Questions often open up great learning and teaching opportunities. These learners have asked me if I’ve made a mistake, as I wrote a subtraction calculation but did addition to solve it. This enables us to tie together our recent work on things like switchers and fact families.

Sometimes work doesn’t look like work! A small group of learners did some baking and helped out with gardening tasks. This uses a lot of literacy and numeracy skills while building confidence and pride. Also, they made yummy biscuits. 

These learners have decided that the best way to solve a word problem in maths was to actually carry out the operation by sharing out real things. This helps build the understanding needed when doing calculations in other forms and makes it easier for everyone to help, check and learn.

These learners are working on maths language in word problems. What words mean add, or divide? The easiest task they have here is the calculation itself. Thinking deeply to explain why you know a problem needs subtraction to solve it makes for some great learning opportunities.

Using supports such as concrete materials, times table grids and number lines can enable learners to be successful at more complex tasks without the congnitive load of smaller jobs loading their short term memory.

We show our knowledge and understanding in multiple forms, whiteboards, verbally, written, on technology or just with fingers. Moving through different forms of recording can keep things fresh and contribute to providing pace and challenge to learners.

These learners are continuing to work on their knowledge of numbers within the range of 0 - 20. We are repeating a lot of these skills each session using short tasks to return to previous learning. We are also adding in each session by including a new skill. Today we played "higher or Lower". We did this so that the learners would become familiar with the language, would continue to refer to the number line or their internal number concepts and, later on, so that they would begin to think about simple estimates and bracketing. The head teacher has joined us for this lesson as part of our school's quality assurance efforts to ensure that everyone continually improves their practise.

This small group of learners have been working hard to develop their skip-counting skills. We have taken a FAB approach to this, first using the Full method, then an Abridged version when confidence has been gained and patterns and relationships between numbers noticed and understood, with a final Brain only method used when it becomes something we "just know". Next week we will share our learning in this area by making videos for our peers! These learners have progressed from skip-cou nting in 10s to skip-counting in 5s and are using an abriged method where becasue they know that the units do not change so all the numbers in this column will be used in the pattern.

Here the P2s are using colourful semantics to construct sentences which they can independently write and check for capital letters, punctuation and finger spaces. SFL support this by encouraging and praising learners and using open questions to encourage learners to reflect on their writing and act on this self-assessment.

Today in P6 we were supporting learners writing stories about Angry Ants. To support this these learners are using their laptops to ensure their writing is legible, get support from apps such as Read&Write and use the laptop for dictation or reading out their work so they can listen and assess for errors. SFL assisted with this by supporting learners to check their targets, stretch themselves by using more challenging punctuation, and assessing if their targets were met. 18/09/2024

These learners are working on number skills from 0 - 20. Specifically today we worked on counting forwards and back, using a number line to find the next number and using our number lines to find numbers missing from sequences. To assess progress we used written and verbal questioning. To support our learning we used supports like number lines and concrete materials, today we used cubes! 18/09/2024

Both adding and taking away.

Some of us are starting to use the patterns in the unit column.

P6/7W are currently focusing on progressing in writing by using openers (Last summer..., Surprisingly..., Finally...) to add quality. SFL support here involves working with groups and individuals to support their growth towards independent, successful writing. Here we can see substitution tables, a support material where writing elements are arranged in a logical format to support learner choices in how to improve their writing. 18/09/2024

Today SFL worked with a group on "u". Here you can see the learners with the "u" stickers they have made. Soon we will assess progress in these learners and challenge their phoneme knowledge to continue their progress. 18/09/2024

These learners are learning to "skip count" jumping over other numbers to counts in chunks. Times tables are the most obvious examples of this but here we are looking at the patterns and relationships when we skip count in 10 starting from any number between 0 and 100. For example, 23, 33, 43 etc. Noticing and understanding these relationships opens deeper and broader understanding of future maths concepts and also builds confidence in learners as they learn "short cuts" in calculation. 17/09/2024

We learned what an exclamation mark was!

Ask us about exclaimation marks!

SFL work with lots of learners on phonics in short, intense sessions. We learn about the letters that make the sound, how to make the sound with our mouths, how to read the sound, write the sound and use it in words. 17/09/2024

We made stickers with the phoneme we learned about today. This form of communication helps the learners to create something great with their phonics knowledge and also invite staff, pupils and families to ask them about their sticker and let them share their knowledge. 17/09/2024

Maths and numeracy skills are very important for life and Lochside ASG is making a lot of effort to improve our numeracy attainment.  Our current maths topic is Patterns and Relationships. In this photo SFL staff are working with learners on numbers within 20. By counting forwards and back, using number lines and finding the next or prior number learners are learning the skills needed in all other areas of maths. Counting things is often enjoyable for children from young ages and can be done anywhere, anytime without special training or equipment. 16/09/24

Using the "show-me" boards like the big children do!

What was the next number?

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