Highlights from our Maths Morning and equivalent fractions
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
Physical Education
After a wonderful morning with our author and an excellent Burns assembly practice, we had some fun playing football outside. We also played a few fun, fitness games in the hall before home time. One game we all loved is called ‘Steal the bacon’, and we finished off with a running game involving lots of skills such as communication and collaboration.
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.
Rock, Paper, Scissors: Human vs Micro:bit
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!
Exploring Rhyming Words and Synonyms
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.
Here is some examples of what they found:
