January 2012
It was lovely to see P7 come back rested and enthusiastic about the new term after the Christmas holidays.
Our World War II project will continue until mid-term as we have found so many interesting aspects of the the War to cover. I have been delighted to see how these events have been reflected in the imaginative diaries the pupils wrote over the last term where they imagined they were living through the War. Not only are the diaries really interesting and fun to read but they are also beautifully presented with all sorts of clever illustrations and additions. We are now in the final stages of the War studies and it has certainly been one of our most enjoyable topics.
We have started our next topic too on the Scottish Parliament and have already had a very interesting trip to visit Holyrood where we were given a tour of the buildings, including the Debating Chamber. It is an opportune time to study this this topic with Scottish Devolution high on the agenda and, of course, we will be having our own debates as we explore the issues.
In Language we will be exploring poetry, including Scottish poetry. We have been learning a Scots poem of our choice and have had some wonderful recitations of "To a Louse" and "A Man's a Man for a' that" to name but two. Looking at the poetry of others gives us the opportunity to explore the richness of our Scottish heritage and to have a go at writing our own appreciations of our lives. Continuing the Scottish Parliament theme we will also be looking at discursive writing to help us in preparing and writing our speeches for our debates and to explore pertinent contemporary issues in the news.
Our JASS (Junior Award Scheme Scotland) challenge this term is 'My interests' where pupils are being encouraged to try a new interest or to take an existing interest to a new level. I am delighted that a number of pupils propose to learn to cook (I'm looking forward to tasting the results) however there are a number of other exciting interests including Pokemon challenge, darts, building model cars and art.
For the most part the primary 7 pupils have been exemplary in their responsibilities and are a real credit to their class and school, helping out other children, members of staff and the office. These duties along with Pupil Council, Eco-group and Road Safety officers help them to become more aware of others and the sometimes 'inconvenient and less welcome' option of helping others when they would rather be out in the playground with their friends. It is a good lesson for life and I am proud of their cheerful and responsible attitude.
We are almost half way through Primary 7, the final year of school. The class has worked very hard yet are fun to be with since they are full of ideas, enthusiasm and humour. It has been a great year so far and it seems to be flying by too fast!!
Lindsey Birrell
