The show kept us extremely busy. We practiced and we performed in front of P3, P1 and, of course, in front of you parents/carers! We hope you had a great time and you enjoyed it as much as we did.
All children did and amazing job. We are very proud of them!
Here is a summary of our learning:
Literacy
This week we have continued our work on compound words and reinforced the syllable concept.
Our tricky words this week are idea, answer and usual.
On Wednesday both classes worked together at spelling time. Please continue to practice how to read and write spelling words at home. Your child should know which block they are working on at school. It would be very helpful if at home you work on the same block and revise previous blocks.
At writing we worked on retelling the story of the Gingerbread man. We are working hard on using past tenses and using beginning, middle and end structure.
Ideas to do at home
Ask your child to think about compound words and write them. Cut them and try to mix with other words and see which other compound words they can make.
Ask your child to count the number of syllables in familiar words. Can they work out how many syllables are in the name of each family member? What about their favourite foods? You can clap or alternatively, hold your hand under your chin to count the number of syllables if finding it tricky. Clap the syllables.
Reading books were sent home today.
Maths
We have continued to work on 3D objects names and properties.
We also have worked on numeracy skills such as addition and subtraction. Please, if you wish, use your Sumdog account to revise these skills. You can also use grids ideas provided on last week’s blog.
Ideas to do at home
Choose a 3D shape and ask your child to find as many objects as possible with that shape in a given time.
With everyday objects explore how the number of faces, edges and corners/vertices.
If you wish check your use the Sumdog account.
Use last week’s maths grids.
Other areas
As mentioned above our main focus has been the show.
In PE we have worked on speed games.
Other
Please remember that next week we have Parents Consultations on Wednesday and Thursday
We have had a few children bringing in toys and jewellery from home. We do not want any toys to get lost or damaged so please do not allow your child to bring these in. Whilst friendship bracelets / necklaces are given out with kind intentions, this can lead to upset when others are left out. We would really appreciate if these items could be left at home as they are more suitable for playdates rather than school. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
Here is a summary of our learning.
Literacy
We have continued to work on compound words (e.g. cupcake, football, starfish). As part of this, we have been clapping and counting syllables in words.
The tricky words this week are those, buy and first.
In writing we retold the story of A Squash and a Squeeze. We had to order the events and retell it.
Ideas for home:
Write some simple sentences and ask your child if they can identify the compound word within it. For example:
I like my bedroom.
I want a skateboard.
Ask your child to count the number of syllables in familiar words. Can they work out how many syllables are in the name of each family member? What about their favourite foods? You can clap or alternatively, hold your hand under your chin to count the number of syllables if finding it tricky.
Reading books were sent home yesterday. Please also work on the coloured key word walls which will help with fluency when reading aloud. Please note that due to the show next week, we will give reading books home on Friday rather than Thursday.
Maths
We have been learning to name 3D shapes: cube, cuboid, sphere, cylinder and cone. We talked about edges, faces and corners/vertices.
In our number work we have been practising our subtraction skills. We have also been working on saying the number before and the number after. Some of us are doing this within the range 0-30, some 30-100 and some beyond.
Ideas for home:
Play a game of true or false. Write down 10 sums. Some of them should be correct and some of them should be incorrect. Can your child use their subtraction skills to work out which ones are which? The children love spotting when the teacher makes a mistake on the board so this can be a fun game to play at home.
If you have chalk at home, you could write a 2 digit number on your garden path. Can your child write the number before and the number after? You can make it more tricky by crossing a decade. For example, with 80 in the middle, can they say the number before?
Other areas of the curriculum
We have been very busy with rehearsals for our P2 show. We can’t wait to perform it for you next week!
We enjoyed a session of loose parts on Tuesday afternoon in the sunshine.
We have continued to work on the ‘Have a Goal’ unit as part of Health and Wellbeing.
Although this week has been a short week at school we have been very busy learning and we have started to prepare our P2 show.
Please, if you haven’t done so already, check your child’s purple folder today. If they have asked for a speaking part in our forthcoming show, then they have been given their lines to take home on Monday. Please could you help them to practise their lines at home. We will have rehearsals in school, but we want them to feel as confident as possible.
Literacy
We have continued to work on compound words. Our main focus has been on tricky words. We have been working on reading and writing different blocks. Please continue to work on these at home.
Our tricky words from block 6 this week are: won’t, don’t and both.
At writing we have created a new flow chart about lunch. We are learning how to write a basic flowchart.
Ideas to do at home
Please practice your tricky words (read and write)
Ask your child to read the book that we have read at school this week. Ask your child questions about the book.
Compound words hunt: Do a hunt around the house or/and outdoors and create a list with them. You can use two colours to point out which two words make the compound words. Count the syllables. Children loved this video:
Maths
We have continued to work on our number skills counting forwards and backwards, number before and number after a given number. We have continued to work on subtraction (from 10, 20 and beyond for some).
