Glen Waverley Primary School Level 5 Newsletter

Term Two - Level 5

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Throughout Term Two, the students will further enhance their voice by transferring their mathematical skills into Social and Emotional Learning tasks. Through in-depth analysis of the Student Perspective Survey data, students aim to improve their school experience by making noticings and wonderings of student behaviours both in class and in the yard. This term, Level Five also take part in NAPLAN testing. It is important to note that NAPLAN may cause anxiety in students, and they am require additional reassurance from parents and loved ones. 

 

ENGLISH

In Reading, students will investigate explicit strategies that Authors use to engage their audience, especially in endings. This will allow our students to use multiple sentence types, rich ideas, precise vocabulary and build their awareness of different endings. 

 

This term in Writing, we are focussing on narratives, through the lens of the author. We will be looking to transfer the skills learnt from reading and apply them to our writing. Students will also continue with sustained writing as they are provided with the opportunity to write about a topic of their choice and in a style they desire, with the aim of achieving their learning goal. 

 

In Spelling, students will continue to identify their personal words by finding words they have misspelt from their writing book and inquiring into them throughout the week. There will be a new focus each week, such as; silent letters, ough, ie and ei. Alongside this, they will use this opportunity to build new vocabulary. 

 

MATHEMATICS

In Mathematics, Level Five students will address Number and Algebra and Statistics and Probability within the Victorian Curriculum. Our initial focus for Term Two is working with the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Students will focus their efforts on finding the most efficient strategies to solve worded problems with an emphasis on depth and effort to justify mathematical thinking. Students will develop their own toolbox of skills and strategies to use when faced with mathematical challenges. As we continue throughout the term, students will further build upon this by exploring fractions and decimals before concluding the term with chance and probability, providing opportunity for ‘real life’ transfer for our learning and skills.

 

INQUIRY

In Inquiry this term, students will be investigating the question, ‘What impacts the survival of flora and fauna?’  In preparation for the learning, Level Five Teachers collected data and student voice through a What I Know, What I want to Learn, What I Learned (KWL) chart. At the beginning of the term, students analysed the anchor charts and determined the main ideas that the Inquiry unit will address. Some of these are; the Purpose of the Learning, Positive impact of Humans as well as Natural Impacts on Flora and Fauna. 

 

Throughout the unit, students will transfer their conceptual understandings to the world around them by committing to an action that will promote the survival of animals and/or plants, they will track their progress and record their impact. To support students in creating this transfer, they will attend the ‘STEM for Sustainability’ program at Melbourne Zoo on 31st of May, during which they will focus on solving the following task, "The Sustainability Manager is seeking new and creative ideas for generating electricity at the Zoo". This will require students to use their critical and creative thinking and develop strategies that reduce environmental impact.

 

To support your child’s learning at home, you could encourage them to: 

  • Analyse the ending of narratives.
  • Read a wide range of narratives with varying storylines.
  • Write for a dedicated amount of time (35 minutes) and include a twist, tension, moral or new engaging ending while writing.
  • Write narratives that focus on showing your their learning goal.
  • Build a toolbox of strategies to assist them to solve mathematical problems.
  • Justify their solutions.

 

 

If you have any other queries or matters you would like to discuss with your teachers please don’t hesitate to organise a meeting. Your child’s wellbeing is always at the centre of our thoughts and actions.

 

We thank you for your ongoing support and assistance. We are looking forward to a wonderful year.

 

Kind Regards,

Ivana Krsteska, Bianca Liburti, Trish Singh, Samantha Graham and David Joyce