Awesome P3

Welcome back after our lovely Easter break! The children are looking nice and refreshed, ready for another busy, fun filled term!

OUTDOOR LEARNING

Even though this has been a shorter week, Primary 3 have made the most of their Outdoor Learning theme. Interdisciplinary learning has included developing simple map drawing skills where the children drew a map of the shape of the school and a  Senses Walk where they used their senses to heighten their observational skills.

Primary 3 have also used the outdoor environment to apply their understanding of Measure this week.  We have been learning about the importance of estimating (guessing roughly) how long something might be then checking it against the actual measurement – lots of the children have found the estimating part harder than the actual estimating and this is very true as estimating itself is an important skill. We also discussed in each instance the importance of the difference between our estimates and our actual measurements as this shows us the gap.

During our Daily Mile, the children guessed how long they thought it would take to complete one lap then recorded their actual time.

In our school garden, the children found natural objects such as stones, blades of grass and leaves to measure in cm using rulers.  They also took a closer look at our spring flowers and used finger painting to record the details they could see.

To compare units of measurement, Primary 3 then worked in groups to measure each side of our upper/middle area playground in metres. They began with estimating how many metres their side was, then they measured it using metre sticks and used a tally chart to record each metre measured – some great collaborative learning and team work.  Back in class, we added all the measurements together to work out the total of all of the sides, introduced ‘perimeter’ as new maths vocabulary and recorded the lengths on a diagram.

Ancient Egypt topic

So how did the Egyptians actually move the large stones when building the pyramids? Well, we found out that they possibly used tree trunks as rollers to move the stones along – ask your child to demonstrate this to you using pencils and a heavy book! How many Egyptian inventions do we still use today? We talked about lots of these this week and then the children worked in pairs to mime using them to their peers – they did a really good job and really enjoyed the process! We’ve now evaluated our learning on this fabulous topic and even the children were amazed at how much they have learned – well done!

A busy term ahead for Primary 3….

Primary 3 worked in small groups to record what they would like to find out in our new topics and their ideas/questions will form the basis for our interdisciplinary learning.

Our main focus will be studying our local area by looking at the different ways our land is used and the features of our landscape, the ways we can look after our community. food and farming including the use of our own cooking kitchens to develop food technology.

We will also be further developing our understanding of time by learning about days, weeks, months and how they relate to the Sun and the Moon. In relation to our weather, the children have asked to find out why we have so much rain in Scotland!

Next Thursday, Primary 3 will have an exciting visit from the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) who will kickstart our topic with an interactive session about the use of land for farming. We will also be looking at how our local area outside the school is used in different ways – it would be helpful if you could help your child observe these differences eg we have houses, we have parks, we have roads and paths to stimulate discussion about who builds them, how do they get there etc.

Towards the end of the term, Primary 3 will also be taking part in a fabulous shelter building activity with the West Lothian Ranger Service – we will update you on this nearer the time!

LITERACY

Everyone loved writing about the favourite part of her Easter holidays and were very proud of their efforts, especially those who were careful with handwriting and remembered VCOP!

Sophie R loved playing spelling words hopscotch using chalk outside.

ROOTS OF EMPATHY

Primary 3 each made a special wish for baby Kelsey that they hope comes true as she grows up – they certainly brought a tear or two to the eyes of Mrs Brutin and Mrs Scott.

Really sorry, but due to technical issues I’m unable to upload any other photos related to senses walk or map skills or measuring or Roots of Empathy – watch this space!

Have a lovely weekend! from Mrs Scott and Primary 3!