Category Archives: English & Literacy

P6 are bletherin’ braw Scots!

 

Primary Six are currently learning all about Robert Burns’ life, his poetry and how to interpret Scots language.   WS-BurnsPic

We have been using Scots dictionaries to investigate Scots vocabulary and have been comparing it to the English translation.  We are also currently writing a poem in class, inspired by the poem, “Look.  What can you see?”  We are developing use of descriptive language and using a repetitive pattern.  We are looking forward to developing and editing our products can displaying them proudly around our class.

Below are our Burns poems for our Burns Assembly on Friday 22nd January.  All pupils now have a copy of the poems chosen and should practice them at home, ready for our class recital next Tuesday.  Following this, two pupils will be chosen to recite at our assembly.

To make sure you are Winter  ready and are able to access the blog if in the event of the school closing, please leave a comment below to show which Burns poem you are learning and how you are getting on.

p6 burns homework

eBooks available for your child’s IT device from West Lothian Library Service

Following a report in December 2015 by the National Literacy Trust  looking at eReading and reading motivation in young people. The findings included that significantly, more pupils thought reading was cool after being involved in the eReading project.  To read the full report visit:www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/9076/The_Impact_of_Ebooks_final_report.pdf
Below is a link to a leaflet displaying some of the most popular eBooks for younger readers available from West Lothian Libraries.  Children need to be a member of the library to make use of this free service.

P1a New Term

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!

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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.

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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!

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P7 Burns Poems

It is that time of year again when we celebrate the birth of one of our greatest poets, Robert Burns. In Primary 7 we have a choice of 3 poems; To a Louse by Robert Burns, Nabody by Betty Allan and Address to the Deil by Robert Burns. As both Robert Burns poems are quite lengthy, the children have the choice to recite an extract from either poem. Our Burns assembly will take place on the 22nd January where 2 selected children will present their poem to the rest of the school. So get your best Scottish accents on and make Robert Burns proud.

Primary 7 Burns Poems

To show that you are Winter Ready and are able to access the blog if the school is closed,  please leave a comment with your name and what poem you will be reciting.

Good Luck!

Miss Anderson

Pure dead braw poems for P5!

To celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns and other Scottish poets, Primary 5 have been asked to learn one of the three poems in the link below. We will be reciting our poems in class on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, with two class representatives then being selected to perform at the Burns Assembly on Friday 22nd January. But dinnae fret and keep the heid! There will be time given in class to prepare 🙂

Primary 5 Poems

To show that you are Winter Ready and are able to access the blog if the school is closed, please comment your name and the poem you have chosen to perform below.

Gie it laldy wi a poem :)

Within the infant area, we will be practising some Scots poems and songs for Burns Day. Please find the words to the Scots poems ‘Heron’ and ‘Crocodile’ below. We will be reciting our poems during the middle of next week.

If you click on the title of each poem, you can listen and read your poem along with a video link.

Heron by JK Annand

Humphy-backit heron
Nearly as big as me
Stands at the waterside
Fishin for his tea.
His skinnie-ma-linkie lang legs
Juist like reeds
Cheats aa the puddocks
Soomin mang the weeds,
Here’s ane comin,
Grup it by the leg!
It sticks in his thrapple
Then slides doun his craig .
Neist comes a rottan ,
A rottan soomin past,
Oot gangs the lang neb
And has the rottan fast.
He jabs it, he stabs it,
Sune it’s in his wame ,
Flip-flap in the air
Heron flees hame.

 

Crocodile by JK Annand

When doukin in the River Nile

I met a muckle crocodile.

He flicked his tail, he blinked his ee,

Syne bared his ugsome teeth at me.

 

Says I, ‘I never saw the like,

Cleaning your teeth maun be a fyke!

What sort a besom do ye hae

To brush a set o teeth like thae?”

 

The crocodile said, ‘Nane ava.

I never brush my teeth at aa!

A wee bird redds them up, ye see,

And saves me monie a dentist’s fee.

Scottish Poetry Recital Primary Four

The children have been asked to choose a poem to practise in their best Scots accent for our Burns Assembly on 22nd January.

These are the poems that the children can choose from

The Bubblyjock by Hugh MacDiarmid

It’s hauf like a bird and hauf like a bogle
And juist stands in the sun there and bouks.
It’s a wunder its heid disna burst
The way it’s aye raxin its chouks.

 

Syne it twists its neck like a serpent
But canna get oot a richt note
For the bubblyjock swallowed the bagpipes
And the blether stuck in its throat.