Remember you also have a sum dog account. We have set a 2D shape challenge and an addition and subtraction challenge for you to try.
It is very important that when practicing addition and subtraction at home your children use different ideas. A good mathematician always uses scrap paper to work out their findings!
Please find attached different ideas to work on numeracy skills (counting, adding, ordering, arrays, etc.)
As mentioned above we have started to prepare our assembly about Katie Morag and Scotland.
World Book Day. We had the opportunity of reading our own favourite books at school. Your child can bring their own book to school anytime for BEAR time.
Other
Loose parts on Wednesday 8th March.
Please see separate email about the show dates and costumes.
Please feel free to bring in a book from home to enjoy reading in class.
Here is a summary of our learning.
Literacy
We have started a unit of work on compound words (e.g. cupcake, football, bedroom). This week we talked about words with two syllables and we practised clapping and counting syllables in words. In this block the children will also have the opportunity to revisit the vowel digraphs which were taught in Block 2. For example, in the word ‘rainbow’ the children will be revisiting ai and ow and applying their knowledge of syllables and letter sounds to spell the whole word.
We watched this video clip in class which provided us with some examples of compound words.
The ability to split a word into syllables is very important in this unit of work. Below is a link to an online lesson which has a video and 3 follow up activities.
Practise reading and spelling the first 3 tricky words for Block 6. These are eye, even and above.
Maths
We have been learning to name 2D shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, pentagon and hexagon. We are learning to describe the properties of each shape using the vocabulary of sides and corners. We also used the vocabulary of long, short and equal sides.
In our number work we have been learning to subtract. We are also using the terms take away, minus and equals.
Remember you also have a sum dog account. We have set a 2D shape challenge and an addition and subtraction challenge for you to try.
Other areas of the curriculum
• We have started to think about our P2 show. This will be performed on the afternoon of Thursday 16th March and a second performance on the morning of Friday 17th March.
• We have been learning songs for our show.
• We have continued to work on the Have a Goal unit as part of Health and Wellbeing.
• We are enjoying gymnastics as part of our PE lessons.
Photos of our learning (We have some photos from last week too!)
We received an important letter….guess who replied to our lovely letters!
Due to a technical issue we cannot upload photos of the amazing learning that has taken place in our class this week.
Here is a summary of our learning.
Maths
This week our focus has been addition (to 10, 30 and 100 for some). We have been working on understanding the link between a digit, its place and its value (focus on tens and units). When adding two-digit numbers we need to add first the units and then the tens. We are still using, when needed, the counting on strategy when adding a two-digit number with one digit number.
Ideas to do at home
We have been using this game in class to work on place value.
When working at home ensure your child works on writing the sum using the correct symbols for add/plus and equal. Write simple sums and ask your child to write the answers and explained how she/he has worked the answer. A couple of this a day will be a good practice for your child.
We have been working about soft g. Soft g is when the letter g makes the ‘g’ sound. Magic e is making the i say its name. Also, when ge come together the sound is always s and the e is silent. Examples: page, smudge, hedge.
Tricky words: eight, money, learn
This week are not sending reading books home. This week our focus has been assessment of the sounds we have been working on this term.
We have continued to work on reading skills such as : looking for new vocabulary (talking about its meaning), inference (make and justify inferences using evidence from the text), prediction (Predict what might happen from the details given and implied), explain, retrieval of information (Retrieve and record information and identify key details from fiction and non-fiction) and summarising (summarise the main ideas from more the book) . When reading books at home please ask questions to your child about the text.
In writing we wrote descriptions of Katie Morag. We are learning to use interesting describing words. During the week while reading books we have made a bank of describing words (adjectives). We have done an amazing job!
In handwriting we have worked on writing cursive letters h and b.
Ideas to do at home:
Please practice the tricky words from Block 5 that we have worked on at school: write, great, move, story, does, done, school, before, because, people, again, four, eight, money and learn.
Please ensure your child is confident at reading and writing all the tricky words from previous blocks.
Please keep working on tricky words from previous weeks. Look, cover and write strategy is a good one to use at home.
Words to read at home to practice soft g.
Practice cursive letter formation. Please reinforce how to hold the pencil correctly and the right letter formation
PE we have been practicing gymnastic skills and learning new games to work on following instructions.
Social Studies: We have continued to learn about life in an island through Katie Morag and Robert Burns.
RHSP We have discussed the Friendship topic: When friends fall out.
Following our Building Resilience program, we have worked on ‘Have a goal’.
News
Please check your child’s bag as they will have their login details to access Sumdog (website for Maths) and all the information about how to access it.
Next week it is the February break. We are back on Monday 20th February.
It was lovely to see so many of you at Wednesday’s drop in morning. We hope that you enjoyed this session.
