Grade 5/6

Literacy

As we approach the end of our mentor text, Once, the Year 5/6 students have shared some incredible thoughts, opinions and insights about the story. We encourage you to ask your child what they think of the novel and what they have learnt throughout our reading. You might be surprised by just how thoughtful and insightful their responses are!

The Year 5/6 students have also finalised their information reports on Poland, exploring its geography, landscapes, flora and fauna, as well as its historical connections with Australia, particularly during and following World War II. It has been wonderful reading their reports and seeing the impressive vocabulary and writing skills they have developed and incorporated into their work!

In the coming weeks, we will begin exploring our next mentor text, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow. Students will use this imaginative novel as inspiration to plan and write their own fantasy narratives to finish off the year. 

We are looking forward to seeing their creativity shine and can't wait to share their finished pieces with you!

Morphology

Over the past two weeks, our Year 5/6 students have been exploring new morphemes and learning how prefixes and roots work together to form words.

Some of the words we have investigated include:

Produce: pro (forward) + duce (to lead, bring forward)Conduct: con (with, together) + duct (to lead, bring forward)Reduce: re (back, again) + duce (to lead, bring forward)Deduce: de (down, away) + duce (to lead, bring forward)Kilometre: kilo (thousand) + metre (measure)Millimetre: milli (one thousandth) + metre (measure)Milligram: milli (one thousandth) + gram (small weight)Microgram: micro (small) + gram (small weight)

Ask your child about the etymology of these words and see if they can explain the morphemes. It's a great way to reinforce their learning and help them remember what we've explored in class!

Integrated Studies

During Integrated Studies, our Year 5/6 students have been exploring ways we can help protect endangered animals and support wildlife conservation.

We began by learning about the purpose of nest boxes and how they can provide safe habitats for different bird species. Students worked together to develop a rubric outlining the features of an effective nest box. There were some fantastic ideas, including the importance of ladders, appropriate sizing and ways to protect birds from predators. Working in groups, students then designed their own nest boxes, considering both practicality and creativity.

We also explored the devastating impact bushfires can have on Australian wildlife, particularly koalas, through an eye-opening video that sparked some thoughtful discussions.

Over the coming weeks, students will continue investigating how bushfires affect different animal species and what we can do to help protect them. We will also deepen our understanding of mass extinction and the threats facing endangered animals.

To conclude our Wildlife Warriors unit, students will research an endangered animal and begin preparing their presentations for our end of year Conservation Conference, where they will share their findings and raise awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.

Numeracy

Our Year 5/6 students have moved on to Big Idea 14, where we have been exploring the properties of two dimensional shapes and three dimensional objects.

Students began by investigating symmetry and the properties of different angles. They practised drawing, measuring and labelling angles, while also explaining and justifying their mathematical thinking. Some students extended their learning by exploring the different types of triangles, including equilateral, isosceles, scalene, acute angled, right angled and obtuse angled triangles.

We have also been investigating three dimensional objects, with a particular focus on prisms and the properties that define them. Students have been learning to identify and describe faces, edges and vertices, as well as drawing and matching nets to different prisms.

It has been wonderful to see students developing their mathematical vocabulary and confidence when explaining their reasoning!

Home Learning Tips:

Continue practising multiplication and division quick facts! We have a strong focus on building automaticity this semester, and it has been fantastic to see the growth students have made in their speed, accuracy and confidence. Regular practice at home, even for just a few minutes each day, makes a big difference!

Thankyou Miss Collins

We would like to thank Miss Collins for her time in 5/6A and the 5/6 area. We wish her all the best in her future career as a teachers. 

Reminders:

• Tuesday 10th of November:Life Education.
• Friday 13th of November:Swimming starts – remember your bathers and a towel.
• Monday 16th of November:Bike Ed starts – remember to bring your bikes in to keep at school.

We would like to wish Ruby G good luck! She is off on Friday the 13th of November representing our school in golf! We know you will do an amazing job. 

5 weeks to go!

Have a great week! 

Miss Stephan and Mr Ward.