health discussions we were looking at what humans can do at different stages of their life- baby, toddler, child, teenager, adult and pensioner. There were some interesting answers! For homework the children were also asked to find out about details of their birth. We have seen some lovely photos so far. Next week the children will be sharing the information they have found out.

In numeracy P5G have been working on division with remainders. There was some accurate work completed and we have all become much better at remembering our times tables. Next week the children will be starting to investigate decimals and their link with fractions. P5M were getting ready to learn about decimals this week and recapped on their fractions knowledge through lots of games and activities.

In PE we have been practicing the dance for the flash mob. This has been great fun and the children are already better than the teachers! Many of the children became teachers and were able to direct their peers on how to do the dance moves. Next week filming will take place. We then did some relay racing to help practice some of our athletics skills.

Out topic lessons this week focussed on the strategies the Scottish and English armies used when fighting battles, particularly the use of schiltrons and longbowmen. It was fascinating to find out how these strategies helped both sides to victory at different battles. The children also created their own shields. This involved researching what was on shields, choosing their own designs then painting their shield. The results were quite impressive! Check out some of the shields at the bottom of this post!

A reminder, PE is a TUESDAY AND THURSDAY. Please ensure your child comes dressed appropriately for outdoor PE. Remember we go outside in all weathers so it is essential that your child has a waterproof jacket/sunhat/sun cream with them! It is Scotland after all! If the weather does continue it is essential that every child brings a water bottle to school – remember we can refill during the day!

Reminders

Homework next week- Spelling due on a Friday. Look, Cover, Write, Check and sentences using spelling words. This will be completed in their spelling jotter.
Please encourage your child to practice 2-10 times tables and number bonds to 100 on a regular basis.
The children have chosen a book to read for enjoyment in class and it would be appreciated if you could continue to encourage your child to read for enjoyment at home too.
PE- Tuesday and Thursday – Please remember to provide your child with a water bottle on these days J

Have a lovely sunny weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Ms Munro, Mrs Muir and Miss Herd

Primary 5 07.05.2021

Hello,

It has been a short but busy week in Primary 5!

In Writing, the class have continued to work on the explanation genre. This week the children were explaining how to keep your body and mind healthy! The learners discussed all the different ways we can maintain a healthy lifestyle and spoke of the consequences if we do not look after our bodies. They then organised all their ideas under different subheadings for the completed writing piece. The class were very enthusiastic to share all their healthy living ideas and wrote several pages! It has been wonderful to see the progression in the children’s writing since the start of Primary 5!

In reading, we have continued with our non-fiction text connected to our history topic; The Scottish Wars of Independence. This week we were focussing on how people lived in the 13^th century and were looking at the differences between living in the countryside or a town (burgh). We looked at how food was gathered, how clothes were made and what houses looked like 700 years ago! The class were shocked that people shared their homes with their cattle and chickens, and no one was very keen to switch lives with a 13^th century Scot!

In maths, both classes have been working incredibly hard on new division strategies. These are new skills to most learners but the children have made some excellent progress! It is important to have a strong grasp of the multiplication tables for division, so please keep practising!

In Health, both classes were learning about differences between male and female and the idea that we can sometimes tell the difference between them by looking and sometimes not. The discussion generated a lot of questions and comments.

In PE, the class have continue to work their running skills as part of an athletics block of lessons. We focussed on moving at different paces, quick stop and starts and transitioning between a slow and fast pace. We also looked at a good form and posture which makes running longer distances a lot easier. A reminder, PE is a TUESDAY AND THURSDAY. Please ensure your child comes dressed appropriately for outdoor PE. Remember we go outside in all weathers so it is essential that your child has a waterproof jacket/sunhat/sun cream with them! It is Scotland after all! If the weather does continue it is essential that every child brings a water bottle to school – remember we can refill during the day!