Here is a summary of our learning this week.
Literacy
We have been learning about soft g. Soft g is when the letter g makes the ‘j’ sound. Also, when g and e come together the sound is always j and the e is silent. Examples: age, stage, badge.
Tricky words: people, again, four.
Our reading books are non- fiction books. We are learning to identify the features of non-fiction texts.
We have been working on comprehension skills: read a text, look for key words from it, answering questions about the text, etc. This is proving to be hard as the texts get more complex. When reading books at home please ask questions to your child about the text.
In writing we wrote descriptions for someone in our family. We are learning to use interesting describing words.
In handwriting we formed the letters n and m.
Ideas for home learning:
Please practise the tricky words from Block 5 that we have worked on at school: write, great, move, story, does, done, school, before, because, people, again, four.
Words to read at home to practise soft g: cage, wage, stage, page, rage, huge, bulge, plunge.
Practice cursive letter formation. Please reinforce how to hold the pencil correctly and the right letter formation.
This week we have continued to work on our addition skills (to 10, 30 and 100 for some).
We are talking about different strategies which we can use to solve these calculations. Some of us are using the counting on method and some are using a number line or mental strategy.
Ideas for home learning:
If you have a deck of cards at home, choose one of the games below to play.
MEMORY BONDS
Learning Outcome
I am practising my number bonds to ten.
Equipment
At least 2 players and 1 pack of cards with Jack, Queen & King removed.
Instructions
Place all of the cards face down, in a grid formation.
The first player turns over two cards and adds them together to see if they make ten. If they do, the player keeps them. If not, then they should be put back in the same place as before.
The next player has a go (remembering what has been uncovered before).
Keep going until all of the number bonds to ten have been found.
The winner is the player with the most cards at the end of the game.
THREE UP
Learning Outcome
I am practising adding a single digit to a two-digit number.
Equipment
2 players and 2 packs of cards with Jack, Queen & King removed.
Instructions
Make 3 piles of cards, face down.
The first player turns over the top card from each pile and places the first two cards together to make a 2 digit number.
The player adds the single digit as quickly as possible.
If they are correct, they keep all three cards. If not, the second player adds them together to work out the correct answer.
Keep going until you have used up all of the cards.
The winner is the player with the most cards at the end of the game.
FASTEST HUNDRED
Learning Outcome
I am practising my number facts to 100.
Equipment
3 players, 1 pack of cards with Jack, Queen & King removed and a calculator to check your answers.
Instructions
Chose one player to be the judge. The other two players are opponents.
The judge turns over two cards to make a two-digit number.
The aim is to be the first person to shout out what has to be added to that number to make 100.
If you are the first to answer and you get it right, you keep the cards.
If you are first to answer but get the answer wrong, the cards go to your opponent.
So, think carefully before you answer!
Keep going until you have used up all of the cards in the pack.
The winner is the player with the most cards.
Other areas of the curriculum
We have continued to work on gymnastics in PE.
We enjoyed a session of loose parts.
We enjoyed a visit from a parent who is an electrician to reinforce the learning we have been doing in Science.
We have continued to learn about island life through our Katie Morag topic. We have also been learning about Robert Burns.
In Health and Wellbeing we have been learning about the importance of kindness and empathy in making and sustaining friendships.
We have also started our new unit for Building Resilience: Have A Goal. In this unit, we will be learning that:
•Setting a realistic goal helps to motivate us
• Learning to overcome setbacks helps us cope with future ones
• It is important to celebrate our successes
Independent Learning
Ideas for home learning:
Talk to your child about a goal you set yourself and how you dealt with setbacks and failures along the way.
Please if you haven’t returned your child’s learning story to school do it as soon as possible.
Here is a summary of our learning.
Maths
This week our focus has been (to 10, 30 and 100 for some). We have been working on understanding the link between a digit, its place and its value (focus on tens and units). When adding two-digit numbers we need to add first the units and then the tens. We are still using, when needed, the counting on strategy when adding a two-digit number with one digit number.
Ideas to do at home
We have been using this game in class to work on place value.
When working at home ensure your child works on writing the sum using the correct symbols for add/plus and equal. Write simple sums and ask your child to write the answers and explained how she/he has worked the answer. A couple of this a day will be a good practice for your child.
We have been working about soft c. Soft c is when the letter c makes the ‘s’ sound. Magic e is making the i say its name. Also, when ce come together the sound is always s and the e is silent. Examples: space, bounce, chance and spice
Tricky words: write, great and move.
Our reading books are non- fiction books. We are learning to identify the features of non-fiction texts.
We have been working on comprehension skills: read a text, look for key words from it, answering questions about the text, etc. This is proving to be hard as the texts get more complex. When reading books at home please ask questions to your child about the text.
