Writing – Page 4 – Carmondean Primary School Blog

Primary 6 27.10.17

We hope everyone enjoyed their October holiday and the stormy weather did not disrupt too many plans.

The children have been working hard this week. In writing they wrote all about their October holiday and what they had been doing. The skills we focused on were correct spelling, starting each sentence with a different word and including adjectives. The children then peer assessed their partner’s story and provided feedback.

We have completed our Topic on the Industrial Revolution and have started Europe. The children will be creating non-fiction books on a European country in the coming weeks. We are excited to learn lots of new facts about our European neighbours.

In Reading we have finished our novel and the children shared a range of emotions about how the story ended. Lots of great discussion took place. Next week the children will be writing a book review about the novel.

After school clubs have started this week. Thank you to all children who have signed up already. There are still spaces in many of the clubs so please ask for an application form if your child is interested in joining a club.

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 EVERY WEEK. If we do not give out maths homework in the form of a 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.

Regards,
Mrs Gilmour, Mrs Wylie, Mrs Tully and Mr Shanks

Primary 2/3 26.10.17

Primary 2/3 have a new topic called Our Community. We are going to be learning about who works in our community, who helps us and what we can do to keep our community safe and tidy.

Primary 2/3 have P.E on a Monday and Tuesday. Please remember to bring in a P.E kit.

Homework:

Primary 2 have: Reading, Maths, Time your Climb and common words

Primary 3 have: Spelling, two sentences, common words and maths

All homework is due on Friday please.

Tomorrow we are planning to do some spooky writing using lots of picture plans and interesting adjectives. Our stories should be great!

I am looking forward to seeing all the boys and girls at the Halloween Disco tonight!

Primary 6 29.9.17

Our classes have been full of interesting invention chats this week! We are all getting very excited for the inventions show case. Parents and carers are very welcome to view our inventions on Wednesday 11th October from 2pm until 3pm or on Thursday 12th October from 10am until 11am. Please be aware that other classes in the school may be visiting at these times.

In preparation for our trip to New Lanark on Tuesday 3rd October, we have been learning about Robert Owen and in particular his influence on changing the lives of working class people for the better. The children have indicated that they still prefer coming to school to working in a mill!

In Writing the children have used their imaginations this week to create their own versions of the poem The Magic Box by Kit Wright. Various writing techniques were adopted to develop ideas and the results have been outstanding. Such emotional writing Primary Six! You will have an opportunity to read these on Parent’s Evening.

The children have been working hard in PE with Mrs Ferguson on a Wednesday, training for the Cross Country event. Many of the children are showing a talent for running.

The children also participated in a handball taster session on Monday where they were introduced to some of the skills needed to participate in a game.

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

CROSS COUNTRY EVENT WEDNESDAY 4TH OCTOBER – PLEASE DRESS ACCORDINGLY AND REMEMBER TO BRING A PACKED LUNCH IF ONE HAS NOT BEEN ORDERED FROM SCHOOL.

Trip – Visit to New Lanark Tuesday 3rd October

Spelling homework due on a 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.

INVENTION HOMEWORK DUE FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER

Best Regards,
Mrs Wylie, Mrs Gilmour, Mrs Tully and Mr Shanks

Primary 3 Wk beginning 4th September

We are now into the full swing of Primary three and just yesterday we received a mysterious letter from Mrs Thunder wanting Primary Three’s help to learn more about the weather. This is great news as we have been discussing what we already know and what we would like to learn about our topic. We are going to practice our best handwriting and sentences when we write our own letters in response.

Homework

Weekly spelling

This week has also seen the start of homework. In their homework jotters, children have stuck in a small word list focusing on one sound a week. With this list, children should use a line per word to write each word as many times along the line as they can fit in, using the Look, Cover, Write, Check format.

A common words sheet has also been stuck in and although this does not need written evidence, it would be good if you could practice these with your child whenever you have time.

Handwriting

A handwriting sheet has been stuck in the front of jotters for children to practice at home. It would be good for the children to familiarise themselves with the correct letter formation.

