Highlights from our Maths Morning and equivalent fractions
Category: P4 – P7
Outdoor Learning Memory Stick Reflection
Today P5-7 were exploring the natural soundscape in our playground. First we had a super reflection discussion on our favourite achievements and memories from last year. Then we had to choose our special stick from outside and had time to collect materials which are all natural objects and treasures. In our next session we will be indoors using coloured yarn to decorate and get creative.
Active Maths with ICT
Today we were exploring equivalent fractions in our numeracy and having fun playing games and using the Mathigon Polypad. Mathigon helps us to visualise the fractions and see pictures of equivalent fractions on bar modelling before moving on to the abstract process using our timestables.
Counting on
Number talks
Mathigon polypad
The Rebel of Time by Craig Andrew Mooney
Today we were lucky enough to host Craig Andrew Mooney, the author behind ‘The Rebel of Time’. It was a great experience to ask Craig our questions and hear a little extract of the book from the person behind the words.
Craig shared with us his inspiration behind the main characters and shared a fascinating insight in to the writing process. Everyone was captivated and participated in hands on writing exercise guided by Craig. Pupils had the chance to experiment with writing and illustrating in pairs, exploring their own creative ideas.
This is a great way to kick off our literacy book study and plant the seed of aspiring authorship in our pupils.
Robert Burns inspired Poetry
After our outdoor learning session yesterday, we used our ideas to inspire our writing in IDL. We started with a basic poem starter, to help us write our own version using rhyming pattern.
Numeracy
Today we were re-visiting and practising creating a set of equal fractions. In order to identify equal fractions we used pictures and models, our timestables and the fraction wall. We enjoyed playing some fun fraction games too.
Exploring Nature Through Burns Poetry
We have been exploring the poetry of Robert Burns over the last two weeks. After many discussions and learning our favourite poems we went outdoors today to observe the nature in our playground and take some time out to reflect, on how Burns drew inspiration from nature. We will then use our own observations to create our own poems and focus on simplicity, structure and descriptive language.
Robert Burns inspired Art work
After learning about Robert Burns this week and choosing our favourite poem to recite, we created pastel drawings from the images we could see in our head. We used the ‘Picture it’ strategy to help understand our poems and engage more with the Scot’s dialect. The finished pictures were all fantastic images which illuminate Burn’s poetry in our class and help with comprehension. Afterwards we chose our favourite Scottish word to look up and add to our display.
Outdoor learning in P5-P7
Today we went outside to try a few Mindfulness activities. Mindfulness is a critical self-regulation strategy for people of all ages. It can help us feel calm, focused, and in control. We worked together to communicate our feelings and collaborate with each other. We also had a successful singing workshop this morning in from Voice Rocks!
DNA HUNTERS PROJECT
Over the last two weeks P5-P7 have been enjoying working with DNA and chromosomes. They have been learning about scientific methods and role of researchers. The first challenge was to extract DNA from a banana using an experiment kit and working in partnership with students from Edinburgh University. Pupils are now working on scientific posters. Everyone is very excited about this science project and to find out who extracted the most DNA.
