All posts by Miss Sherlow

Interdisciplinary Learning, Maths & Numeracy, National Maths Week 2017, Primary 3

Mighty maths in Primary 3

Leave a comment

We are learning to sort and display information in different ways

Success Criteria:

  • I can help to create a tally chart, block chart and pictogram to show information we have gathered
  • I can gather and organise information to create my own pictogram
  • I understand that the same information can be presented in different ways

This week, Primary 3 have been learning how to sort and display different types of data linked to their IDL context, Dinosaurs.

We learned what tally marks, pictograms, block charts and frequency tables were and looked at how they could be used to show information about our favourite dinosaurs. We created a class tally chart which we then changed into a pictogram and asked each other questions about the ‘most popular,’ ‘least popular’ and ‘difference between’ the information displayed. We also created our own pictograms and tally charts.

Primary 3 also took part in Sumdog’s Maths Week Scotland contest, developing our mental maths skills while having fun playing all of the different games.

 

Events, Interdisciplinary Learning, Primary 3

Primary 3’s Trip to the Museum

Leave a comment

 

Today Primary 3 journeyed back to the land before time to learn all about the dinosaurs during our trip to the National Museum of Scotland. Linked to our new IDL context for learning, P3 learned about how the dinosaurs became extinct, how paleontologists learn about the dinosaurs and some of the key differences between carnivores and herbivores. We took part in a fossil hunt using the floor of the Grand Gallery, got to touch replicas of different parts of dinosaurs and even stood in the space that a dinosaur’s footprint took up to see how many of us could fit. We also had the opportunity to explore other parts of the museum and learn more about our amazing world. We had a perfect prehistoric day!

 

Class Community Contracts, Health & Wellbeing, Primary 3, Uncategorized

P3 Community Contract

Leave a comment

Primary 3 have had a fun first two weeks getting to know each other and building our class community. We have been demonstrating our team work and creative skills through a series of challenges, as well as showing off our maths, writing and digital abilities.

To help us to have an amazing year in Primary 3, we created a community contract. We discussed each of our school values and what they meant to us, thinking carefully about how we could show each of the values both in school and in the playground. We all designed our own emoji to add to our contract to make it colourful and eye catching in our classroom.

Primary 5, Transition

P5B’s Transition Challenge

Leave a comment

Learning Intentions: We are learning to help encourage learning and confident in others
We are learning to recognise our skills and abilities, and discuss our learning
We are learning to support others in preparing for their next stage at school

This week, P5B took part in Mid Calder’s transition challenge where we were asked to create a presentation for the current Primary 4s to give them an insight into what life is like in Primary 5.

We chose to present this in the form of videos, utilising our drama, team work and presentation skills to meet the success criteria and describe the different expectations, learning experiences, routines and specific experiences from P5. Primary 4B were then invited to watch our videos and had the opportunity to ask any questions or raise any concerns. Hopefully you are all feeling confident and happy

Anytime Anywhere Learning, Events, Technical Troopers, Technologies

Digital Schools Award Validation Visit

Leave a comment

This afternoon, Mid Calder Primary School welcomed a special visitor- Mrs Jelly, a Digital Schools Award validator. The purpose of this was to find out if our school could become the third one in West Lothian Council to be given the Digital Schools Award.

Mrs Jelly’s visit began with a presentation from some of our past and present Technical Troopers who shared examples of the amazing digital learning that goes on in our school. They described Mid Calder’s journey to becoming a Bring Your Own Device school, as well as explaining the impact that this has on both our pupils and staff. Miss Burton and Miss Sherlow also shared the many achievements and recognition Mid Calder has received for our use of a range of digital tools to support and enhance learning.

Mrs Jelly was then invited to visit our nursery and several classes across the school to see digital learning taking place first hand and to engage in discussions with our pupils and staff. Both her and Mrs Compton, who joined Mrs Jelly on her visit, were extremely impressed by what they saw and heard.

A big thank you to all of the pupils and staff who showcased digital learning so confidently, and to Mrs Compton for her continued advice and support. We eagerly await the results in the post. Watch this space…

 

Events, Primary 5

It is Time…for a Lion King Party!

1 Comment

To celebrate the incredible success of The Lion King Junior musical, Primary 4 and 5 got to sit back, relax and become an audience themselves to a special viewing of The Lion King DVD. We had ‘slimy, yet satisfying’ animal themed treats and popcorn to enjoy during the movie. It was a fantastic way to round off the huge amount of hard work that has gone into the last 8 weeks.

Thank you to Mrs McKenzie and Miss Burton for the celebration cakes, and for popping into our party for a visit. We have really appreciated all of your positive feedback about our production.

Community, Events, Expressive Arts, Primary 5

The Lion King Junior

3 Comments

What a week for Primary 4 and Primary 5! On Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday night, the children put on the show of a lifetime for their parents, carers, friends, family members and invited guests, and each time the audience was blown away by their talent. They showed true determination, dedication and enthusiasm throughout the 8 weeks of rehearsals and pulled everything together for three incredible shows to demonstrate their amazing skills. A huge well done to all of the cast and backstage crew for putting on a phenomenal production.

A big thank you to Linda Matthews who took photographs of our Tuesday night performance, and to Eddie Anderson who filmed our Thursday evening show. You can see the photographs that Eddie took here: https://en-gb.facebook.com/westlothiancouncil/

A DVD copy of the show will be given to each family before the end of term.

Events, Expressive Arts, Fundraising, Interdisciplinary Learning, Primary 5

The Lion King JR Dress Rehearsal

Leave a comment

We are learning to perform on a stage
– I can show awareness of space and audience
– I can listen for musical and vocal cues
– I can project my voice using appriate pace, tone and expression
– I can move on and off the stage appropriately and safely

We are learning about the different backstage roles
Lighting and sound- I am aware of how the equipment works and know my musical and vocal cues
Props and scenery- I am aware of what is needed on stage for each scene and know my musical and vocal cues

This term, Primary 4 and 5 have been working extremely hard to prepare for their upcoming performances of The Lion King Jr. We have been learning all about the different roles that are need to prepare for a production like this, and each member has been contributing enthusiastically to their role. On Friday, we showcased everything we have been working towards to the school in our first dress rehearsal, which was a huge success. We received lots of positive feedback from our peers and staff and know our next steps for our final rehearsals. We Just Can’t Wait to deliver our three shows next week now!

To raise money for our show, we also held an animal dress up day for the whole school and raised £113.18.

A huge thank you to all who donated!

Anytime Anywhere Learning, Digital Learning Week 2017, Nursery, Primary 1, Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 5, Primary 7, Technical Troopers, Technologies

Digital Leaders for Digital Learning Week

Leave a comment

To celebrate Education Scotland’s National Digital Learning Week, our Technical Troopers have been working extremely hard to make a #digitaldifference in Mid Calder Primary School. They have delivered lessons across all stages of our school, teaching our pupils how to use a range of digital tools to enhance their learning. Primary 4A, 4B and P3 received a lesson on how to use the Glow tool Forms, while P7/6 and P5A learned how to the Glow tool Sway. The Technical Troopers helped our Nursery children to develop their positional language by using the Bee-Bots, as well as supporting P1 with logging onto the netbooks and accessing a pirate themed activity using Purple Mash. Primary 6 were taught about the language of coding using Hour of Code, while P5B continued to develop their programming skills using Scratch to create a simple game. P3/2 were shown how to use the different features of iMovie to create a short film about their IDL context.

The Technical Troopers received lots of positive feedback from both the teachers and the pupils, and they did a fantastic job at sharing their own digital skills confidently to make a #digitaldifference.