Category: Primary

 

Broad General Education

The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is Scotland’s education framework for ALL learners; its main aim is to enable children and young people to develop the four capacities; successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. In Orchard Brae School each learner is enabled to become as independent as possible, developing skills for life, learning, leisure and where appropriate work. Our curriculum offer is personalised to each pupil throughout their learning journey, as we maintain a focus on positive future destinations.

Our learners in P1 – S3 work within Broad General Education (BGE) at a level and pace that is suited to their individualised needs.  Personalised targets focus core skill development within Literacy and Communication, Numeracy and Health and Well Being.  The ethos and life of the school community is structured to enable pupils to learn and practise life skills as part of their daily routines. Through interdisciplinary approaches and specialist courses, we offer real life learning contexts, deepening and practicing knowledge and skills within Expressive Arts, RME, Science, PE, Technologies and Social Studies.  Interdisciplinary learning, through ‘Our world’ contexts over a 5 year cycle, facilitates pupils’ exploration, experience and learning which is practiced within community contexts, ensuring confidence and success is generalised and secure.  Family learning is a vital part of our pupils’ success and, along with our termly learning challenges, we offer a range of workshops, activity nights and holiday schemes for families. Achievement and success is recognised and celebrated.

Hallowe’en In Room 6

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Room 6 had a great time during the week of Hallowe’en!

Early in the week we made our own pumpkin – we scraped out the seeds, drew a number 6 on one side and a face on the other, cut them both out and then put our pumpkin in the school “pumpkin patch”.

On the Friday we had a Hallowe’en party!! We dressed up and played Hallowe’en games. We played dookin’ for apples and bagel on a string. No-one wanted to stop bagel on a string – maybe because the bagel had biscoff on it!!

Orienteering In Room 2

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With Scott, room 2 have been learning the skills involved in Orienteering.

We all enjoy learning outside; following the route; looking for the orienteering flags in the playground; being first to find the flag; selecting the flag numbers (and correct colour) and matching them to the appropriate number on the orienteering board.

Room 2’s class team are very proud of all the pupils and how quickly they have learnt the skills involved.

Exploring Autumn In Room 4

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In room 4 we have been learning about Autumn and Halloween!

We have carved our pumpkin and explored the inside of it!

We did activities based around the book “Room on the Broom”.

We have had lots of fun outdoors looking for signs of autumn!

Bonfire Night With Room 5

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Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
We see no reason
Why Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot….

This week in school Room 5 have been learning about Guy Fawkes.

To mark this celebration we watched a short animated video about Guy Fawkes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGJ5G4UNFJI

We also created our own firework pictures. We think our night sky guy Fawkes picture are really effective.

Why do we learn about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot?

In England, in 1605 during the reign of James I, an act of treason was planned that could have changed the course of our history. At the last moment, the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, and now we commemorate the traitors – and in particular, the scapegoat Guy Fawkes – every year with Bonfire Night!

Who was Guy Fawkes?

Guy Fawkes (1570 to 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, was one of a group of Catholic plotters who planned, but failed, to blow up Parliament – now known as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

What was the Gunpowder Plot?

At the time, King James I was on the throne. England had broken away from the Catholic faith and the Church of Rome in Henry VIII’s reign (by 1536), but there were still many Catholics in the country. Guy Fawkes joined up with a group of thirteen Catholic plotters, led by Robert Catesby, who planned to overthrow the King and put a Catholic monarch back on the throne.

The plotters rented space in the cellars of the House of Lords and filled it with gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was put in charge. They planned to set off the gunpowder during the opening of Parliament, on 5th November 1605. One or more of the plotters, however, were worried that some of their fellow Catholics and friends would be at the opening and get caught in the explosion, and wrote to warn them not to be there that day. We know that a certain Lord Monteagle received a letter warning him to go to the country because Paliament would “receive a terrible blow”. Lord Monteagle showed the letter to the King, and the cellars were thoroughly searched and Guy Fawkes caught.

After several days of horrible torture, Guy Fawkes gave up the names of his fellow plotters and eight of them went to trial in January 1606. All were found guilty and executed in the terrible fashion of the times.

On 5th November 1605 Londoners were encouraged to celebrate the King’s escape from assassination by lighting bonfires, provided that “this testemonye of joy be carefull done without any danger or disorder” – and indeed an Act of Parliament soon followed, declaring 5th November as a day of thanksgiving throughout the country for “the joyful day of deliverance“.

