Year 5 Curriculum

Newsletter

Maths

The students will commence the term exploring location through grid referencing, familiarisation with a compass as well as following and giving directions using directional language. Students will then build upon their knowledge of 2D and 3D shapes through transformation (flip, slide and turn). The grade fives will explore measurement through mass and capacity using a range of containers and liquids to support their understanding of these concepts. Students will further develop their understanding of statistics and probability by creating and playing games of chance, as well as developing graphs and analysing data. Our major unit for Term 4 will involve building an understanding of the relationship between decimals, fractions and percentages. Students will apply their automatic recall of multiplication facts and extend upon what they learned about fractions during Term 3. The students will revise and consolidate their understanding of whole number and decimal place value in preparation for Grade 6 in 2024.

Reading

This term, each grade will be embarking on an author study, focussing on Morris Gleitzman (5A), Jackie French (5B) or Mark Wilson (5C). We will explore several texts together as a grade, taking time to focus on specific vocab and language features, themes and big ideas within the texts as well as outlining commonalities between texts by the same author. Students will be encouraged to read additional texts within the classroom as well as research the author’s life, inspiration and major accomplishments. Throughout the term students will continue to set and monitor their own reading goals, and will be supported to apply a range of known reading strategies in order to retain information and gain meaning from their texts during independent reading. 

Writing         

Students are looking at Grade 6 Leadership roles and will be exploring their own skills, values and qualities and which roles are best suited to them. They will plan a persuasive speech following set criteria and incorporating a range of persuasive devices. Students will revise, edit and seek peer feedback in order to enhance their written speeches before rehearsing them and presenting to the Grade 5 cohort if they want to apply for a role in 2024. In the later part of the term we will be delving into a unit on poetry. Students will read and write various types of poems, including free verse poems that convey a message or emotion.

Inquiry

As part of the Inquiry program, students will be immersed in a Science unit entitled ‘Illuminating Discoveries: Unveiling the Secrets of Light and Shadows’. Throughout this unit students will establish what they already know about light and shadow then investigate where light comes from and how it travels. They will read, view and demonstrate their understanding of new learnings through models, displays, slideshows and diagrams.  A range of resources and hands-on activities will engage and inspire our budding scientists! The second Inquiry unit will focus on the Australian Government. Students will explore the Australian Democratic System and values, learn about the three levels of government and how the Electoral Process operates in this country. We will also be learning about how International Law works and the implications involved.

Wellbeing

We will be enhancing our wellbeing this term with the continuation of the Resilience Project, as well as through Respectful Relationships lessons. Students will build upon their understanding of gratitude, empathy and mindfulness through a series of carefully planned and targeted learning experiences, as well explore effective ways to communicate and interact with each other. We are fortunate enough to have secured a free incursion by a local resident who will speak about Disabilities Inclusion, promoting understanding and positive attitudes towards people living with physical or mental impairments. 

Visual Arts

This term in Visual Arts, students in Year 5 will investigate Printmaking, creating collagraph prints using cardboard or foam glued onto a cardboard background. They will identify symmetry and learn about positive and negative shapes.

Students will explore paint as a medium as they produce water colour and acrylic paint works of art. They will learn about ‘pop art’ and ‘still life’ paintings while exploring repetition, proportion, shadows, and colour contrast.

Students will make stuffed toy monsters as they discover Threads and Textiles. They will design their monster and make it by using ‘running’ stitch to join fabric and add details.

Performing Arts

This term Grade 5 students will be furthering their previously developed musical skills when playing the ‘Boomwhacker’ instruments. Students will begin by following along with simple songs as a whole group, before working in smaller groups to read sheet music of more complex songs. Finally, students will use this culmination of skills to compose their own tunes, with the challenge of having their peers be able to play the compositions they create.  Towards the end of the term students will begin rehearsal for our Kismet Christmas Carols picnic which will showcase performances from all year levels.

Japanese

This term in Japanese, Year 5 students are developing their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through the topic “Weather”. They are learning how to read and write 6 weather types in Japanese. The students are also learning how to write 8 Japanese cities in Kanji (Japanese alphabet). They will learn to read and write sentences describing the weather of different Japanese cities. The students will also revise Japanese numbers and learn how to say the temperature of different Japanese cities. Students will revise numbers, colours and greetings and continue with learning to identify hiragana (Japanese alphabet), using these characters to read and write words in Japanese. 

Students will also learn about the cultural event, Health and Sports Day held in Japan and participate in a scavenger hunt to celebrate this event. They will work with partners to locate Japanese colours and hiragana characters around the schoolyard.

PE

This term students will be given the opportunity to play a variety of team games using a ball. The focus will be on team work, good sportsmanship, accepting an umpire’s decision and using strategies to improve performance. Games will include Tchouckball, Table Tennis and European Handball.