Reminders

Spelling due on a Friday. Look, Cover, Write, Check and sentences using spelling words. This will be completed in their spelling jotter. Numeracy/maths assigned on Teams due on a Monday. This will be connected to concepts we are covering in class.
Please encourage your child to practice 2-10 times tables and number bonds to 100 on a regular basis.
The children have chosen a book to read for enjoyment in class and it would be appreciated if you could continue to encourage your child to read for enjoyment at home too.
PE- Tuesday and Thursday – Please remember to provide your child with a water bottle on these days J

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Ms Munro, Mrs Muir and Miss Herd

Primary 5 23.04.21

Hello,

It has been busy first week back after the holidays! We have enjoyed the lovely sunshine and made good use of the outdoors when we can!

Please remember, PE is now on a TUESDAY AND THURSDAY. Please ensure your child comes dressed appropriately for outdoor PE. Remember we go outside in all weathers so it is essential that your child has a waterproof jacket/sunhat/sun cream with them! It is Scotland after all! If the weather does continue it is essential that every child brings a water bottle to school – remember we can refill during the day!

In Writing, the class created a story board of the main events of their Easter holidays. The children shared all the different adventures they had over the break, from climbing the Pentland hills, cycle trips to the Kelpies and barbeques in the sunshine with their friends. The class then organised the main events of their days into four, six and eight sections using drawing and recount writing to share their experiences.

This week we have started our new topic on the Scottish Wars of Independence. We travelled back in time to 1290s to understand what life in Scotland was like; no running water, electricity or iPhones! The class learned of the mysterious death of Alexander III of Scotland and important this was for Scotland, and studied the timeline following his death that led to the Wars of Independence.

Our reading lessons this term will link in with this history topic as we are concentrating on the features of non-fiction texts. The children working towards are going to create their own non-fiction book using the information gathered in these reading lessons.

In Health and Wellbeing, the class played games connected with sharing their emotions and feelings. The children had an opportunity to share a time when they felt a particular emotion and ways they can cope with changing feelings.

The class were learning about body parts in French this week. We had lots of fun playing Simon Says and Guess Who, and we all got the French version of ‘Head, Shoulder’s, Knees and Toes’ stuck in our heads for the rest of the day!

Homework will be given this term. This will be a mixture of jotter work and assignments on Teams. Spelling and Numeracy will be given next week. For spelling the children will do Look, Cover, Write, Check and sentences in their jotter. Numeracy will concentrate on times tables and number bonds.

Reminders

In Numeracy, the children need to use their number bonds and their times tables on a regular basis and it would be very helpful if they could get some extra practice in. Please practice 2-10 times tables and number bonds to 100.
The children have chosen a book to read for enjoyment in class and it would be appreciated if you could continue to encourage your child to read for enjoyment at home.
PE- Tuesday and Thursday – Please remember to provide your child with a water bottle on these days.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Ms Munro, Mrs Muir and Miss Herd

Primary 5

An exciting time has been had by P5 this week.

The children really enjoyed their trip to Bannockburn despite almost being blown away when we visited the monument! When we went in to the exhibition the children got to touch weapons, armour and shields that were used during the battle. We then got to witness the battle in 3D which caught many children by surprise and the screams were not just on the screen! We then went in to the battle room and the children were divided in to English and Scottish armies. In both classes the Sottish won. Hurrah! The children had great fun trying on the different clothes that were worn by the various soldiers. They also got to touch some fearsome weapons but they all came back with 10 fingers and toes! All children impressed the staff at Bannockburn with their knowledge and interest in this part of history. They were a credit to Carmondean Primary.

In reading the children are almost finished their Scottish Wars of Independence fact file. We are very impressed by the detail the children have included and we think they are impressed at the amount of writing they have done!

In writing the children wrote senses poems connected to a battle. These were very detailed and the children were able to capture the atmosphere in a battle very well. The children will re-draft their poem next week as we want to put them on display to showcase their talent in writing.