Modern Celebrations

When we celebrate Bonfire Night now, it seems very far removed from the events of four hundred years ago! For centuries since then, communities have come together to build a big bonfire and make an effigy – a model – of Guy Fawkes using old clothes stuffed with newspaper, to burn on the bonfire (see Penny for the Guy).

Fun fact: When you use the word “guy” in your sentences, have you thought where it comes from? The “guy” tradition of Bonfire Night gradually found it’s way into our language, and by the 19th century the word “guy” was used to refer to a strangely dressed man. From there it was adopted into American English to refer to any man, and is of course still commonly used today!

Room 8’s Rocket Bat

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There’s an old saying: what goes up must come down. This activity is a perfect chance to challenge that idea, shooting a rocket high into the air by rapidly squashing a plastic bottle launcher. We’ll never get this rocket into space, but some real rockets do go fast enough to prove the saying wrong.

What’s the science?

The bottle we used as the rocket launcher is not really empty: there is air inside it. Air is elastic (squashy), and when we compressed it, it pushed back and the pressure inside increased. In the activity, the sudden increase in air pressure inside the bottle pushed hard on the bottom of the rocket, sending it flying high into the air.

We challenge you to make your very own rocket mouse and launcher – see how high your bat can fly!

We needed:

  • An empty plastic milk bottle (4- or 6-pint bottles work best)
  • Things to decorate your rocket
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • A rocket bat template

We followed these steps:

  • Cut out a template along the dotted lines.
  • Rolled it into a cone shape and secured it with tape – this was our rocket.
  • Decorated our rocket adding some bat wings
  • Popped it on top of our bottle.
  • Hit the sides and launched our rocket into the air!

Science in our world

Just as increasing the air pressure in the bottle sends the rocket flying, we use air pressure when we squeeze shampoo or ketchup from a plastic bottle.

There’s Something Spooky Going On…

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There’s definitely something spooky going on at Orchard Brae this week.

Classes have been busy carving and decorating pumpkins to display in our pumpkin patch.

There was even a pumpkin hunt around the school.

And today, some pupils (and staff) were dressed up in their Halloween outfits. We thought they all looked fang-tastic!!

The video below from Singing Hands has lots of spooky Halloween Makaton signs for you to have a go at!

If you are celebrating Halloween this weekend, have a wonderfully spooky and fun-filled time!

Exploring The Grumpy Duck In Room 3

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Room 3 have been learning about our emotions and working on our movement skills through the context of the story ‘Grumpy Duck’.  Poor duck is grumpy because her pond has dried up and a little grey cloud appears above her head.   She goes on an adventure and meets other animals….the dog who digs mud and wags his tail, the pig who rolls in the smelly puddles, the noisy cockerel, the bunny who hops, the sleepy tortoise, the goat who chews all the clothes….none of these are things duck wants to do so the little grey cloud gets bigger and bigger until everyone is feeling sad.  Eventually the cloud bursts so the water from the rain fills up the pond!  All the animals are happy singing and dancing in the rain before seeing a beautiful rainbow.

We have explored a sensory story of Grumpy Duck in our drama sessions where we have explored props for each part of the story.  Our favourite part is the magic plastic dust sheet which flies up in the air like the cloud…. Unfortunately no photos as it needs all hands on deck!

We have done Story Massage sessions around the story so we could feel the different emotions on body.  These were relaxing sessions but some amazing concentration too! 

We did our music and MOVEment sessions themed around the different animals.  We did some hopping like bunnies, stamping like the duck, moving our heads like the goat and rolling like the pig, this was a definite favourite!

The boys and girls in Room 3 have worked extremely hard this term, lots of fun but incredible learning at the same time.  We finished the term with celebrating the birthdays of two of our girls.  Have a fantastic holiday everyone!

Autumn in Rm 11

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Children in Rm 11 have been having lots of fun discovering signs of autumn. They have been participating in art sessions in class, going for walks and enjoying listening to sensory stories. We have been loving listening to the story about Ned, the hedgehog, who was looking for his home. Some children have been learning MAKATON signs e.g. home, go, big and trying to say them too!

Some of them have been experiencing on body signs and showing their enjoyment through body language and facial expressions.

All the children (and staff) loved experiencing smells and sounds of the autumn.