Category: Primary 2

Dear Parents/Carers,

We hope that you had a lovely week.

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.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs de Bonrostro

Dear Parents/ carers

We hope you are well.

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).

Ideas to do at home.

Here is a video to help with subtraction

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zwv39j6/articles/ztpmrwx

Games

https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/handyCounters/index.htmln

https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/fireFly/index.html

https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/difference/index.html

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.)

• Numbers to 20

• Numbers to 30

• Beyond 30

Other areas

PE focus on games.

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 8^th March.
• Please see separate email about the show dates and costumes.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mrs de Bonrostro

Dear Parents/Carers, 

We hope that you had a lovely week. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

**World Book Day Thursday 2^nd March**  

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. 

Alphablocks : Plusman – Series 4 – Episode 03 – YouTube 

The tricky words this week are eye, even and above. 

In writing we made a very basic flowchart about choosing when and what to have for snack. 

Ideas for home: 

What are compound words? – BBC Bitesize 

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. 

Counting syllables – English – Learning with BBC Bitesize – BBC Bitesize 

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. 

Ideas for home: 

What are 2D shapes? – BBC Bitesize 

Play a game of ‘Who am I?’ Give some clues about a shape and ask your child to work out which shape you are describing. 

Subtraction games online: 

Number Line Subtraction Game – Fruit Splat – Basic Operations Math – Sheppard Software 

Once you are confident you could try this game. Select Number Bonds then an appropriate level. 

Hit the Button – Quick fire maths practise for 6-11 year olds (topmarks.co.uk) 

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!

Have a great weekend. 

Mrs de Bonrostro

Dear Parents / Carers

We hope you had a nice week.

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.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/place-value-basketball

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Flash.aspx?f=diennesandcoinsv3

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/place-value/place-value-charts

https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/placeValuePieces/index.html

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.

• Addition to 10

https://www.arcademics.com/games/alien

• Adding two-digit numbers

https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/depthCharger/index.html

https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math/addition/fruit-splat-game/

(level 6)

Literacy

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

https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/continuous-cursive-beginners-choice-1.html

Other areas

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 20^th February.
• Loose parts on Monday 20^th February.

Have a wonderful break!

Mrs de Bonrostro

Dear Parents/Carers,

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.

https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/continuous-cursive-beginners-choice-1.html

Maths

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.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs de Bonrostro