A big thank you to Mrs Smith and P6 who guided P5 through a session of HiiT training to celebrate Sports Relief. The children worked very hard and were exhausted by the end!

P5 visited the nursery this week to read with the boys and girls. The children read a variety of stories to the nursery pupils and enjoyed the experience greatly. They are looking forward to having this as a regular responsibility in p6.

Reminders

P5G and P5M PE- Monday and Thursday. Please bring outdoor and indoor PE kit for both days.

Spelling homework- due every Friday.

Numeracy homework- if given due every Thursday. Please practise all times tables over and above any other homework. Children can use Education City to play games.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Miss Morris, Mr Shanks and Mrs Muir

Primary 5

Another busy week in P5. The children have been working hard on different areas of the curriculum.

In writing the children wrote about their adventures last week at Lockerbie Manor and in school. They had great fun telling each other what had happened and how they felt about things. Each child was able to produce a recount of their experiences. It all sounded very exciting!

Our topic on the Scottish Wars of Independence is progressing well. We are learning about all the battles that took place and the different tactics used to help each side win. There has been great interest in the variety of weapons used and how they work. Next week we are off to Bannockburn to learn even more about all these things. Please ensure your child has a packed lunch and is dressed for the weather as we will be outside for some of the time.

The children had great fun yesterday celebrating World Book Day. It was good to see the variety of books the children brought in and they had great fun sharing these with their peers. Miss Morris also enjoyed sharing a bit of her favourite book to p5M which was quite funny! The ‘Where’s Wally’ competition caused great excitement and the children were on the lookout all day for him. Well done to everyone who found the 5 hiding places. We are now waiting to see who will be picked as the winner.

In PE the children in both classes will be learning to play hockey which will be outside. This is in preparation for the Hockey Festival on 24th March. Next week will be p5M’s last Futsal session and both classes will be going out in most weathers after that so please ensure that the children bring outdoor PE kit on a Monday and a Tuesday.

Reminders

P5G P5M PE- Monday and Tuesday

Spelling homework- due every Friday.

Numeracy homework- if given due every Thursday. Please practise all times tables over and above any other homework. Children can use Education City to play games.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Miss Morris, Mr Shanks and Mrs Muir

Primary 5

It was lovely to meet you all at Parent Consultations this week. We thank you for your continued support to help us give the children a rewarding and stimulating learning experience.

We hope you were able to read the Recipes the children wrote about how to make a good friend. All were able to achieve the genre targets for writing instructions. They made a lovely job of re-drafting their writing and as a result produced excellent pieces of work. Hopefully some of these friendships become a reality.

We are hearing positive reports about how much the children (and parents!) are enjoying playing the games on Education City. The children can play any of the games on the site not just the ones in the homework/class section. If they find a game too hard they are able to play games in the level below to practice and reinforce their learning. Equally if they are finding games too easy the children can move up to the next level. We are definitely noticing a difference in the children’s recall of times tables facts so keep up the good work!

We continue to be impressed by the work the children are producing for their non-fiction book on The Scottish Wars of Independence. Each reading session we read the information together then the children summarise what they have learned in their own words. Many children are adding extra detail that they have researched in their own time. A great effort!

In PE P5G have started a block of Dance lessons and at the end they will perform their dance to a chosen audience. They will also choose costumes and props to complement their dance. We are seeing some interesting moves already! P5M will continue with their block of Futsal.

The children are on holiday Friday 14^th, Monday 17^th and Tuesday 18^th February. Tuesday 18^th is an in-service day for staff.

Reminders

PE with Mrs Ferguson-Thursday.

Spelling homework- no homework due next week. Please practise words for the last few weeks

Numeracy homework- no homework due next week. Please practise all times tables over and above any other homework. Children can use Education City to play games.

Holiday – Monday 17^th and Tuesday 18th February

Have a great long weekend.

Mrs Gilmour, Miss Morris, Mr Shanks and Mrs Muir