Year 5 Celebration 

Newsletter

Maths:

This term Grade 5s and 6s explored the concept of time through reading timetables and flight schedules then applying their new-found understanding of elapsed time to solve word problems. The students converted between 12 hour and 24 hour time and gained an understanding of the differing time zones across the world.  We then embarked on a unit which explored cartesian co-ordinates. The students enjoyed following cartesian co-ordinates to create a series of increasingly complex images, then applied these skills to create their own image and provide the corresponding coordinates. Students described changes through transformation (flip, slide and turn) as well as tessellation. The four processes were revised and extended, while fractions was revisited to consolidate the learning gained throughout term three.

Reading:

Throughout Term Four, the Grade 5 and 6s analysed and critiqued texts by several authors through Author Studies. Some of the authors explored by the various grades included Shaun Tan, Pip Harry, Jackie French and Mark Wilson. The grade fives were fortunate enough to enjoy an excursion to rom Keen where they met Mark Wilson and engaged in this writing and illustrating processes. The unit explored recurring themes and features within texts, compared various texts from the same author and provided students with the opportunity to apply their known comprehension strategies to gain meaning from, and make connections with these texts. 

Writing:

During Term Four we read and wrote explanation texts on topics that were of personal interest to each student. Using mentor texts, the students gained familiarity with the features and structure of the text type. Using inspiration from their Writer’s Notebook they then determined what they wanted to write about and what they could explain about that topic to the intended audience. The students were then supported to create guiding questions or prompts to focus their research using iPads. All three teachers were particularly impressed with the detail and description included in the published drafts of these explanation texts.  

Inquiry:

During Term Four, the grades 5 and 6s embarked on an Inquiry unit ‘Digital Technologies’ where they showed resilience and persistence throughout the many challenges. The students became to understand how to stay safe online and explored how digital systems use networking and how they communicate. They had the opportunity to attend an online ‘DigiTech’ incursion within their classrooms and enjoyed exploring the security level of their device passwords (most were surprised at how quickly they can be hacked!) As part of our science unit ‘Matter Matters’, the students developed an understanding of the various states of matter through experiments, research and collaborative learning tasks.

Wellbeing:

The students cringed through several sessions of ‘Prepare For Puberty’ which, although was incredibly uncomfortable (and slightly funny!), was immensely informative and prepared them for the exciting changes and experiences that await them.

And then there was Grade 6 Camp and Graduation- wow, what a term! We wish the fives a fantastic last year of primary school, and the sixes good luck as they take on high school. You got this!!!

PERFORMING ARTS

This term Grade 5 students have further their musical knowledge by composing their own songs on the ‘Boomwhacker’ instruments. Working collaboratively, students composed their short musical patterns and wrote these onto a musical stave, before challenging themselves to play each other’s musical compositions. In the second half of the term, students enjoyed rehearsing for the Kismet Christmas Carols and built their on-stage confidence when they shared their performance with the Kismet Community.

VISUAL ARTS

This term, students explored threads and textiles, as they learned how to sew a range of stitches. Students designed and made their own soft toy showing courage and persistence as they  turned  an idea into a finished project. They created a range of accessories for their toys including pillows, clothes and hats, as well as food! This project was so much fun that many students attended Art Club during lunchtime to continue. Some students participated in an extra project to create an image using the ‘reverse acetate’ technique, choosing their favourite subject to recreate.

JAPANESE

This term in Japanese, the Grade 5 and 6 students developed their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through the topics of self-introductions, greetings, hiragana and a research project on a place in Japan. Students revised and consolidated previously learned vocabulary for their self-introductions and continued to build on introducing themselves in Japanese. They learned more greetings and ways to have short conversations in Japanese. They created posters on a place of their choice in Japan. They continued to be explicitly taught how to read and write hiragana which helped them with learning new vocabulary. Students participated in activities related to undokai (Sports Day) in Japan, which is held every October.

PE 

In Grades 5-6 PE classes, students further developed their physical abilities through challenging activities and sports. In preparation for inter-school competitions, students learned, practised, and mastered different game-specific skills. Students continued to refine their skills in different sports such as cricket and rugby league. They refined techniques and strategies while developing sportsmanship, leadership, and teamwork to best represent Kismet Park against other schools. Students spent time creating their own games making sure to think about all aspects including rules, equipment needed and game objectives. 

To our Grade 6s, it has been a pleasure teaching your Physical Education this year and our school's success gives credit to your level of commitment and dedication to sport. I wish you nothing but the best for all your sporting endeavours at high school.