Glen Waverley Primary School Level 6 Newsletter

Term 1

Reading

 

During Term One, students will deepen their understanding of narrative writing and other creative texts. They will explore a variety of rich mentor texts, including picture books, short stories, novels and digital texts. This will help students understand how narratives communicate their central concepts, themes, and messages through various authorial techniques such as effective characterisation, plot twists, foreshadowing, and vivid descriptive language. By applying these skills, they will strengthen their ability to craft their own compelling texts.

 

During the introduction of Literature Circles, students will further refine their collaborative skills and speaking and listening abilities during their discussions of shared texts. They will take on greater responsibility within their teams by guiding and facilitating group discussions, fostering deeper engagement with reading and enhancing comprehension of their chosen texts.

 

Reading Key Vocabulary: 

 

Theme, symbol, message, characterisation, vivid language.

Writing/Spelling/Grammar

 

Throughout Term One, students will deepen their understanding of narrative writing. They will begin by focusing on short stories and analysing how to craft an engaging narrative. To support their writing, students will explore a variety of rich mentor texts. This will aid them in forming an understanding of how strong characterisation drives a story. They will explore how the theme and message of a narrative is conveyed through a range of writing strategies, including plot twists, foreshadowing and powerful descriptive language. Students will develop their authorship when they transfer these skills to craft their own engaging short stories. They will also explore how drama and media are used to share a story with an audience. Students will use image, sound, text and movement to describe experiences, express emotions, and create imagery to impact their audience. 

 

Writing Key Vocabulary: 

 

Narrative, plot, character, language feature.

 

How can you support your child’s English learning at home?  

  • Encourage your child to read regularly and prompt them to articulate what makes the characters or storyline captivating.
  • