Clan News – Page 20 – Calderwood Primary and Nursery

Bramble Clan Learning

Literacy

In reading and writing, we have been looking at the different building blocks that make up a story. We have looked at the structure of a story, making sure we know all the names of the different sections and what should be included within each of these. We even came up with our own actions to remind us what to include. We looked at this further in our reading books and, after reading, we used the story mountain to show the plot of the story.

This week, we have been looking at the setting of a story. After reading, we either drew or built the setting from our story, giving evidence from the text to back up our ideas. We really enjoyed using Kapla, the building blocks and lego to build our settings.

Numeracy

In numeracy, we have been learning different strategies to support us when adding and subtracting. We have been learning about the ‘round and adjust’ strategy and found this was an efficient way to add numbers if one of the numbers is close to a multiple of 10. Some of us realised this might be a strategy that gets us to the answer quicker than if we used a different one. We will continue to explore selecting the most efficient strategy in order to answer a calculation quickly.

We have also explored addition and subtraction word problems. We used the method RUCSAC to support us in solving problems.

R-Read

U-underline the words

C-circle the numbers

S-select the correct operation

A-answer the question

C-check the answer.

We worked in partners to solve the word problems. Some us decided to act out the word problems which helped us to fully understand how to solve them. We will continue to develop this in our learning.

IDL

In IDL, we have been learning about Myths and Legends. We have been working across the clans and visiting other clan rooms and champions to develop our relationships with each other. We have been able to work with others in our area and get to know each other better. In each clan room we have been exploring what a fable, myth or a legend is and then listening to different stories from our champions. We enjoyed listening to the story of the Kelpies this week and enjoyed building a scene from the story and including information about the origin of the story. We have realised that stories change over time and are very different from the original!

Bluebell Clan

Over the last few weeks we have participated in various creative activities to further develop our team working skills, use our critical thinking skills and listen attentively to each other as well as instructions. Have a look at some of the activities below:

Diwali

For Diwali we read the story of ‘Rama and Sita’ where we clearly understood why it is known as the ‘festival of light’. This festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. We made ‘diya lamps’ together in small groups where we took turns to add the ingredients, mix them together and divide the mixture. We also helped each other mould them into a bowl shape. In addition to the vital teamwork, we also had some problem solving to do. We realised that if the mixture was too dry we need to add more water and if the mixture was too wet we need to add more dry ingredients like salt and flour. Once our diyas were baked in the oven, we decorated them and added a tealight before taking them home to show our families!

Block Play

As part of our Stag Starts, we have participated in block play challenges. This involved working in pairs and small groups to re-create a monumental building or design our own bridge! This involved co-operating with one another, but most importantly taking turns to talk by sharing our creative ideas and listening to one another. Alongside team working skills, we used our problem solving skills to manipulate the blocks and create the design we had in mind. We also used our mathematical knowledge to create patterns and use symmetry for the structures. Miss Ali was very impressed by our outstanding creations!

Literacy

One of our literacy tasks this week was to re-create the setting of our reading books. Again we worked in teams to design the setting and find the words that builds the setting for the reader. We sat in our small groups, discussed what the setting was and used the small blocks to create the setting and used the post-it notes to label our settings. We showed respect to one another and listened to the different point of views of my team members.

NYCOS (National Youth Choir of Scotland)

During our weekly Nycos visits we get to participate in a variety of active singing games which not only helps to develop our musical skills but also enhances our numerical, linguistic and social skills. We showed attentive listening to Miss DeLuen as we copied the beat and rhythm. We are developing our listening skills by focusing on good looking, sitting still (when required), staying quiet and listening to all the words of the instructions given.

In Bluebell Clan, we love being creative and love the opportunity to present and share our ideas and work. We look forward to further develop our team working skills throughout this term!

Ben Lawers: Calderwood Connects

Dear parent/ carer,

You are invited along to the Ben Lawers Clan, Calderwood Connects at 9:30am on Friday 11^th November. Each child can invite two family members, and it will be held in our Arena. It will last approximately 20 minutes with an opportunity for refreshments with other families from Ben Lawers after.

Ben Lawers Clan will share their recent learning about services within our local community.

They will have full dress rehearsal on Tuesday 8th, children should bring any costumes in their bag to change into on this day. (They have made up a list of their own costumes and what they need to bring, please let us know if you need any help with this).

Also, the clan are looking for any boxes/tins and bags that were going to be recycled, to act as props on set.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards,

Miss Burton & Ben Lawers