All posts by Miss Sherlow

Anytime Anywhere Learning, Community, Events, Technologies

West Lothian’s LAL Day Event

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Today, Mid Calder Primary School were invited along to West Lothian’s Literacy Across Learning Event to share how we improve literacy using digital technologies. Calum, Ben, Grace and Kirsty joined Miss Burton and Miss Sherlow to present to Head Teachers, teachers and a range of other practitioners from across West Lothian. They did a fantastic job in sharing how we use a variety of digital platforms and tools to enhance learning in our school, and received positive feedback about how confidently they presented. Well done Calum, Ben, Grace and Kirsty!

Events, Interdisciplinary Learning, Maths & Numeracy, Primary 5, STEM 2017, Technologies

P5B’s Mission 9: Vehicle Database

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We are learning to use an online database to locate information

Success Criteria:
– I understand what a database is, the different forms they can take and what they are used for
– I can select the key words needed to retrieve the specific information I need
– I can filter results to discount irrelevant information

As part of their IDL context, Kidnapped, Primary 5B received another mission- to use an online database to identify the type of getaway car used in the kidnapping. Chief Anderson had sent us a partial tyre track found at the crime scene, and we had to use our knowledge of line symmetry to complete the track. We then searched an online database to identify the make of the car it came from, hoping that this would help us to eliminate some of the suspects. We were able to narrow down our search to 3 types of getaway cars that could have been used. Another online database helped us to find out about the vehicles owned by each of our 6 remaining suspects, locating the registration number, vehicle type, model, colour and any other distinguishing features of their vehicles. We had to ensure that we used the correct spelling and our skimming and scanning skills to locate the key information. We recorded our notes in our case files.

We then shared this learning with our parents, carers and family friends during our STEM open afternoon, along with 4 other activities to demonstrate some of the new knowledge and skills we have gained from our Kidnapped topic so far. We rotated around 5 different stations:

1. Handwriting Analysis
2. Fingerprint Analysis
3. Forensic science careers research
4. Completing a partial tyre track
5. Deciphering a secret code

We enjoyed showing off our evidence wall and our Yammer page, as well as having help from our parents/carers to complete some of the missions.

Internet Safety, Junior Leadership Teams, Rights Respecting Schools, Technical Troopers, Technologies

Yammer Responsible Use Agreement

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As lots of our classes are using Yammer to share their learning, the Technical Troopers created a Responsible Use Agreement to ensure that it is used in an appropriate, relevant and safe way. Kirknewton Primary School had kindly shared their Glow Charter with us to give us ideas about the important statements to include. We decided on the key ways that we need to keep ourselves and our information safe, as well as how we can share our opinions in a kind and mature way.

We then sent our agreement to our Rights Respecting Schools Junior Leadership Team, who linked some of our statements to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. You can find a copy of the agreement here. Each class will review this together, editing it to suit their needs if appropriate. The new copy will then be posted to their own class Yammer page to show that everyone has agreed to the Responsible Use Agreement.

Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 5, Technologies

Leadership through Digital Technologies

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Several of our classes have created a class Yammer page to share their learning journey throughout our STEM IDL contexts. Last week, Primary 5B supported Primary 3/2 and Primary 3 to help them to get logged on to and explore the features of Yammer. They helped them to access the tool through the Glow launchpad, join their class group, contribute to a poll, and to comment on pictures. Maya and Brooke also took the lead as administrators on each Yammer page, accepting new requests to join and keeping the teachers informed with progress.

To support the use of other Glow tools, P5B also shared their knowledge of Sway with Primary 4B to help them to create a fact file about the solar system. P5 gave them a tour of the key features of the Glow tool, then supported them when they began to explore it themselves while making their presentations. They also logged on to P4’s Project Planetarium Yammer page to view the completed Sways, giving them two stars and a wish feedback based on their success criteria.

This week, Primary 4B were then able to use this new knowledge and skills to support P4A when they were creating their Sways about the solar system. A fantastic example of our pupils becoming digital leaders!

Community, Events, Fundraising, PSA

PSA Family Bingo Night

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On Friday night, the PSA held their first Family Bingo Night. It was a huge success, with a fun evening of games, prizes and lots of laughs for the whole family. The bingo night raised the fantastic amount of £429 which will be added onto our playground fund. A big thank you to everyone who supported the evening, and to the PSA for organising another fun event for everyone to enjoy.

Primary 5, Sciences, STEM 2017, Technologies, Uncategorized

Mission 6: Fingerprint Discovered

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Learning Intention: We are learning what a fingerprint is
– I understand that everyone has a unique fingerprint
– I can identify the key features of my own fingerprint
– I know how and why the police use fingerprints to help them solve crimes

As part of our STEM IDL context, Kidnapped, P5B have been receiving missions from Police Chief Anderson to help Police HQ to find Jack and Sarah Green. This week, we discovered that a fingerprint was found on the strap of a watch belonging to Jack. Chief Anderson sent our investigation teams a fingerprinting kit so that we could find out more about our own fingerprints. 

We learned there are 3 main characteristics to look for; loop, whorl and arch. We put our fingerprints onto a balloon first and inflated it so that we could see our print pattern more clearly. We used magnifying glasses to get an even closer look.

We then took prints of all ten of our fingers and analysed them to find the specific characteristics of each one. It was interesting to compare all ten fingers and see which was the most common characteristic. We recorded out findings and added this to our growing case files.

We also discussed how difficult it must have been for the police to match fingerprints in the days before technology. We used our own and the school devices to find out when the first crime was solved using fingerprint evidence- all the way back in 1892!

Learning Letters, Primary 5, STEM 2017

Primary 5’s IDL Context: Kidnapped

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For Primary 5’s STEM context for learning, we have been asked to help Police Chief Anderson to solve the mystery of the kidnapping of the Green children.

Our context will develop our knowledge and skills in the key curricular areas of:

Maths- time, symmetry and scale
Science- properties and uses of substances
Technologies- technological advances over time and using and accessing information

The key questions we will be exploring are:

  1. What motive would someone have for taking the Green children?
  2. What evidence can we use to help us to find them?
  3. What methods, evidence and technologies do the police use in 2017 to help them to solve crimes?
  4. How has the way that the police solve crimes changed over last 30 years?
  5. What work does Green Technologies do and why are people so against it?

Primary 5 are excited to get stuck in to the evidence and begin their investigations. Watch this space…

Events, Internet Safety, Internet Safety, Primary 5, Technologies

Safer Internet Day in P5B

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To mark Safer Internet Day 2017, Primary 5B have been learning about the power of sharing images online. We watched a video which challenged our thinking about first impressions of images, and encouraged us to think that there can be more than meets the eye with pictures we see online. We looked at a range of different images and were asked if we thought they were real or fake. This proved to be harder than we thought it would be!

Next, we were given a range of scenarios and asked to react in a freeze frame. We had to explain our reactions, giving real life examples if we could, as well as sharing how these made us feel.


Finally, we took part in a game of Emoji Charades where we had to share a top tip about how to make the internet a better place using only emojis. Can you guess our top tips?

Anytime Anywhere Learning, Free Time Friday, Primary 5, Technologies

BYOD @ Free Time Friday

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For the last two weeks, we have been trialling the use of our own devices during Free Time Friday. In the middle area, we have used this opportunity to explore the use of our new Virtual Reality headsets, to create fact sheets about our IDL topic, to use Google Earth to locate volcanoes, and to play Sumdog.

You can see a copy of our Responsible Use contract for Bring Your Own Device here. If you would like your child to engage with BYOD, copies of the contract can be obtained from the class teachers in P5-7.