P1

P1 is a very exciting year! It is the year in which children are introduced to formal reading, writing and maths. A wide range of approaches are used to teach these skills, including group work, interactive whole class teaching, mental work, use of concrete materials and independent learning strategies. Strangely enough, these young learners seem to get very excited about the idea of having homework! In Environmental Studies, the children cover a wide range of topics, including Seasons, The Street, Festivals, Food Glorious Food, The Farm, Day and Night, Earth and Space, Water and The Seaside. In recent years, the Seaside topic has culminated in a trip to Deep Sea World. Throughout the year, the children benefit from specialist teaching in Music and PE.

P2

P2 seeks to build upon the firm foundation laid in P1. The children extend their knowledge of number to 100 and learn more about shape, time, money, measurement and handling data. In terms of Language work, the children have their first attempt at an individual talk to the rest of the class and they continue to build upon their reading skills. The children greatly enjoy the book studies based around ‘Katie Morag’ and ‘Jim and the Beanstalk’. It is, however, in writing that many children make the biggest leap forward in P2. In recent years, many children have produced fabulous pieces of writing linked to the environmental studies topics. These topics typically include People Who Help Us, Large Animals, My Healthy Body, Dinosaurs, Moving Toys, Eggs, Soil and Seeds. Visits to both the fire station and Almond Valley Heritage Park have proved to be both enjoyable and enriching. Regular homework helps to reinforce what is being taught in class. During Prep 2 the children continue to benefit from specialist teaching in Music and PE.

P3

By the time the children enter P3 the basics in reading and writing are usually well established and it is time to stretch the children a little further. Regular comprehension exercises help to hone their reading skills and weekly visits to the Prep Library help to broaden their interest in reading. The basics of grammar are also now being taught. In Maths, the children move onto multiplication and we begin to teach those all-important ‘times tables’. The concept of division is introduced, as is more demanding work in relation to handling data, time, shape and problem solving. In Environmental Studies the children cover Maps and Mapping, Houses and Homes, Electricity, Romans, Birds and Minibeasts. These topics are enriched by a visit to the Hunterian Museum and visits from a falconer and an organisation called ‘Zoolab’. By P3 the children are spending greater periods of time working on the computers, both learning the fundamental skills and also how to apply these skills to augment what they have learned from more traditional sources. Specialist teaching in PE and Music continues.

P4

In P4, the Environmental Studies topics have proved to be real highlights. These typically include Knights and Castles, The Polar Lands, Woodlands, The Rainforest and The Weather. We do all we can to bring these alive with visits to undertake field work. In recent years these have included Mugdock Country Park (Woodlands), Stirling Castle (Knights and Castles), Amazonia at Strathclyde Country Park (The Rainforest) and Edinburgh Botanic Gardens (The Rainforest). These topics inspire many exciting and interesting pieces of writing from the children. In other Language work the children are learning more about punctuation and grammar and they continue to develop their comprehension and interpretation skills. The children’s ICT skills continue to grow and many of them use these new-found skills to help in the preparation of their individual talks. In Maths, a huge amount of content is covered. This includes the introduction of division calculations, more complex work with fractions, angles, symmetry, time, approximation and lots, lots more! Homework continues to be an important way of reinforcing the work taught in class including the much loved ‘times tables’. Specialist teaching continues in PE and Music with all children having the opportunity to learn to play the recorder. Madame Laws begins teaching French at this stage.