In writing we wrote descriptions of Granny Island. We are learning to use interesting describing words. During the week while reading books we have made a bank of describing words (adjectives).
In handwriting we have worked on writing cursive letters n and m
Ideas to do at home:
Please practice the tricky words from Block 5 that we have worked on at school: write, great, move, story, does, done, school, before, because.
Please keep working on tricky words from previous weeks. Look, cover and write strategy is a good one to use at home.
Words to read at home to practice soft c: space, chance, bounce, grace, face, lace, blaze, ice, dice, rice, mice, dance, prince, since, ounce, etc.
Practice cursive letter formation. Please reinforce how to hold the pencil correctly and the right letter formation
PE we have been practicing Scottish Dance. We are really good at it and we are having fun.
Social Studies: We have continued to learn about life in an island through Katie Morag. We also have talked about Robert Burns.
RHSP We have discussed the Friendship topic: What is a good friend, how can we be friends, we can be friendly to others even though we might not be friends, etc.
News
Drop in Session for parents on Wednesday 1st February ( See school email).
Today your child brought home their Learning Story. We have added a termly newsletter and a sheet with targets for your child this term. We would be grateful if you could return the Learning Stories on Monday. Thank you.
Here is a summary of our learning.
Maths
This week we have continued to continue a pattern by looking at the order of the objects and the rule they follow. A pattern can involve shapes, symbols or numbers.
We have also been working on addition. In particular we have been writing sums using the plus and equals signs. We are trying hard to hold the big number in our heads and count on the rest. For example, 12 + 3: start on 12 then count 13, 14, 15.
Use pasta or beads to make 2 groups. Ask your child to add the 2 groups together to find the total then write it as a formal addition sum, e.g. 9 + 3 = 12
We have been learning about soft c. Soft c is when the letter c makes the ‘s’ sound. Magic e is making the i say its name. Also, when ce come together the sound is always s and the e is silent.
Tricky words: story, does done.
Our reading books are non- fiction books. We are learning to identify the features of non-fiction texts.
In writing we wrote descriptions of ourselves. We are learning to use interesting describing words.
Ideas to do at home:
Practice the tricky words: school, because, before, story, does and done. A set of flashcards were sent home on Thursday to help you with this
Ask your child to spell nice, mice, ice. Can they explain the soft c rule?
Practice cursive letter formation. Please reinforce how to hold the pencil correctly and the right letter formation
In PE we started to work on our gymnastics skills.
We enjoyed Scottish dancing in the hall.
In Science we have been learning about Energy.
We enjoyed Loose parts.
As part of our Social Studies topic, we have been enjoying learning about Katie Morag and the Isle of Struay. We are learning about the differences between living on an island and living on mainland. We have made maps of our route to school.
We have been learning about Chinese New Year and a few children in the class are teaching us how to write numbers in Chinese and how to wish a happy New Year in Chinese!
We have revisited our commitment to be Ready, Respectful and Safe at all times.
Independent Learning
Other information
Please ensure your child has indoor shoes at school.
Please label all your child’s items (including gloves, hats and water bottles).
This week we have been learning about pattern. What is a pattern, follow a pattern, finding the rule of a pattern, etc. A pattern can involve shapes, symbols and numbers.
We also have worked on addition.
Ideas to do at home:
Look for patterns at home or when on a walk. Ask your child to try to find the rule of the pattern.
Please continue to practice number formation as we are finding that children are reversing numbers when writing them.
Literacy
We have been learning about soft c. Soft c is when the letter c makes the ‘s’ sound. Magic e is making the a say its name. Also, when ce come together the sound is always s and the e is silent.
Tricky words: school, before, because.
Our reading books are non- fiction books and we are focusing on reading for information.
Writing focus this week has been ‘My home’. Children are learning to use interesting describing words. We will continue to develop this skill for several weeks.
Ideas to do at home:
Practice the tricky words: school, because and before.
Watch again this video:
Practice cursive letter formation. Please reinforce how to hold the pencil correctly and the right letter formation.
In PE we have started to work on our Fitness skills. We have focus on landing.
In Science we have been learning about Energy.
We enjoyed Loose parts despite the rain.
As part of our Social Studies topic, we did a Friday walk outside the school to observe the features of our local area. It was a lovely walk and the children were so well behaved. Thank you to the parents who were able to help on this occasion.
We had our very first live assembly with other classes in the school hall today!
Independent learning
These are photos that the children have taken themselves of the work they feel proud of!
Other information
Loose Parts on Friday 20th
We sent home indoor shoes at the end of last term for you to check that they still fit. If you have not either returned or replaced the indoor shoes, please could you do this as soon as possible. Thank you for your support with this. As we mentioned before they could use the same for PE if they are trainers.
Please label all your child’s items (including gloves, hats and water bottles).
Buckstone Primary School 