Can you help ?

We would like to have a box wrapping activity in the classroom to promote motor skills, estimating, problem solving and 3D object awareness. To facilitate this, we would really welcome any donations of surplus Christmas wrapping paper/ribbon and small empty cardboard boxes for wrapping. If you have any we could use, please send to school with your child any day next week.

Many thanks

Independent learning

The children have been developing a wide range of skills through independent learning opportunities in class.

Literacy.

This week we have introduced the letter sounds k and ck as well as the ‘tricky’ words saw and no.

Tricky words are words which we cannot sound out phonetically so we need to learn them by heart. We would like the children to learn to write these words from memory as well as being able to recognise and read them by sight. Use the” Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check” strategy ( this should be self explanatory, but if you have any questions about this approach, please ask)

Our writing/storytelling prompt this week was the story of the Nativity.

Numeracy and Maths

We have been practising forming the numerals 3 and 4 accurately.

Our Core numeracy skills this week were

• writing the numerals 1 – 10 ( and beyond) correctly
• counting backwards from 10 (or 20 for some pupils).
• naming the next number in an isolated short backwards number sequence. ie. I say, 10, 9, 8 (they say 7)
• establishing a collection (give me 9 counters/raisins/etc)
• counting a collection beyond 10 with accurate 1-1 correspondence
• recognising numerals
• sequencing a short selection of numerals ( e.g. 5,6,7,8)
• making instant finger patterns (show me 6 fingers without counting them)
• recognising dice patterns and clapping the amount of dots on the dice

Our challenge numeracy skills were.

• adding two collections with the second one screened ( e.g. here are 8 counters, there are 5 more hiding under this pot, how many altogether?)
• sequencing numerals within the range 0-100
• naming the number after a given number (0-30)
• counting backwards from 30, starting and stopping at different points
• investigating which equal groups can be made from a given number ( e.g. can I make 2 equal groups/3 equal groups/4 equal groups/5 equal groups from 12 counters? What about if I have 16 counters, or 18 etc)

Looking ahead to next week

We are very excited to share our nativity play with you next week,

Please send any costume items by Monday at the latest so we are ready for our dress rehearsals.

Other areas of the curriculum

A huge Thank you to Mr Seeruthun for coming to talk to all the P 1 classes about his work as a train engineer. the children really enjoyed his visit. Thanks also for the pen and pencil case gifts – much appreciated.

We have used oil pastels to create some Christmas artwork.

We have continued to find our about the story of the Nativity and have been practising our songs to help us tell the story.

We learned facts about Koalas, using vocabulary such as marsupial, joey, pouch, mammal, eucalyptus

In music we sang songs and played games designed to develop skills of keeping a steady beat. We also explored using our voices in different ways.

We spotted a Scotland flag in the sky on St Andrew’s day/

This week’s homework and other information

• Learn your nativity line off by heart . Speak slowly, clearly and loud!
• Learn to read and write this week’s tricky words.
• Use the blue letter cards to practice building and blending words

A reminder to please name all items of clothing and shoes, and to check names on items brought home in case your child accidentally acquires a jumper belonging to someone else.