Maths

We have been learning strategies for our Maths to make us more confident and speedier in our calculations. We recognised that it is much easier to add to a ‘friendly number’ (one with a 0 at the end) and because of this, we can shuffle numbers in our addition sums to make a ten first, then add the rest on.

Reading

We also have started reading. Please practice the pages given, stuck in the front of the homework diaries, out loud, checking for understanding and recognition of punctuation whilst we read.

With homework, we have set the days for handing out on a Monday, and return day a Friday as we would prefer to leave your weekends free. We welcome your comments on this. Perhaps some people prefer a weekend to be able to spend time doing it?

It was lovely to meet so many of you at meet the teacher. Thank you for coming to say hello.

Thank you for your continued support,

From ‘the Smiths’.

Primary 6 31.05.17

Hello everyone, we can’t believe that it’s almost June already!

Everyone has been working very hard in Primary 6 this past week. In writing, we have been working on persuasive writing. Last week the children created advertisements for their favourite place to visit. The children thought about adjectives to describe the place, a catchphrase that would stick in people’s minds and learned how to use rhetorical questions to convince people that their destination was the best. This week the children will try to persuade the reader of their text of their opinion of school uniform. We are sure this will be a fun and interesting debate!

As part of our inclusion topic we took advantage of the lovely weather last week and went outside to try and experience what it might be like to be physically disabled. The children were able to experience walking blindfolded, using noise cancelling headphones, using a wheelchair unaided and using crutches. The children were able to discuss some of the difficulties that they were presented with when trying to negotiate the playground. This week we will be learning about how society and the local community support those with physical and mental disabilities.

Three children in P6 (Daisy, Luci and Rhianna) made us all very proud this week. They made a group decision that they wanted to raise money for school funds in order to buy equipment for the playground. So on Sunday the girls ran from Dechmont Law to Dobbies and back in order to raise the money. They went around the classes last week asking for any donations and ended up raising a massive £125.10!! We are so proud of the girls for making the decision to do this and organising the entire event themselves. Well done girls! We will let you know what Luci, Daisy and Rhianna choose to spend the money on 🙂

Reminders –
Futsal – Tuesday
Outdoor PE – Wednesday
Spelling homework – Due on Friday

Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your week.

Miss Clark, Mrs Kelly & Mrs Wylie.

Well done Daisy, Luci and Rhianna!

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)

Primary 6 05.05.17

Hello everyone

We hope the children have had an enjoyable couple of days off school this week.

This week the children continued with the Living and Growing programme. They have been learning about the changes that happen in our bodies, particularly girls’ bodies, as we grow older. If you have any queries about this programme please do not hesitate to ask.

In PE we have been participating in Athletics based activities. All of the activities this week involved sprinting. The children also researched one of 3 Olympians/Paralympians: Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis-Hill or Ellie Simmonds. The children then used this research to write detailed biographies about their chosen athlete. We discussed the skills and qualities that athletes need to develop in order to become successful. We linked these to our work on Athletics in PE. Next week we will move onto jumping activities.

Next week, the children will take part in a Judo taster session on Tuesday morning. They will also have Futsal as normal on Tuesday and Outdoor PE on Wednesday. Please remind your child to bring full PE kit (including trainers) to school on these days.

On Tuesday 16th May the children will be making their first visit to Deans Community High School as part of their transition to High School next year. We will be at the high school from 9:15-12:20 and we will be back at Carmondean in time for lunch as normal. Children can take a snack with them up to the high school too.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Miss Clark, Mrs Wylie & Mrs Kelly

Primary 6 27.4.17

Hello everyone

This week has been a busy week in Primary 6. We have been continuing to rehearse for our assembly tomorrow. We hope you can make it to see our final performance in the new school hall tomorrow at 11:30am. The children have been working so hard and we hope you enjoy our assembly.

This week we began learning about our new topic of Inclusion. We will explore how life can be challenging for different groups of people and how we can work to include others. Today we discussed the definition of the word inclusion and also how rules in society can be used to include or exclude people. We are looking forward to learning more about how we can be inclusive citizens.

In writing this week we wrote newspaper articles about our role in planning and organising the school’s Red Nose Day event this year. We learned that we all helped to raise a massive £1070.42 for the children in Africa and the UK that need it most. The newspaper articles are looking fabulous and we are looking forward to seeing the final finished products!

