Grade 5/6 News

Hello Grade 5/6 families!

We are excited to share all of the awesome things that we have been doing in Grade 5/6 in weeks 4-7 of Term 3. 

Literacy: 

In Literacy, students have been learning about a number of new prefixes and suffixes, including 'ad-/ac-/at-', 'ob-' and '-al'. We have been looking at how these spelling patterns are used to build new words by adding on to a base word, such as 'attend', 'observe' and 'floral'. 

We finished studying the novel 'Us Mob Wallawurru' by David Spillman & Lisa Wilyuka, which gave students an insight into the difference between Aboriginal and 'Whitefella' cultures here in Australia. Students drew some excellent comparisons and learnt some new terminology in Luritja language (the dialect of the Western Desert Language of Central Australia). Some examples include 'Uwa', meaning 'yes' and 'wai palya?' meaning 'how are you?'.

Students also participated in Book Week 2025, where they engaged in a number of activities including designing their own map for an adventure tale. 

A number of students also submitted posters for our school poster competition. Congratulations to our winners Maanika Kaur (5/6C) and Ugadev Ramesh (5/6A) who have their posters displayed in the library. 

English: 

In English, students published their Explanation Texts based on the modelled text 'Why the Western Swamp Dragons are Extinct'. Students used tools from the modelled text to develop their own Explanation Text on a fictional creature. Some examples of published student texts can be seen below and include 'Northern Firebirds Tragedy' by Avikaar Avikaar and 'Why Fairies with Fire and Ice are Extinct' by Harleen Kaur. 

Students have also just started their new 'Talk for Writing' unit on Finding Tales. The modelled text for this unit is called 'Alien Landing'. Students have designed their own aliens and have begun to explore the structure of a Finding Tale. 

Maths: 

In Maths, Grade 5 students have started their exciting new unit on fractions. Students have been learning about addition & subtraction with like fractions, converting between mixed and improper fractions and ordering fractions on a number line. 

Grade 6 students have started their unit on data, where they have been interpreting double-line graphs, comparing data displays and posing statistical questions to collect and record data sets. 

Core Knowledge: 

In Core Knowledge, students have been learning about Energy and Matter in Ecosystems. Students have covered content exploring the following big questions: 

        1. What makes living things alive?

        2. Where do organisms get the energy they need for living?

        3. How do organisms use energy that originally comes from the sun?

        4. Where do plants get the materials they need for growth?

        5. Where do different organisms get their energy?

        6. What is an ecosystem, and what are some different types of ecosystems?

You will be able to see a sample of your child's learning in this subject in their CAT Task, which will be available on Compass at the end of Week 8. 

Reminder: 

• Please continue to check Compass for notifications and important updates about your child's learning 

Kind regards, 

Miss Gould, Mr. Turner, Mr. Phan & Miss B.