Year 5 offers many wonderful opportunities that encourage students’ social, emotional, physical and academic development. Students engage in many open ended learning experiences and a variety of collaborative group investigations. At this level Bloom’s Taxonomy is introduced, to help the students learn 'a language of thinking' and identify and guide their own thought processes.
Students study the structural and language features of persuasive, informative, narrative, explanation, response and poetry writing genres. Spelling and grammar include the study of weekly spelling words, important grammar rules and the four spelling knowledges (phonological, visual, etymological and morphemic). Students read and view a variety of text types, including novels and examples of writing genres. Comprehension techniques are further developed through a range of reading response activities including literature circles and guided reading.
A highlight of the year is our public speaking program. Students explore a range of speech writing strategies and develop their delivery skills through a variety of public speaking experiences. They develop their public speaking skills through writing and performing speeches, mini-debating and composing a monologue on a significant Australian migrant. The speeches are presented to their parents.
Students revise place value concepts to 10,000 and beyond. Knowledge of the four processes is consolidated and extended through problem solving incorporating fractions, decimals and chance outcomes. Measurement concepts include the investigation of area,perimeter and volume. Time concepts are developed through the study of timetables,schedules and 24-hour time. Students consolidate their mapping skills, including the use of grid references, cardinal points, key and scale. When considering statistics and probability, students gather categorical and numerical data and display this using appropriate graph types, such as a horizontal bar graph. A major focus is the practical application of knowledge through project work.
Another highlight is our economics fair, linked to financial mathematics, which provides a fun day for the whole school and raises money for charity.
In Term 2, the Year 5 camp is held at Phillip Island Adventure Resort for 2 nights. Going to camp assists students to learn many important life skills and fosters independence.
As members of the senior school, students participate in our athletics carnival and cross country championships.
Our students in Years 5 and 6 learn French, in addition to Mandarin.
We offer many exciting incursions and excursions that link to our main area of investigation for the term. Aboriginal studies are integrated into literacy learning and public speaking.
Students continue to explore the impact of migration on Australian culture and society with a focus on the Victorian gold rush. They develop their understanding about the social, economical and political reasons people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia and the experiences and contributions of particular migrant groups and prominent people within a colony. Students investigate the mental and physical benefits of being healthy and active. They also explore ways that community services can assist them and how they impact the world around them. Students discuss the many factors that shape their own beliefs and values, recognising that these are unique to them and help to form their personal identity.
Our school student well being program is based on the 'Resilience, Rights & Respectful relationships' program. We also develop mindfulness strategies.
The coding program teaches NAO robotics, Scratch and Tinkercad. Students investigate issues of modern communication and ‘Cyber-Safety’ through a class approach to blogging and computer use.Students further their research skills by using storyboarding, note-taking and graphic organisers to create a Claymation movie.
Our 'Swim and Survive' program is an open water experience held at the beach by trained lifesavers. Learning about water safety is an essential survival skill.
Other activities will be placed on the Year 5 Edmodo page, as they occur.
2024 SEMESTER 2 CURRICULUM
English
Year 5 students developed their public speaking skills through writing and presenting debates and expert speeches. They explored a variety of text types, including advertisements, as well as persuasive, informative, and narrative genres. Students continued to consolidate their comprehension skills through participation in literature circles and Guided Reading sessions. They studied the structural and language features of persuasive, procedural and narrative writing. The spelling and grammar activities focused on enhancing understanding of visual, sound, and meaning strategies, reinforcing key grammar rules and expanding their vocabulary. Students read and viewed a range of text types, including novels and examples of writing genres. Comprehension techniques were further developed through reading response activities, with a focus on inferential comprehension.
English as an Additional Language (EAL) students follow a pathway of development in learning English that is different from students for whom English is their first language. EAL students deepen their understanding of the English language through practical activities and focus lessons in school. The two EAL stages are A (Early Immersion) and B (Mid Immersion). EAL students work through this continuum until they have a confident grasp of the English language.
Year 5 students revised the four operations and applied this knowledge to solve problems incorporating fractions, decimals and percentages. They explored financial planning through real-life contexts, and built upon their algebraic thinking and reasoning skills. Students consolidated their knowledge of location and transformation. They expanded their understanding in various areas of Measurement including calculating the volume and capacity of three-dimensional shapes, interpreting timetables and calculating elapsed time. In Statistics and Probability, a major focus was the practical application of chance concepts and the development of fluency through project work. Students focused on understanding data representation and interpretation through creating and analysing different types of graphs and charts.
Year 5 students continued to explore the impact of migration on Australian culture and society with a focus on the Victorian Gold Rush. They developed their understanding of the social, economic and political reasons people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia, and the experiences and contributions of particular migrant groups and prominent individuals. In Geography, students investigated how people respond to bushfires and floods around Australia. In the study of economics, they examined key principles, including making informed consumer and financial decisions, understanding supply and demand, and exploring the elements that contribute to a successful business model. In Health, students considered the mental and physical benefits of being healthy and active. They identified techniques for recognising and managing stressors and enhancing wellbeing, with a focus on positive self-talk and fostering healthy relationships.
Year 5 students explored the movements of the Earth and Moon to understand the different outputs that result, such as seasons, day/night and time. They investigated the elements of our Solar System, including the size and distance of planets around the Sun and their unique characteristics. Students examined the life cycle of stars and their special features. They learned that knowledge of the Solar System has been brought about by the advancement of technology, from the simple telescope to the rockets, rovers and probes of today. Students applied their understanding through the creation of a unique planet, based on our existing Solar System.
Year 5 students became familiar with the bass guitar and learnt to play the notes E, F, G, A, C and D. In Each lesson they applied their skills and rotated through playing bass guitar, ukulele and keyboard to accompany familiar, contemporary songs. Students focused on playing instrumental parts in whole class ensembles.
Year 5 students continued to become familiar with art room practices and used the art principles of contrast, repetition, pattern, emphasis, balance, unity, movement and rhythm as well as the art elements of line, form, colour, value, space, shape and texture. They found inspiration through different cultural artists, artistic styles and each other. Students explored projects such as Aboriginal symbols and dot art painting, Aboriginal lino cutting, African-inspired paper mache masks, surrealism portrait collages, doughnut paintings and Picasso-inspired wire-face sculptures.
Physical Education
Year 5 students participated in a variety of sports, improving skills specific to different activities. They were involved in Soccer and Basketball clinics, and played modified games to develop teamwork and strategy. They selected preferences for interschool sports, and commenced training for those sports ahead of Semester 1 next year. The focus continued to be on aspects of sportsmanship and fair play.
Year 5 students continued to build upon their identification and transportation-related vocabulary through learning the story ‘How do I get there?’. They explored some common terms related to climate change and environmental sustainability in Chinese. Students also started to make observations about similarities and differences between languages, for example, Chinese, English and the language of First Nations. They practised writing and distinguishing between similar Chinese characters and studied sentence patterns to improve their writing. Differentiated learning tasks were designed to cater for both Chinese second language learners and Chinese background language learners. Activities included games, songwriting, Chinese Moon Festival celebrations and comparisons between Christmas and Chinese New Year celebrations.
Parents are most welcome to help in our classrooms, in the library, on excursions and camps and on our parent group committee and School Council committees.
All parents who assist in any way must have a Working With Children Check. This card must be presented at the office when parents sign in
