All posts by Mrs Smith

Primary 1, Sciences, Uncategorized

P1 Outing

1 Comment

This week, Primary 1 visited the The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.

They had been invited there by Edward Bear, who wanted to show them what creatures like him need to survive in the wild.

When we first arrived at the Yurt that was our base for the day, there was no sign of Edward Bear at all!

After a quick snack we set off on a walk through the garden in search of him. Luckily, he had left a trail for us, so all we had to do was follow the clues! By following the clues we began to understand that Edward needed SWAF to survive.

We learnt that this stands for SHELTER, WATER, AIR and FOOD.

Soon we were playing a game to help us remember SWAF.

The ‘bears’ were very good at knowing what they needed!

DSCN1226 DSCN1231

DSCN1228 DSCN1229DSCN1235 Next, we tried using our ears to listen to the sounds around us. We didn’t hear Edward Bear, but we did hear lots of birds!

DSCN1236 DSCN1237

Here we are finding and reading the clues. This one told us that some animals enjoy eating berries. They are a source of food. We also saw a bush that the bees like to visit. Bees make honey and we knew that some bears love eating honey. We still couldn’t find Edward Bear though.

DSCN1242 DSCN1245 DSCN1247

We could feel and hear the air around us as we walked through the trees and past the tall plants.

We also found evidence of  insects.

The trees also provided us with shelter.

Keep looking! There’s a bear around here somewhere.

DSCN1241 We found water, but still no bear.

DSCN1243 DSCN1250 DSCN1251 A badger has been scraping here to find food, not a bear! We found a really big badger hole too, and we had to walk carefully round the edge of it.

DSCN1252 Sadly, we couldn’t find Edward Bear anywhere, so we decided to walk back to the Yurt for lunch. On the way back we listened to a story about a rainbow in the garden. Then we were each given a little coloured card, and we had to find as many things as we could to match the colour we had. We searched all around us as we walked, and soon we had found things to match all the colours of the rainbow.

At last we arrived back at the Yurt. What a surprise! Edward Bear was waiting there to meet us. We were delighted to meet him at last.

DSCN1255 DSCN1253 DSCN1254

DSCN1256 DSCN1257 DSCN1258 DSCN1259

After lunch it was time for another game. Can you see lots of bears sheltering under the trees?

DSCN1260 DSCN1262 DSCN1266 DSCN1268 DSCN1264

At the end of the afternoon we worked together in small groups to create an island that provided SWAF for the creatures living on it. We shared ideas, tried out different things and eventually agreed on what was needed. Great teamwork!

 

DSCN1269 DSCN1270DSCN1272 DSCN1275DSCN1276 DSCN1277DSCN1279 DSCN1280

What fantastic islands we made. They clearly demonstrated all the things we had learned throughout the day.

We enjoyed going around looking at what the other groups had made, and checking they had included SWAF too!

Primary 1 really enjoyed their day at the Royal Botanic Gardens, and they represented the school so well on their very first outing. Well done boys and girls! We must also say a special thank you to our parent helpers who helped to make the trip possible, and who joined in so enthusiastically with all the fun.

Interdisciplinary Learning, Maths & Numeracy, Primary 1

Symmetry in P1

1 Comment

LI

We are learning to recognise and create a symmetrical pattern

SC

I can identify a symmetrical pattern

I can make a pattern that is symmetrical

This week we have been learning about symmetry.

We first noticed symmetry when we were observing our butterflies.

We looked especially carefully at the position of the different shapes and colours on each wing. There was something really interesting about their wings. Perhaps you can ask us to describe what we saw!

We discovered this was called symmetry.

We decided to investigate  further!

First, we looked for examples of symmetry around us. We found quite a few!

Next, we explored interactive games and activities to help us learn even more.

Finally, we created our own symmetrical patterns using bricks, pegs, pattern blocks and shapes.

We worked very hard and created some fantastic designs.

DSCN1172DSCN1190DSCN1185DSCN1208DSCN1195DSCN1187DSCN1218DSCN1179 DSCN1212DSCN1225DSCN1211DSCN1178

 

 

Interdisciplinary Learning, Primary 1, Sciences, STEM 2016, Uncategorized

Bye, Bye Butterflies!

1 Comment

LI

We are learning to recognise and describe the stages of the Butterfly Life Cycle

SC

 I can describe the changes I see using appropriate vocabulary

I can sequence pictures and create a diagram to show the Life Cycle of a butterfly

The last two weeks  have been very exciting in Primary 1. We have watched very carefully as our tiny, wriggly caterpillars have grown, formed chrysalises and eventually turned  into beautiful butterflies.

DSCN1139DSCN1143DSCN1147                 DSCN1150DSCN1153

DSCN1166

Last week we took the butterflies outside and released them in the garden.

Perhaps you will be lucky enough to see them as they fly around Mid Calder!

 

 

Health & Wellbeing, Internet Safety, Primary 1, Technologies, Uncategorized

Internet Safety in P1a

1 Comment

Last week as part of Internet Safety Week, P1a spent some time talking about the computers, laptops, tablets etc that we use at school and at home. We discussed how we  use them for different purposes such as research or playing games, and how we sometimes use the Internet to do these things. We also talked about the importance of looking after our devices, and taking care when we handle them. The next day we began exploring different types of Personal Information and we discussed whether or not we would share this with others, especially with people we don’t know. Then, we related this to keeping ourselves safe online by watching and discussing a short cartoon called ‘Hector’s World’.

