Category Archives: English & Literacy

P2/1 Plan their New Topic

LI: We are learning to share our ideas to plan our learning

SC: I can share what I already know and what I would like to learn about a subject or stimulus.

SC: I can contribute ideas and suggestions about the types of resources and learning experiences I would like.

 

This week P2/1 have been planning their new topic, based on the fiction book Cops and Robbers by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. They took turns to choose an object or image from the ‘talking tub’, and discussed what they already knew about each object. For example, Rose told us that her dad is a police officer and even brought in his handcuffs and an old fashioned truncheon. She explained how and when these might be used by police officers. Sharing their prior learning helped them to sort and link each object on a 3D mind map. The children recorded some of their thoughts on strips of paper, and placed these where they thought was appropriate on the 3D mind map. We discovered some very interesting things from and about each other!

The children then discussed and decided lots of different things they would like to learn more about, and how they would like to learn them. They added black pen drawings of their ideas to the 3D mind map too.  As well as exploring the story and its characters and plot in more detail, they decided that they would like to learn more about the work of police officers and how they help to look after us. They agreed how they would like their small world and role play areas to be set up, and also decided some other resources they would like to find or make. For example, they would like the role play area to be set up as a police station, with a desk, telephone, maps and wanted posters, police hats and uniforms and handcuffs.

Everyone is excited to get started!

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Authors Live

Primary 1 – 3 logged in the BBC and Scottish Book Trust Authors Live event today with the author Tracey Corderoy and illustrator Steven Lenton from the Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam books. We even had the opportunity to draw our very own Slippery Sam’s and we got very excited when they mentioned Mid Calder Primary live at the event.

This is part of our whole school focus on reading.

You can watch the event again by clicking here.

P2/1 Literacy

Today Primary 2/1 enjoyed a literacy morning.

P1

LI: We are learning about the sound /t/.

SC: I understand where and how I make the sound.

SC: I can recognise the letter shape for /t/.

SC: I can identify words with the initial sound /t/.

SC: I can form the letter shape for /t/ correctly.

The P1s learned all about a new sound, ‘t’. After being introduced to ‘t’ using interactive resources, we enjoyed lots of different activities to help us learn about the new sound and revisit others.

We played a game of popcorn, where the children pop up if they hear a word beginning with ‘t’.

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We used a variety of multi-sensory resources to make the letter shape.

“We used the slime to make it” Erin

“We made a twinkling ‘t’.” Charlie

“We were also writing on the mini boards.” Cayla

“With the wee beads we made a ‘t’.” Amber

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They also demonstrated their understanding of which sounds are long and stretchy, and which are short and bouncy.

“We were stretching for the long and stretchy sounds like ‘m’. Jake.

“We were doing short and bouncy. We jumped.” Imogen

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Grace’s favourite thing this morning was making ‘t’ with putty.

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P2

LI: We are learning to self-assess our writing using ‘Tickled Pink and Green for Growth.

SC: I can read my writing carefully.

SC: I can identify things in my writing which achieve the success criteria and highlight them pink.

SC: I can identify things in my writing which do not achieve the success criteria and highlight them green.

SC: I can talk about what I have done well and what I could try harder to achieve next time.

The Primary 2s are learning to self-assess their writing using ‘Tickled Pink and Green for Growth’. First they read their writing very carefully. As they read, they identified things in their writing which match the success criteria and highlighted them pink. Anything which didn’t quite meet the success criteria they highlighted green. We were very pleased with all of the pink in our writing jotters! 😀

The highlighting lets us consider what we have done really well, and create targets for the next time we write. For example, after self-assessing her writing this morning, Isla M said “I put all of my full stops in the right place, and I’m going to work on doing some openers next time.” Finlay said “I put two connectives in, which you asked for. Next time I’ll remember to put capital letters at the start of every sentence.”

Once we are confident using ‘Tickled Pink and Green for Growth’, we will start to peer assess each other’s writing. We can’t wait to see how much this technique improves the quality of our writing!

 

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P3’s Rainforest Poems

Liam Logan Kaitlin Wilson Ciara Ritchie Dean Hunter Eilidh Taylor

Our topic this term is The Rainforest. We have been working hard to write poems about The Rainforest using our 5 senses!

Our learning intention:

We are learning to write a poem about The Rainforest.

 

Our success criteria:

I can write a sentence about what I can see, hear, touch, taste and smell in the rainforest.

I can use an adjective in each sentence to describe the rainforest.

I can check that my writing makes sense.

 

Description of Activities:

We started by using a mind map to note down words of things we could see, smell, taste, touch and hear. Miss Clark played rainforest music in the background to help us imagine that we were in the rainforest.

We then had to put our senses words into sentences and use an adjective to describe the rainforest.

Once we had written our sentences we had to pick which ones we wanted to use in our poems. We had to start each line with ‘I can’ and include a senses word and an adjective.

We really enjoyed writing our poems and sharing them with the class.

Ben enjoyed reading his poem out to the class and felt confident!

Ciara enjoyed imagining that she was in the rainforest to help her add words to her mind map.

Sophie enjoyed writing her poem.

Daisy enjoyed adding detail to her rainforest picture to illustrate her poem.

Marc enjoyed sharing his poem with the class because he had worked hard.

 

Assessment of work:

We had to assess our own work by looking at the success criteria and putting a tick in the box if we had completed each part.

Primary 7 War Leader Biographies

 

Primary 7 have been using our IDL context to learn and research about what a biography is, it’s features and what differing types there are.  We began the week by researching about our groups’ political leader from WW2 – Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt and Josef Stalin.  We used a variety of texts in our reading lessons to look at some examples of current famous people’s biographies to gain a good understanding as to what a biography should look like and include.  We then used our research to plan our War leader biography, completing the write up and self assessment.  As part of our IDL context and research, we were also challenged to create life size art creations of the leaders, using measurement skills and their real life heights.  We focused in on attention to detail, from fashion, to iconic objects which the leaders were known to carry or use – the final results are fantastic.  We have proudly displayed our leaders around our classroom. Pictures to follow!

Learning Intention:

We are learning to write a biography using accurate information, sequenced in chronological order.

Success criteria:

I can include date and place of birth.

I can write about family/childhood information and education.

I can detail what this political leader was famous for.

I can include detail about their involvement in World War 2.

I can include information about place, date and circumstances of their death.

My information has been written in full sentences and follows chronological order.

 

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Meet the Teacher 2016

On Thursday we held our annual Meet the Teacher event. This was an opportunity for parents and carers to find out what our school priorities are for the year, meet their child/ren’s teacher and find out about their learning. Thank you to everyone who attended this event, and to the house ad vice captains for helping out. If you were unable to attend the presentations and learning letters will be available in the blog.

Feedback from the event included:

  • I am fully aware and impressed with the plans for this session.
  • I feel more informed.
  • Great to know what my child will be learning in the coming year,
  • Useful to know about the class routine.
  • Very happy to see the amount of resources available.

Standards and Quality Report

http://www.slideshare.net/midcps/meet-the-teacher-2016-17

House Captain Election 2016

On Friday we held our annual House Captain Election. The presentations this year were of a very high standard and all P7s worked very hard to put together their manifestos under strict time limits. A big well done to all the Primary 7s who ran for election and congratulations to our new House and Vice Captains.

Cunnigar:

House Captain: Holly

Vice Captain: Sean

Almondell:

House Captain: Charlie T

Vice Captain: Louis

Calderwood:

House Captain: Zach

Vice Captain: Grace

Linhouse:

House Captain: Jamie

Vice Captain: Freya