 

Graffiti by Janet Paisley

 

Johnny Scramble, nae preamble,
draws oan waws whin naebody’s lookin,
YAISES AEROSOL CANS,
RINS AWA FAE POLIS VANS.
Coarnered yesterday, he wis.
KEN WHIT THE STUPIT EEJIT DIS?
Pents hissell tae match the waw,

thocht they’d no see him at aw.
Johnny Scramble’s jist a ful,
NOO HE’S IN THE HOASPITUL
whaur naebody hus oney peety
FUR SICH

A RARE CASE o GRAFFITI.

Lament for a Lost Dinner Tickey by Margaret Hamilton

 

See ma mammy
See ma dinner ticket
A pititnma
Pokit an she pititny
Washnmachine.

See thon burnty
Up wherra firewiz
Ma mammy says
Am no tellynagain
No’y playnit.
A jist wen’y eatma
Pokacrisps furma dinner
Nabigwoffldoon.

The wummin sed Aver near
Clapsd
Jistur heednur
Wee wellies sticknoot.

They sed Wot heppind?
Nme’nma belly
Na bedna hospital.
A sed A pititnma
Pokit an she pititny
Washnmachine.

They sed Ees thees chaild eb slootly
Non verbal?
A sed MA BUMSAIR
Nwen’y sleep.

I can’t wait to hear them next week!

To show that you are Winter Ready, please leave a comment about the poem you are preparing and let me know how you are getting on!

Please share any top tips for pronunciation too.

Primary 1 Bookbug Bags Parent Survey

bookbug bag
We hope all of the Primary 1 pupils and their families are enjoying their free Bookbug Bag from the Scottish Book Trust. We would love to hear about all the activities you have enjoyed together below.
The Scottish Book Trust would also like some feedback. If you have a couple of minutes, please follow the link below and complete a short questionnaire.

P.5/4’s Spectacular and Super Settings

Over the last couple of weeks P.5/4 have been studying the novel ‘Storm’ by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Here is what we have learned this week.

Learning intention: We are learning to understand how authors use settings to create different feelings or moods.

Success Criteria: I can draw the setting from ‘Storm’ using evidence from the text.

I can use interesting and ambitious vocabulary to describe the marsh.

 

Firstly, we practised finding evidence in the text to support our ideas.

Then, we looked for information about the setting in the text.

Next, we chose whether to draw our setting in winter or summer. We then spent time drawing whilst looking back at the text to help us.

Finally, we wrote WOW words to describe our setting and then up-levelled these using a thesaurus.

 

“I thought it was really fun because I enjoy drawing.” (Lewis)

“I enjoyed reading the story because I like looking at the illustrator’s pictures of the setting.” (Erin)

“I really liked how the author described the ghost and the marsh.” (Owen)

“I found it fun working in pairs when we used a thesaurus.” (Eloise)

 

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P3 and P3/2 visit Linlithgow Palace and surrounding area.

What a great day and fun was had by all…

As part of our IDL topic we have been exploring aspects of these Experiences & Outcomes:

By exploring places, investigating artefacts and locating them in time, I have developed an awareness of the ways we remember and preserve Scotland’s history.

SOC 1-02a

I can use evidence to recreate the story of a place or individual of local historical interest.

SOC 1-03a

I can compare aspects of people’s daily lives in the past with my own by using historical evidence or the experience of recreating an historical setting.

SOC 1-04a

By exploring my community and the groups within it, I can identify and consider different types of housing and how they meet needs.

Key Questions to be explored

  1. What do we think we know and what do we want to find out?
  2. Who might have lived here and why?
  3. How were these buildings built and who for?

We were also able to use the experience to make links with our functional writing. We are learning to select relevant ideas, order our writing, use connectives and adjectives to make our writing interesting.

My Personal Response

Yesterday we went to visit Linlithgow Palace because we have been learning about People and Places in the past.

We organised ourselves ready to leave at 10 o’clock.

We wore our welly boots and waterproof coats so we were prepared for the cold, windy weather.

When we arrived at the palace we met our tour guides then we went off in our groups to the first room and learned lots of interesting facts.

My favourite room was the Vomitorium as it was very interesting to hear about, it also made me laugh.

We ate our lunch altogether in the Palace Hall and then went to meet the Rangers.

When we were outside we had to imagine we were peasants, think about what their life was like. I got to carry the bundle of sticks as well as throw a mud mixture as if I was building my own hut!

We had a great day at Linlithgow Palace even though the weather was rather wet and cold.

Please enjoy a few visuals from our experience.

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