 

Maths & Numeracy, Primary 1, Uncategorized

Odd or Even?

2 Comments

LI

We are learning to recognise odd and even numbers

SC

I can show an odd or an even number in a variety of ways.

I can explain why a number is odd or even

 

In Maths and Numeracy this week P1a began by sorting out a big  pile of socks!

We soon noticed that each sock had a partner, so we matched them up and laid them out  in a long line. Next, we  counted  them by  counting in twos. We learnt that these numbers are called EVEN numbers.

Later, we used this game to sort shoes.

Sorting Shoes

Very quickly, we discovered that the shoes didn’t always have a partner when we put them on the shelf. This helped us to understand what  ODD numbers are.

DSCN1020DSCN1022DSCN1021DSCN1023

Do we have an odd or an even number of socks? We worked together to solve the problem.

DSCN1019DSCN1032

We can show odd and even numbers in different ways.

Why don’t you try this activity at home?

Ladybirds

English & Literacy, Interdisciplinary Learning, Maths & Numeracy, Primary 1

P1a New Term

7 Comments

We have had a very busy start to the new term in P1a.

Literacy

We have been working hard on reading and writing the Common Words.We use paper cups and bricks to build towers and word walls with the words we can read. Sometimes they get really high! We also play a game with words written on lollipop sticks. We take turns to pull out a stick, read the word and put it safely in our pile.  However, if we pull out the stick with the red dot, we have to put all the sticks we have back in the pot. When the sand in the timer runs out, the person with most sticks is the winner. We are beginning to  look at the next set of words now and these will be sent home soon, along with a new game to play!

DSCN0968DSCN0981DSCN0996             DSCN0975DSCN0995DSCN0961

Numeracy

This week we focused on the numbers to 20. We practised reading and writing the numbers, counting forwards and backwards, saying the number after, before and between and counting groups of items. We made number sequences and put numbers in order from the smallest to the largest.

DSCN0924DSCN0938DSCN0929

IDL

We were very excited last term when Tim Peake blasted off to the International Space Station. Our interest and enthusiasm has continued, so we have decided to investigate Space ! First of all we looked at some space related objects and pictures, and shared our ideas with each other. Then we thought about what we would really like to learn more about, and we created some questions about Space. Together,  we made a 3D Mind Map to help us plan our Learning over the next few weeks. We are going to record our Learning in a big book which we have all signed, because we will all be the authors and illustrators of it!

DSCN0959

Interdisciplinary Learning, Maths & Numeracy, Primary 1, Uncategorized

P1a Toyshop

1 Comment

This week we have been shopping in the Toyshop.

LI    We are learning to use coins to buy things

SC    I can say how much each item costs                                                                                                                      I can choose the correct coins to pay for the things I buy

There are lots of things to buy in the toyshop. We choose what we would like and put it into our

shopping basket.

DSCN0882 DSCN0879

DSCN0894DSCN0895DSCN0896DSCN0891DSCN0888DSCN0889

The shopkeeper checks the price and tells us how much we need to pay. We look in the purse and choose the coins we need. The shopkeeper puts the money in the till.                                                         We are using real coins  to do our shopping!

 

Einartas – ‘You need money to buy the car. That’s my favourite.’

Aidan – ‘At the shop I bought an aeroplane and a car. The shopkeeper said it was 6p, so I counted out six 1p coins.’

Naomi – ‘You need 10p to buy the doll and the dinosaur.’

Daisy – ‘I went to the shop and I bought a dolly and a toy giraffe. It cost 2p and 3p, so that was 5p altogether.’

Primary 1, Uncategorized

P1a Patterns

2 Comments

This week in Primary 1a we have been learning about patterns.

LI  We are learning about patterns

SC

I can recognise a pattern of lines, colours and shapes

I can continue a pattern

I can create a pattern

First of all we talked about what we thought a pattern was then we looked for examples of patterns around about us in the classroom. We found lots! Next, we looked at patterns on the Smartboard and described what we could see. We were able to say what came next in order to continue the pattern.

This was all very useful later in the day when we read the story of the Princess and the Pea, because we decided that we could  use what we had learned about  pattern to create some  really beautiful things for the Prince and the Princess, as well as the castle where they lived happily ever after. We set to work and soon we had made pretty patterned necklaces for the Princess, a super pattern for the Prince’s crown and lovely designs for the mattresses and quilts on the beds. We also made tall towers with flags on top and interesting floor designs for the castle. What a great job Primary 1 a!

Perhaps we should go for a walk around the school grounds and see if we can spot patterns outside. Do you think we will find any?

Learning Stories, Primary 1, Uncategorized

Literacy

Leave a comment

This week in Primary 1 we have been reading the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ as part of our work in Literacy.

LI  We are learning to sequence events in a story.

SC  I can put the pictures in the correct order to tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.

The children worked really hard sorting the pictures, and they were even able to use the correctly sequenced pictures to tell the story clearly to a partner.

Great work P1!