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The following two booklets, a primary version and a secondary version, have been written by David Burns author of ‘Do lemons have feathers?’. They are short guides aimed at supporting teachers in setting up an autism friendly classroom. The ideas and strategies that David has chosen to share will be to the benefit of all children in the class not just those on the autism spectrum.
“We don’t have to learn a whole set of separate ideas to apply to certain pupils – they’ll benefit everyone. How good is that?”
Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.
Favourite Song: Sleeping Bunnies
Today’s song is Sleeping bunnies. This is such a popular song with many of the pupils we work with. If you are able to you could pretend to be asleep and wait in anticipation of when the music will change and jump awake to be a hopping bunny! You could also make music along with the song, gentle calming music with any instruments you have for when the bunny is sleeping and then much more excitable music when the bunnies are awake!
Someone You Loved: Part 2 – Verse 1
Today we will be singing and signing the first verse of Someone You Loved. The words are;
I’m going under and this time I fear there’s no one to save me
This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy
I need somebody to heal
Somebody to know
Somebody to have
Somebody to hold
It’s easy to say
But it’s never the same
I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain.
to being someone you loved.
Wow! We’ve made it to the last week of what has been an unusual and difficult term. We would like to say thank you to all of our pupils for their ongoing engagement with learning from home as well as a massive thank you to the parents who have helped to support this while juggling the other daily demands of home and work life during a global pandemic – you are all amazing!
Your child’s teacher will be using Google Classroom to share activities with you this week but we are aware that some families are waiting on technology and other supports to enable them to access Google Classroom so we will still be posting a selection of activities here too. If you haven’t logged in yet or having difficulty accessing Google Classroom please contact your child’s teacher who will be able to offer you support and advice. Here is a short video to show you some of the exciting things happening on Google Classroom.
If you would like to share how you have got on with our activities, please share any photos via your child’s teacher, through Google Classroom, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Aberdeen Reads Challenge:
Once again Aberdeen City Libraries will run a reading challenge during the holidays. Aberdeen Reads is open to everyone to challenge themselves to explore reading this summer and will run from 27 June – 29 August 2020. People can take part as an individual or as a group, so please register and get involved!
Although library buildings are closed Aberdeen City Libraries continues to provide services 24/7 via our digital offer. There is a wide range of ebooks, eaudio books, ecomics, emagazines and online resources suitable for all ages and abilities. They will also continue to deliver regular Bookbug sessions digitally via YouTube and Facebook.
The Challenge aims to support children to develop language and literacy skills by encouraging all kinds of reading – instructions, recipes, picture books, sharing stories with younger siblings. There are a series of suggested challenges; many of which can be easily carried out as part of a daily routine; on a range of topics to inspire everyone to try different genres and types of reading.
Children and families who register will be entered into a prize draw and there will be another prize draw for those who complete 3 or more challenges/reads.
Reading activity can be recorded on a Challenge card which be printed or downloaded from the Aberdeen City Libraries website to a mobile device. Information on the Challenge and how to register is on our website www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/aberdeenreads
Story Of The Week: We’re Going On A Beat Hunt by Michael Rosen
This week’s book study is a favourite with many of our our pupils – We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. In this story, a family go on a fun day out, looking for bears and exploring a variety of wonderful places, but they’re in for a BIG surprise!
Below you can read and listen along to the author Michael Rosen retelling the story:
The book study below has some great activities for you to try at home based on the story.
Be Resilient!
Education Scotland, in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council, produced a Resilience Alphabet full of fun think, say, do activities designed to promote resilience and develop coping strategies. There are a series of activities for each letter of the alphabet, so pick a letter and give it a go!
Here is a learning grid for Life Skills. It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help develop and promote your child’s independence in a range of household and life skills tasks.
These activities are only suggestions and we would recommend that, where appropriate, you adapt these activities to meet your child’s ability level.
Learning Grid: Get Active!
Here is a learning grid for Getting Active! It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help promote physical activity both in and out of the home on a daily basis.
These activity are only suggestions and we would recommend completing one activity each day. However, we would love to see what other creative ways you and your family are using to Get Active daily!
Links to YouTube Channels and websites can be found below.
Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.
Vocal Warm-Up: Pop The Gum
For this week’s vocal warm-up we are going to pretend we are chewing a piece of gum to get our mouths moving. First, we are chewing one bit of gum, then two and then three! We are also going to try and blow bubbles with our gum which will then pop!