Our PE times have changed slightly from the information given last week. We will now have a Futsal instructor coming into school every Tuesday morning to work with the children. Both classes can come to school dressed in their PE kit with their school uniforms in their bag. Futsal will take place on a Tuesday morning with Outdoor PE on a Wednesday morning.

Please remember that each week your child is given both spelling and maths homework. Miss Clark’s class will also soon be given weekly reading homework. Homework is usually due in on a Thursday or Friday. Please ask your child about this.

Thank you for your support. Remember children are off on holiday on Monday 1st and Thursday 4th May. Have a fantastic long weekend and we will see the children on Tuesday morning.

Miss Clark, Mrs Wylie, Mrs Kelly.

Primary 3 06.03.17

Primary 3 have their Parent Assembly next Monday so we have lots to do in preparation. Children will be learning their lines, singing their Three Brave Knights song and practising small drama pieces. There will be no spelling or maths homework this week. We look forward to showing you all our assembly on Monday.

In maths we are finishing up with money and moving onto time. Please encourage your children to read and tell the time with digital and analogue clocks. We have also been doing lots of work with fractions- finding a fraction of a shape and number.

In writing we are using our imaginations to write a short story about a dragon living in a castle. Children made their dragons out of clay and used them to help write their description of their dragon. This week we are creating a backdrop for our dragons to help us describe where our stories are going to be set.

Futsal will run as normal on Tuesday in the hall so indoor P.E kits are required.

P3R- P.E Wednesday

P3S- P.E Monday

Please continue reading as normal this week- page numbers and chapters will be written in diaries.

Miss Rafferty & Mrs Smith

P1/2 Week beginning 27.2.17

Good morning from P1/2

Last week was the busiest week ever. We had our HMI inspection and our children were very excited to welcome the inspectors to our class. The children were very well behaved and worked hard throughout the week as always creating a very good impression so well done to you all.

Last week Miss Miller joined our class. She is a student from Edinburgh university and will be working with us till the summer.

In topic last week we were learning about the effects of the weather. We talked about how different types of weather affect us. We also learned about different weather symbols and produced our own weather forecasts.

In Maths primary 1 were learning to order, count and recognise numbers to 20. Primary 2 were learning to measure the area of objects. they enjoyed completing a challenge to see who could make a kite closest in area to 20 counters.

In writing we learned about the legend of the Kelpie and have started writing our own stories. We also made Kelpie stones out of clay.

On Thursday it will be world book day. The children have been asked to bring their favourite book to school that day to share with the class.

Remember to bring gym kit on Thursday.

Have a lovely week.

Mrs Jamieson

Primary 3 20.2.17

Primary 3 have been very busy at home completing the Big Homework piece. We are both so pleased with everyone’s efforts, use of resources and imagination when building and constructing their castles. We had castles in all shapes and sizes. We had castles made from cardboard, plastic, play dough, lego and even chocolate! All children were able to present their castles to the class and they are now on display in our classrooms. Well done Primary 3!

In maths we are beginning to investigate fractions. We have been learning about a half and a quarter of a shape but this week we are going to be learning about a half and quarter of a number. We will be using lots of concrete materials to help support the children’s learning.

In writing we are making our very own fact files about knights and castles. The children have been learning note taking skills and have been putting these to the test by taking notes from topic books, websites and videos. Children are then going to use these notes to create a mini fact file with headings, pictures and sentences. We will display them once they are complete.

Futsal this week will be taking place outside. So could all children bring an OUTDOOR P.E kit on Tuesday.

Reading will continue as normal this week and the children will have spelling and maths homework to complete for Friday.

Miss Rafferty and Mrs Smith

Primary 7 – 20.01.17

Hello,

It has been yet another busy week in Primary 7!

On Monday the children enjoyed using Google expeditions to explore the events of WW2. The children looked at some of the places that were affected in WW2, we visited the Tuskadee airmen and went on the USS Missouri . The children learned so much from this experience.

As part of our ERASMUS plus project we researched different aspects of Scotland. This included traditional food, clothing, music, dance, stories as well as the geography and tourist attractions. The children made slides which will be combined into one PowerPoint to tell our partner countries all about Scotland.

