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 1 CURRICULUM
English
Year 5 students studied the structural and language features of persuasive, procedural, and narrative writing. Spelling and grammar activities concentrated on building knowledge of visual, sound and meaning strategies, important grammar rules and vocabulary. Students continued to apply the 6+1 Writing Traits. Comprehension techniques were further developed through a range of reading activities, with a strong focus on responding to inferential questions. Students were given an opportunity to collaboratively discuss a shared text through regular Literature Circle meetings.
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 their understanding and application of place value to 10,000 and beyond. Knowledge of the four operations was consolidated and extended through problem-solving. Students expanded their awareness and confidence in the use of fractions, decimals and percentages and their connections. These were applied through real-life contexts including financial plans and chance. Measurement concepts included the investigation of area and perimeter along with geometric reasoning principles. Students explored statistics, developing skills in data representation and interpretation.
Year 5 students explored the impact of migration on Australian culture and society. They developed their understanding of the social, economic and political reasons people migrated to Australia from Europe and America. In addition, they researched the experiences and contributions of particular migrant groups and prominent individuals. In Geography, students created an economic profile and investigated the geographical features of their selected country.
Year 5 students gained an understanding of the states of matter, including solids, liquids and gases, through hands-on experiments, and investigated their different properties. They examined some non-Newtonian fluids and observed their unique properties. They explored melting, freezing, evaporating, condensing and dissolving, and identified these as a physical change. Students also explored burning and chemical reactions in everyday materials, identifying these as a chemical change. They were given the opportunity to showcase their knowledge to peers, by designing their own science experiment, focusing on key scientific ideas and writing up experiments in formal scientific report format.
Year 5 students continued to learn the ukulele and developed their understanding of the ways ukulele music can be notated, including through chord diagrams, tab notation and staff notation. They began to play simple chords (C, G, F and Am) on the keyboard and looked at ways to ‘arrange’ these to accompany a range of ‘pop’ songs. Students learnt a new rhythm, ‘ti-tika’ (a quaver beamed to two semi-quavers) and practised reading, writing and performing all known rhythms.
Year 5 students focused on art principles and elements, including line, colour, value, shape, form, space, texture, contrast, emphasis, unity, repetition, pattern, balance, movement and rhythm. They created a tessellation project, demonstrating their understanding of pattern, colour balance, paying attention to colouring, placement, line, cutting and pencil skills. Students were inspired by historical and contemporary Aboriginal art, exploring indigenous symbols to make a picture within a picture using a layered approach, which centred on colour-mixing techniques and detailed brushwork or through lino cutting/etching and printing that centred on line, implied texture, emphasis, contrast, printing and cutting techniques.
Physical Education
Year 5 students developed competitive strategies and problem-solving within the rules of a game. They completed activities focused on fundamental movement skills needed for effective participation in many sports. Students consolidated team-building skills through activities involving communication, relying on teamwork and participation for success. They progressed skills and strategies for court sports including tennis, badminton and a modified tennis game called pickleball. Students participated in track and field athletics activities, which included learning rules, techniques and safety standards. These lessons culminated in a school athletics day. Students participated in a series of basketball clinics, which included shooting, passing and other court-specific skills.
Year 5 students learned a part of the story ‘How Do I Get There?’ to build on their vocabulary about countries, nationalities, identity and transportation. Chinese second language learners and Chinese background language learners were encouraged to show their understanding at their own level. Learning activities included games, craftwork, Tai Chi and celebrations of the Chinese New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival.
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
