Stage 3 News
Year 5 EAL/D co-teaching lessons
Learning to Persuade: Agree or Disagree!
Our Year 5 students have been learning how to share and support their opinions as part of our persuasive texts unit co-taught by the EAL/D and classroom teachers. To make learning fun and engaging, students played “Agree or Disagree”, responding to interesting topics such as “Strawberry is the best fruit,” “Swimming lessons should be compulsory at schools,” and “Parents spend too much time on their phones.”
Students chose whether they agreed or disagreed and then explained why, giving reasons to support their opinion.
This activity helps students develop important English language skills by encouraging them to:
Express their opinions using clear language
Explain and justify their ideas by giving reasons
Use connecting words such as because, so, and therefore
Listen to and respond to different viewpoints
Build topic-specific vocabulary
Develop the language needed to write strong persuasive texts
Most importantly, students are learning that a persuasive argument is more than simply saying “I agree” or “I disagree” — they need to explain their thinking and provide reasons to convince their audience.
Our EAL/D teachers are using these lively discussions to build students’ confidence in speaking and provide a strong foundation for their persuasive writing.
Year 6
At Hurstville Public school we run the Peer Power Program which aims to empower Year 6 students with strong social skills to become positive mentors and role models for students who may benefit from additional social support.
The program promotes social inclusion and connection through structured peer support groups, helping students develop essential social skills, build friendships and strengthen their sense of belonging within our school community.
Through meaningful peer relationships, students have the opportunity to learn from one another, develop confidence and create a more inclusive and supportive school environment
This semester, we have a lovely group of Peer Power Leaders who met with Mr Steed to discuss the program and work they have been engaged in thus far.