In writing the children created a leaflet to share their learning from the Risk Factory trip. The children chose how to create their leaflet – either writing it by hand or using Publisher. The leaflets were very informative and included information about how to stay safe in the home and outside.

Indoor PE this term is dance. The children have chosen their groups and decided on their music. They will now begin to create a routine which they will perform to an invited audience. The children will also have to think about appropriate costumes and advertising for this event.

On Wednesday the children began to work in their Literacy Circles groups. Each group chose a novel to focus on (Anne Frank, Blitz Cat, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Goodnight Mr Tom). The children will be working in their groups each Wednesday and will need to ensure they complete their homework tasks on a weekly basis.

As part of our class topic on WW2 the children have been given a personal project to undertake. Their challenge is to present information about an aspect of WW2 both as a booklet and as a class talk. In class the children were given time to research different aspects and choose a focus. There will be time in class on a Monday to work on this project as well as working on it at home.

Today we held our annual Burns Poetry competition. Two children from each class recited their poems to the whole school. Everyone did a fantastic job!

Reminders:

Spelling homework

Literacy Circles – Wednesday

Maths homework

Continue to learn song words

Primary 5. 04.11.2016

This week we have started preparing for our assembly by learning the words to four different songs, one for each of the countries in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We have also begun to learn about the patron saints of these countries.

We have also finished writing our latest stories, “I was left behind”. Some of our stories are so good that we have chosen to put them in our learning journals.

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to start selling wrist bands to support children in need. To raise publicity for this we are creating posters which we can stick up around the school.

Primary 5B have had a a student from Deans Community High School helping us out this week.

Reminders for next week

Spelling homework
Maths homework
Reading Homework
PE kits on Tuesday and Thursday

Can you make sure that you sign your child’s homework diary so that we know you are checking them?

Thanks.

Mrs. Steel and Mr. Greig

Primary 7 – 14.10.16

A big thank you to parents/carers who came to parents’ night on Wednesday and Thursday. We really appreciate your support to ensure the children are meeting their full potential.

On Monday we went to watch ‘The Wiz’ at Deans Community High School. The children really enjoyed it and we could see how much time and effort the high school pupils had put into the production.

We have had a week of witnessing a variety of natural disasters. The children had worked very hard to create their 3D models and many worked very successfully. We had volcanoes erupting, tsunamis flooding, earthquakes shaking and tornadoes/cyclones twisting. We were all weathered out by the end!

The children wrote fabulous newspaper reports about various natural disasters. Hopefully you had a chance to read some of these on parents’ night.

The children are working on their non-fiction book about Japan. They will be reading these books to P4 after the holiday. Some children have chosen to work on these over the holiday. We will have one session once we are back from the holidays to complete these.

After the holiday, our RME topic will be Remembrance. If you have any photos, memorabilia or experience of attending Remembrance ceremonies and would be happy to share these with the children then please let us know.

Reminders:

Week beginning 24.10.16 spelling homework will be given on Tuesday but children must complete the whole week.

Wednesday 26.10 – P7W swimming and PE

Wednesday 26.10 – P7G – Maths with Miss Thomson DCHS

Thursday 27.10 – PSA Halloween disco

Primary 6 09.09.16

Hello everyone!

We hope you’re having a lovely week. Primary 6 have had an extremely busy week working hard as always!

This week the children began working with our maths teacher on circles. The children learned about the different parts of a circle and now know the difference between the radius and the diameter. The children then used a compass to create their own circle patterns and now are using lots of different colours to decorate them. We think they will look great on our maths wall.

Also this week we wrote short descriptive passages based on “The Village” pictures we created last week. We were so impressed with the quality of the children’s work and their use of descriptive language – including similies!

In Health, we have begun learning about Internet Safety and the importance of staying safe online. Please ask your child about the safety strategies they have learned this week.

Please remember –
Spelling homework is due on a Friday.
Outdoor PE kit – Monday
Indoor PE kit – Wednesday

More information about reading and maths homework is to follow.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Clark, Mrs Wylie & Mrs Kelly.

