Year Six News

Grade 6 – Term 3 Update

It has been another busy and productive term in Grade 6, with students making strong connections across Literacy, Mathematics and our Knowledge learning.

Literacy

In Literacy, students have explored how authors and poets use language to communicate ideas, perspectives and experiences. We began the term with The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, examining the text as an allegory for colonisation and discussing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.

Students then experimented with imagery and sound devices through poetry, including the works of Aboriginal poet and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal. They explored how techniques such as imagery, repetition, alliteration, rhythm and rhyme can create meaning and impact.

We are currently writing an information report about Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Using prepared notes, students are learning how to organise information into clear paragraphs and strengthen their writing through complex sentences, accurate punctuation and embedded clauses. This work is preparing students for our end-of-term History Project, where they will choose a topic from 20th-century history, practise research skills, write an information report and create a class presentation.

In our Novel Study, students have been reading Once by Morris Gleitzman, a historical fiction novel set in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. Through the experiences of the main character, Felix, students have been developing their comprehension and inference skills, exploring character perspectives and examining themes such as hope, courage, friendship and resilience. Students have also made connections with our Australian History unit, comparing experiences of discrimination, prejudice and exclusion, while also exploring stories of courage, resilience and people working to create positive change. 

Knowledge – Australian History 1900–2000

Our Knowledge Unit this term focuses on Australian History from 1900–2000. Students are investigating significant events, policies and changes that shaped modern Australia, while considering the experiences and perspectives of different groups.

Our learning includes topics such as Federation, the White Australia Policy, Australia’s involvement in the World Wars, the Stolen Generations, post-war migration, the Snowy Mountains Scheme and the 1967 Referendum. Through these topics, students are developing an understanding of how Australia changed socially, culturally and politically throughout the twentieth century.

Mathematics

A major focus in Mathematics has been developing a strong understanding of the connections between fractions, decimals and percentages. Students are learning to move flexibly between these representations and apply their understanding when solving problems involving quantities and real-world contexts.

In Geometry, students have investigated complementary and supplementary angles and angles at a point, using these relationships to calculate unknown angles without relying on a protractor.

Students have also continued developing their understanding of the order of operations, extending this learning to create equivalent expressions and find unknown values. This provides an important foundation for the early algebra we will explore in Term 4.

Thank you to all our Grade 6 families for your continued support throughout Term 3. We are looking forward to seeing students bring together the knowledge and skills they have developed this term through their History Projects and presentations, and to finishing the term with confidence and enthusiasm.

Year 6 Team