Someone You Loved: Part 1 – Chorus
This week’s Makaton Song is going to be Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi. This is such a well-known song with lovely signs to accompany it. Today we will be singing and signing the chorus. Here are the words.
Now the day bleeds
Into nightfall
And you’re not here
To get me through it all
I let my guard down
And then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.
Some ideas of how you might use the challenge are:
Places
Read some of your favourite stories that are set in other countries (real or imaginary). Two of my personal favourites are:
Where The Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak), a lovely picture book for younger readers, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (C S Lewis) for older readers.
Get Creative
Across the school we’ve seen lovely photos of our children and young people engaging in Life Skills and Arts & Crafts during our period of remote learning. Why not challenge yourself to bake or cook something new? You might find a no-cook recipe that will encourage even greater independence. Try a new craft project and make something useful, or use some of your old junk to create something inspired by a book. Lots of exciting crafty projects can be done using recycled materials and this helps our environment.
Ec0-Friendly
Use recycled materials to create a favourite character or a scene from one of your books. One young man from Room 14 did this previously, creating his favourite scene from Harry Potter.
Cover Versions
Some of our Secondary pupils enjoy the Harry Potter books. These are magical stories to escape into and are very enjoyable to read aloud. Why not compare the film and the book to find out which you like best? Horrid Henry is always a favourite and episodes can be watched on TV. Do you like the TV episode or the story best? Popular with many of our younger pupils is Disney Cars or any other Disney movie. Again, see what you like best – the film or the book. There are also lots of E-comics on the library website, including Disney.
Favourite Place
Try reading in different places and find out what your favourite place to read is. I like to read in the garden, particularly on a fine day.
Let us know how you get on and feel free to share with your teachers the stories that you have enjoyed.
Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.
Musical Story: The Flying Bath
Today’s musical story is going to be The Flying Bath by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts. During the story the Flying Bath makes many rescues using its water. Emmeline has made her own water instrument to make a water sound effect every time someone is rescued. Do you have something at home that makes a water sound or can you make your own to join in with the story?
Shine: Part 5 – Whole Song
We are going to sing and sign all of Take That’s Shine today. We hope you have enjoyed learning it this week and good luck putting the whole song together!
Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.
Familiar Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
Today’s song is Zoom, Zoom, Zoom we’re going to the moon! At the end of the song we are going to countdown from 5 and have a big blast-off into space! Can you blast off from where you are sitting or make your own blast-off noise?
Shine: Part 4 – Verse 3
This is the last part of Shine we will learn before putting the whole song together tomorrow. Here are the words.
Hey, let me know ya (let me know ya)
You’re all that matters to me (you’re all that matters to me)
Hey, let me show ya (let me show ya)
You’re all that matters to me (you’re all that matters to me)
Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.
Musical Soundscape: A Bird In The Sky
Today’s soundscape is going to be imagining you are a bird soaring through the sky. We have provided this picture of birds flying in a clear blue sky as a visual stimulus but perhaps you would like to close your eyes and imagine you are a bird flying through the sky. Do you have any toy birds or anything that makes the sound you imagine a bird to make as it flies.
Please relax, listen to the music, look at the picture, are there any birds you can see or hear from your window?
Shine: Part 3 – Verse 2
We are now going to sing and sign the second verse of Shine. The words are;
Stop (stop)
Being so hard on yourself
It’s not good for your health
I know that you can change
So clear your head and come ’round
You only have to open your eyes
You might just get a big surprise
And it may feel good and you might want to smile, smile, smile
Don’t you let your demons pull you down
‘Cause you can have it all, you can have it all.
Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.
Musical Activity: Simon Says
Today’s musical activity is going to be a game of Musical Simon Says. Can you listen carefully to what Emmeline plays and play it back on an instrument you have at home? Or can you sing back what she plays or clap the rhythm with your hands? Listen carefully!
Shine: Part 2 – Verse 1
Today we are going to learn the first verse of Shine. Here are the words.
You, you’re such a big star to me
You’re everything I wanna be
But you’re stuck in a hole and I want you to get out
I don’t know what there is to see
But I know it’s time for you to leave
We’re all just pushing along
Trying to figure it out, out, out
All your anticipation pulls you down
When you can have it all, you can have it all.
We are now into our second week of digital learning via Google Classroom and we are delighted with the number of pupils accessing their classes.
Following the parental online learning survey, it has been highlighted that there are difficulties with using Google Classroom across different devices. There is an app available which will allow you to access Google Classroom and other GSuite applications via mobile devices which may be helpful to many of our parents. Links to download the app can be found below.
