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.

Room 7 Make A Scarecrow And Try New Foods

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Some of the residents around Northfield have been making scarecrows to put in their garden for local children to spot during the October holidays, so room 7 decided to get involved! During our Outdoor Education session this week, the boys helped to stuff an old tracksuit with straw which was a great sensory experience, then they make a head from old plastic bags and fabric and put a wig on the top. We haven’t quite decided on a name yet but see if you can spot her on your way past school over the next couple of weeks!

If you and your child would like to take part in the hunt, keep an eye on the Scarecrow Hunt Aberdeen Facebook page for the full list of Scarecrows

https://www.facebook.com/groups/657707768484520/?ref=share

We have also been trying lots of news foods during snack time, especially fruits and vegetables. We have had raw and stewed apples which we loved with vanilla yogurt. During carrot fortnight we grated carrots and practised lots of skills to use the grater but we didn’t like eating the result. We made carrot and cheese muffins with the grated carrot which were delicious though! This week we have tried pears which only some of us liked. We have also tried beetroot, avocado, figs and baby corn.

Health & Wellbeing In Room 6

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One of the things we have been focusing on this term has been making sure we are all feeling happy with all our classmates and teachers. So far we have done Yoga, gone for lovely walks, done some dance sessions, played outside and enjoyed chilling out at choice time. A special highlight of our day is our relaxation sessions just before we prepare to go home.

Learning Through Play In Room 2

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Room 2 pupils all enjoy learning through play. On a Friday they have the freedom to choose what they want to play with. We observe our pupils confidently making their choices, playing alongside each other, observing the variety of play opportunities and selecting another activity to do, initiating communication and, most importantly, having fun.

What Have Room 10 Been Making?

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Outdoor Learning: We took a walk around the school grounds and collected items as the children saw them.  We came back to class to make ‘Natural Things’ panels, which you can see us making in the photographs.  We will use these panels to decorate our outdoor area.

Making instruments in Science and Music: We are making our own xylophones, one of which can go outside as it has been made from drainpipes.  We have rolled and used Sellotape, we have tapped to hear the different sounds we could make with our rolls.  We have used string to make knots. We are going to use some of our own instruments in class music and see what difference size and volume can make to notes and pitch.#

Making Play Doh In Room 5

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Room 5 have been very busy making their own play doh.

As a class we measured out all the dry ingredients before mixing it with water and oil. Then we took time choosing our favourite smells from a selection of essential oils and colours from a range of food colourings.

Using play doh in class has many benefits including –

  • Moulding playdough is excellent for developing a child’s fine motor skills.
  • As children work on their creations they form new ideas and concepts. They will learn new words such as roll, squeeze, flatten etc, as well as words describing what they are making.
  • When a child works with playdough, they basically have a blank canvas waiting to be moulded into something unique.
  • This activity works on creativity as a child has to mould from an image they hold mentally. Even if they try to reproduce something they have already seen, theirs will always look different.
  • As children get older and more experienced at moulding playdough, their creations will show more detail and creativity.
  • Following a basic recipe for playdough is a great opportunity to teach your child some maths by learning about measurement. They also learn about reading information for meaning, such as recipe instructions.

Playdough is a quiet activity that requires a child to sit still for periods of time. This is great for lengthening a child’s concentration span over time.

We are having fun exploring play doh in room 5 and creating some interesting sculptures.

Best Start P1 Grant

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The Best Start Grant School Age Payment is a £250 payment made around the time a child normally starts Primary 1. The grant is open to people who are in receipt of certain benefits or tax credits and are the parent/carer of a child born between 1st March 2015 and 29th February 2016.

If you think you may be eligible, please apply online at mygov.scot/beststart or cal 0800 182 2222 between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday.

 

Marble Runs In Room 8

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Marble runs are great for open-ended building. They’re an example of using Science, Technology, and Math. And, they’re a lot of fun, both for the kids and the adults.

The boys and girls in Room 8 discovered so many benefits of building their two marble runs.

Everyone in Room 8 sloped, bent, twisted, turned to make building a marble run challenging, but it was fun.  So, engineering or building something is one of the benefits.

So many questions as ‘Will it work if I ….?’ The benefits are problem solving and trial and error.

Everyone from the box and the other people building the marble run. Next benefit – following directions.

It took a LONG time to build a big marble run. It can also take time to make something new work or figure out how to successfully connect different pieces. There’s not a lot of instant gratification with a marble run. So, the patience was the key.

Building a marble run wasn’t easy. But, sticking with the process and not giving up helped build patience and perseverance.

Marble runs are open-ended activities. There are lots of ways to build and construct marble runs, so the possibilities are endless. Being creative, wewere building two marble runs.

We needed everyone participating while building our successful marble run. So, we have been cooperative.

Weincorporated a lot of Math naturally when we were building our marble run. For example, counting how many pieces are needed to complete the marble run. Predicting which one will be fastest or estimating how long it will take to complete the marble run.

Precision and care were needed when we were connecting pieces of a marble run. So, building a marble run helped us to develop our hand-eye coordination.

All the colours, shapes, and different types of pieces, combined with constructing a marble run that’s long, tall, superfast, had many starting points, gave plenty of opportunities for children to use their imagination.

Home Economics: Developing Independence

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Liz and Grace have had a busy start to the session, working with many pupils across the school. In our primary classes pupils focus on experiencing foods with opportunities to handle, taste and talk about a variety of foods. Hygiene is also a very important part of the routine at all times.

In Secondary, pupils continue working on routine and hygiene, experiencing different foods. As they progress, skills and independence are developed. Pupils at Senior Phase make a range of snacks and meals, some showing great aptitude and skill. We use our skills in literacy and numeracy to follow recipes and practise measurement. We are very adept at cutting and chopping. We’ve enjoyed fruit pancakes and have made apple crumble, enjoying the seasonal produce available.

Making Friends In Room 4

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Children and adults in Room 4 have been getting to know each other through fun activities and games!

We have been learning through the much loved book “The very hungry caterpillar”. We have had a lot of fun doing sensory activities, fine motor skill activities, music and art!