Mrs Clarkson

Thistle – Back to school

We are BACK!!

We have spent the last few week settling back in to our new clan with our new champions and clan members. To start off we had the task of designing our own learning space. We wanted a quiet space and lots of flexible seating, an art area, a construction area and space to go and work outwith the clan. We have enjoyed reconnecting with each other during our ‘stag start’ in the morning, playing games, being creative and building with lego. Some of us even experimented with robotics and creating circuits with some engineering sets.

We reflected on last years learning and discussed what we’d like to learn over the course of the year. One of the things we all decided that we wanted to carry over was our ‘Recognition Board’. We voted that it should have a dinosaur theme. Everyone created their own dinosaur themed character for our wall display and we have been using it this week. Lots of people were recognised for ‘listening respectfully to each other and waiting our turn to speak’.

We are looking forward to our year in Thistle and have lots of exciting opportunities coming our way.

The Bens @ Camp

What a way to end the term! This week we were lucky enough to get out to Lowport at Xcite Linlithgow to spend the day splashing about on the canal in canoes and working through some challenges as a team.

We all thoroughly enjoyed canoeing 🛶 on the canal. It took us a bit of time to figure out how to move the boats effectively but eventually managed forwards and backwards to play some fun games. We had fun, we laughed and got soaked.

The first challenge being about listening to each others ideas and coming up with solutions to quite a simple challenge, pass the ball to each other without dropping it. This was much more challenging that initially thought. After some time, some great (some not so great) suggestions, the team worked out that concentration, communication and listening to each other was absolutely key.

Next the challenge, called ‘Bang Grid’, tested memory, perseverance and communication. We started out the challenge on a grid of unmarked squares. After standing on the square the group discovered whether it was a safe square or BANG square. If we stepped on the bang square we had to return to the beginning. Eventually we all worked together to direct each team member across.

Another challenge was to get all the water in the tub. However, a series of obstacles and challenges were set and the groups worked hard using the communication skills they had learned to be successful. Some clear leaders shone through and it was very apparent that our practice of STEM in school helped in the engineering part of the challenge.

Lastly, how to communicate without talking. Some amazing gestures and strategies to arrange ourselves along a bench without falling off. We had to arrange ourselves in order of height, month of birth and an animal of choice.

Overall a cracking few days where memories have been made!

Even our champions had fun!

Request for items for UPCYCLING CRAFT STALL at C in the Park

The Bens have decided to run an upcycling craft stall for C in the Park and are looking for some items that you may have lying around and no longer use.

The items that we are looking for include:

-Old nail polishes

-Plastic take away tubs

-Used or unwanted art sets with acrylic paints, glass paint, paintbrushes etc

-Unwanted strings of beads, jewelry, used or unwanted jewelry making sets

-White or cream tiles from 95mm x 95mm to 150mmx150mm

-Clear varnish

Any small items can be sent in with your child and brought along the Ben Lawers or dropped off at office, making clear what the items are for.

Bens do ABC… AstroBiology @ Calderwood

While we were looking at the creation stories through the religious context, we also explored the scientific timeline of events leading to how life is today. Very interesting discussions ensued comparing and contrasting different explanations of the creation of the universe.

Below are the completed research challenges displaying learning from this. The paintings were created following a lesson on using watercolour as a medium for creating paintings.

Following our previous learning, we have built on this to explore how life develops on earth and the likelihood of finding other living beings in our solar system. We look at how we detect life on earth and linked this to our ‘Internet of Things’ learning through analysing data we have collected; Lux (light); Degrees (temperature); humidity and CO2 level.

A Week in the Life of the Bens

What fun we’ve had this week in Ben Lawers and Ben Lomond!

We have got inspired in our 2D-shape learning, by applying coding skills we honed earlier this year, to develop our understanding of the qualities and properties of shapes.

We also explored our creativity skills through a Community Art Project with Svetlana, a Community Art Champion. We used different mediums to create shapes inspired by water and leaves to create a powerful and dynamic finished piece.

For literacy we have been working hard on using Reflective Reading Strategies to help us develop our understanding of a text. We used the Point, Evidence, Explain (PEE) technique in reply to questions posed. This has encouraged us to look for answers hidden within and beyond the text, through a use of based quotes to back up our points.

First we had to fix our books shut with a Post-it Note, to ensure we weren’t getting any clues from the text. We had to use the information from the covers of the book to make a prediction about what we thought it was going to be about. We looked for clues in the illustrations, blurb and words from the title to complete our PEE answers.

After that, we had a chance to read our stories on our own or with a partner. Our next challenge was to use our clarifying skills to share our understanding of an interesting or important word or phrase. To do this, we used a thesaurus, an online dictionary or discussions with others in our clan. Here are some of the PEE answers we created. We know that we will continue to work on this skill and are looking forward to being able to create persuasive and detailed answers.

Budgeting in the Bens

Solving real life maths last week while creating a family budget. Each family had already decided on the role in which they played within their family, which jobs the adults/young teens do and based on the overall family salary, the families worked together to calculate their gross and net income. From that, they decided which house they should live in, calculated the gas and electricity bills, how much a car would cost (some have enough for two) to run i.e. insurance and fuel, food shopping depending on which store they wish to buy from and finally the cost of how much it would be for the kids to go to clubs.
The groups also decided what they’d spend the rest of their monthly income on, how much Christmas might cost and had to factor in an emergency pay out for an unexpected household emergency like the car breaking down, a burst pipe, family visiting for a weekend or a broken washing machine.

Each family completed budget sheets and tracked a balance as money left their account. A variation of mental strategies were used as well as checking answers using technology.😜

Collaboration Project – The Bens

The Bens have been busy learning how to become teachers this week. They have been involved in the process of creating an exciting art lesson to deliver to a clan across the school. They had to come up with an idea of how to create a price of art using the theme of Calderwood. These pieces of art will be displayed around the school and used as part of a collaboration project with Edinburgh College.

First, each family group thought about the themes that surround Calderwood, the main themes coming through included deers, trees, building, houses and families.
Next, they researched different forms of art with these themes in mind and decided on a product that they wanted to recreate. The groups presented their ideas to their own clan and then set about planning a lesson to resource and deliver.
The products that were decided on were:-

* Lollypop houses on a painted background

*Hanging 3D mobile of toilet roll reindeers

* Colour by number stags head
* Collaborative school badge hanging shield

* Draw 3D houses

* Trace and colour an image of a deer

The groups had to be mindful of the age and stage of clan that they creating a lesson for so that the skills were age appropriate. They created a complete example to show on the day, created step by step instructions and some even created a PowerPoint to support their teaching.

While delivering their lessons on Friday 25th December the children shone. They were confident with their delivery and supportive leaders, all pupils were engaged in their activities and everyone had fun. I am so proud of the children in the Bens and want to congratulate each and every one of them. Also, a mention for the those that helped create the lesson ideas but for one reason or other couldn’t be there on the day to deliver it. Thank you 😊

Here are a few snaps of the lessons in action, I’ll post the completed products once the ‘teachers’ have created their final displays.

Calderwood Christmas Choir – PLEASE PRACTICE

Christmas words

We have a performance to put on the Christmas lights for Calderwood next Thursday, details will be sent out to parents via letter.

All pupils in the choir will have extra time to practice during school next week but here are the tracks so they can practice and learn them at home as well.

Please click on the video links, the words are available on the tracks but also in the hyperlink to the word document above named Christmas Words.

Thanks in advance

Mrs Clarkson & Mrs Scobie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W2b8xw-WL0

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