Year 5

                   A look back at Semester 2..

Year 5 students have been busy writers this semester! We began Term 1 with re-introducing ourselves with Writer’s Workshop and narrative writing. We moved onto persuasive writing, which we all thought was a bit challenging but also fun! We learned about TEEL writing which was incorporated into our persuasive writing. TEEL stands for topic sentence, explanation, evidence and link. In groups of three, we participated in mini debates and we all had our own topic to write about and state our arguments for. 

We also worked on connectives to help us improve our sentence structure. Connectives are words that help us turn simple sentences into compound and complex sentences: for, but, or, yet, so, if, since, although, while, until and because.

After camp, we all had so much fun working on our letters about camp. We wrote about the activities we did and what meals we ate. We have also been improving our writing by using lots of Tier 2 words, similes, metaphors and personification. So I think everyone enjoyed writing this semester. Let's see what comes for Semester 2!

By Tess Gerlieb 5B

Our Solar Boat Project – Term 2 Reflection

At the start of Term 2, we began learning about circuitry and how to connect electrical components. We started with simple materials like batteries and light bulbs. Later, we went on an excursion where we connected two items at a time — a propeller and a light bulb.

After that, all the Year 5s gathered together to hear which groups (1 to 15) we would be working in. About a week later, we started building our boats.

Once we had learned about circuitry and finalised our plans, we began shaping our boats. We tried to create designs that could easily move through the water while still floating. Building the boats was tricky for some groups, but others found it easier and moved on quickly. Many of us built a small second level on our boats to hold the solar panel. This helped keep it dry and protected the rest of the fragile boat. The boats came in many different sizes — some were colossal, and others were petite.

We also created amazing portfolios filled with everything we’ve learned over the past few weeks. Most of the information came from memory, but we double-checked where needed. In our portfolios, we wrote about our group’s collaboration and discussed the pros and cons of renewable and non-renewable energy. We finished with a reflection on all we had done and the challenges we faced.

By Luca R and Isabel B, 5C

Term 3: A look ahead

This term the Year 5s will be learning about our three tiers of government, moving away from our recent STEAM unit about solar energy. 

In Literacy we will be learning about poetry. We will be introduced to different and unknown types of poetry. We are also beginning to learn about Book Clubs and how they work. 

In Mathematics, we will begin learning about multiplication and division. We are exploring lots of strategies for solving problems, and applying our learning to lots of scenarios. 

This term, we will have a visit from Elephant Ed, where we will learn about puberty and the proper names for body parts. 

Important Dates

Term 2

Wednesday 2nd July: Reports available

Friday 4th July: Last day of the term - 2:30pm finish

Term

Friday 12th September - Elephant Ed