Primary 3 5.9.16

Primary 3 were writing instructions for playground games last week. We played three games and decided which one we wanted to write our instructions for. The children were able to write them in the correct order and use a variety of different openers. After all the instructions were written we put them do the test. They all worked out brilliantly!

Primary 3 were very active in maths this week, working around stations, playing board games, on the smartboard and used the ipads. We even managed some mental maths using our number fans. We were very impressed with their addition and subtraction skills.

We finished our work on the Active section of the SHANARRI wheel. We put our bodies to the test by raising our heart rates and describing/drawing what happens to our bodies when we exercise. All the children did very well identifying the changes.

Reminders:

P.E: Tuesday and Thursday (P3R)

Tuesday and Wednesday (P3S)

Homework will be handed out this week along with the new academic diary.

Miss Rafferty and Mrs Smith

Primary 3 25.4.16

Primary 3 have front row seats for the construction of the new gym hall. We have been seeing lots of activity outside our classroom windows! We are lucky enough today to have one of the contractors coming in to speak to our boys and girls about the construction, the equipment and machinery that is used. We also might meet their mascot! We will let you know how we get on.

Very exciting week in Primary 3- its nearly time for our residential to Lowport. Everyone is looking forward to some outdoor activities and we hope the sun keeps shining for us. Any questions about Lowport, please feel free to contact us.

Last week in Primary 3 we wrote letters to our local gardener. The children had to share their learning and think of at least 3 questions to ask. The children carefully structured their letters and decorated them with drawings of flowers.

No homework spelling

Maths homework- Money game

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/measures/money.html

Sweet shop

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1numeracy.html#sweet_shop

Thanks,

Miss Rafferty and Miss Christy

29th January 2016

This week we have had a chance to showcase our talents at the Burn’s afternoon for our visitors. They really enjoyed our stage singing ‘Scotland Forever’ and well done to Megan and Ammad for performing ‘Scots Wha Hae’ again after winning the class competition last Friday.

In Topic this week we have been learning about the events before and after Alexander III’s death and how this affected Scotland in the lead up to the Wars of Independence. We have been writing our own interviews with Alexander’s widow and next week we will be writing newspaper reports.

In Maths this week some of us have been completing a Times Table challenge to create posters for the classroom. Other work we have been covering includes division and fractions. Please remember it is a good idea to keep practising times tables with your child whenever you can.

Next Tuesday we will be going to Bannockburn Visitors Centre for a trip based around our Interdisciplinary topic. We are looking forward to learning more about the Scottish Wars of Independence while we are there. Please remember to send back your child’s EE2 form if you have not already done so.

Big homework is also due next week. We will not be able to hear everyone’s talk on Monday so we will spread these out throughout the week.

Thank you for your continued support.

Primary Five January 15th 2016

This week we have been continuing to introduce our new Topic and have been learning about what life was like in the 13^th Century. In groups we have been comparing life in a Burgh, a Castle and in the Countryside. This is in preparation for starting a challenge next week where we will be making a PowerPoint about these things.

Reading and Writing this week have also focussed on Topic and we have been using non-fiction books to help us with our research.

We will shortly be sending out a Big Homework task for the children to complete so watch out for this in homework diaries. We hope the children will enjoy completing this as it will play a part in our parent Assembly in February.

In Maths all groups have been working on multiplication. We would appreciate it if you could continue to practise multiplication facts with your child at home.

Next week both classes will be starting a block of football training on a Tuesday so can we ask for indoor gym kits to be provided on a Tuesday and a Thursday this term.

Thank you for your support

Mrs Jamieson and Mrs Steel

Primary Five 6th January 2016

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

This week we have started our new Interdisciplinary Study by looking at what we want to learn about The Scottish Wars of Independence and completing a Pre-topic test to highlight what we already know.

We have been working on a times table challenge in Maths. We have made a game to help people learn their times tables. We hope to take these to test out in P7.

In Writing we wrote a thank you letter for an unwanted Christmas present. We had great fun writing these and they are very funny.

Next week please remember gym kit on Thursday (indoor) and Friday (outdoor). This may change as the term goes on.

Thank you

Mrs Jamieson and Mrs Steel