On Wednesday, P1-3 explored the importance of using our voice to stand up for fairness. Building on our Health and Wellbeing topic of relationships, we discussed how we should treat others – with kindness, respect and inclusion. We read the book All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold to help us understand the importance of celebrating diversity and equality. We had a thoughtful discussion about what fairness means and how we can speak up when we see someone being treated unfairly.
We created posters for a competition on the theme, ‘The Power of Our Voice’. We used our collaboration and communication skills to work together in small groups to create the poster and share our ideas.
On Monday, Primary 1-3 explored Scotland’s diverse landscapes. Using Google Maps, we discovered famous landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and The Kelpies. From there, we explored the rich variety of Scottish Landscapes, from the Highlands to the familiar features of our own local area. We used the 3D function to help highlight the geography of the land.
As a class, we compared the different landscapes, identifying the key features such as mountains, hills and rivers. To bring our learning to life, we created maps of our local area which was a fantastic way to connect geography with the world around us!
In our Creativity Hour, Primary 1-3 took their coding skills to the next level by programming the Micro:bit to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Building on what we’ve learned previously, this activity was slightly more advanced as we had to use variables to create this game. We used Micro:bit Classroom – this is a digital classroom where we can connect iPads to manage and guide children through the coding sessions. This allowed us to follow a tutorial together and provide support through each step to make sure we could manage the task effectively.
We coded the Micro:bit to generate a random number (1-3) whenever it was shaken and the number would represent either rock, paper or scissors. We then programmed the Micro:bit to display an icon for each choice which introduced the idea of variables.
It was exciting to see the children test their creations, shaking their Micro:bits and watching the results appear on the screen. Once we had a functioning game, the children went around the class, challenging their friends and teachers with the Micro:bit – we wanted to find out who would win, Humans or the Micro:bit! By the end of the session, the children had a working game and a better understanding of using variables in code!
This week, Primary 1-3 looked closer at the language in The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson, with Primary 1-2 focusing on how authors use rhyme to create fun and engaging stories. The lesson began with an opportunity for the children to share their prior knowledge through discussion about what they already knew about rhyming words. Together, we revisited the story, carefully analysing the text to identify rhyming pairs; some rhyming words that we found were “spotty” and “grotty”, “see” and “tree”, and “pink” and “stink”. They worked collaboratively by sharing ideas and supporting each other to uncover the rhymes within the text.
During this time, Primary 3 focused on developing a new skill: using an online thesaurus to find synonyms. The children enjoyed this task, as it allowed them to discover new words they hadn’t encountered before. Using an extract from the book, they selected specific words and found 2-3 synonyms for each one. This activity helped them build their vocabulary and improve their research skills, as they practiced navigating a digital resource.
Despite the snowy weather, we’ve had a wonderful first week back in Primary 1-3. The class has been hard at work on a book study which has combined reading, creativity and hands-on learning. Our book study is focused on the book, ‘The Ugly Five’ by Julia Donaldson which explores five animals in the African savannah who are often called “ugly” by others.
After reading the book and making predictions on Wednesday, we explored the animals in the book in more detail and created fun character descriptions. We began by looking at real-life images of each animal using iPads, then we looked through the story to create our own descriptions which can be seen below. This activity helped us better understand the story and sparked our imaginations.
Our curiosity about the animals in the story and their environment led us to design and build our own habitats. Using a variety of materials such as LEGO and building blocks, we created models of environments such as a rainforest, a polar habitat, a garden and a city. We learned about the varying needs of animals and plants within different habitats, which then led to a discussion about the unique needs of the animals and how their habitats help them survive.
Building to withstand Artic habitats.A house in a city that is built to support people.A doghouse that includes a grass area and a place to sleep.Rainforest habitat with a small river and different plants.
Creating Games with Micro:bits!
On Friday, we continued to explore coding through Micro:bits during Creativity Hour and had an exciting time putting our skills to use! We learned how to programme the Micro:bits to function as dice – by shaking the device, a random number would appear on the screen! Once we completed this, we used our Micro:bit to create our own games.
Some of us incorporated the Micro:bit dice into board games we had in the class such as Connect 4. In this game, the children would shake the device to generate a number, which determined the number of tokens they could use to play for that round. Others, made up fun challenges where the dice decided different movements. It was a great way to combine problem-solving and teamwork while learning more about technology and coding.
Over a week ago, we hosted an engaging adult learning session at the school which was designed to help parents support their children at home with their learning. The session focused on practical tips and strategies for making math a natural part of everyday life whilst boosting confidence and fostering a positive math mindset.
The session highlighted various ways which children’s learning in numeracy can be extended at home. Strategies which we saw and found useful were through playing/creating games such as Kerplunk, LEGO board games and more. This helped the children with their counting, number recognition and subitising, and the children had fun doing so! This was an engaging session which was very helpful for those that attended – scan the QR below to find out more information about these sessions! Thank you to everyone who attended and together, we can help make math a positive experience for the children.
On Friday, P1-3 continued developing their coding skills using the Micro:bit. While they had previously explored the various features they could code onto the Micro:bit, this session allowed them to try it out hands-on with an iPad. The children began experimenting with the Micro:bit app, learning how to download their completed code onto the device. They explored creating LED images and patterns, incorporating music, and even experimenting with voice control features. The session was fun, as the children enjoyed being creative with their projects while building confidence in using both the app and the Micro:bit. In our next session, we will follow a tutorial to work towards a specific goal, which the children will decide.
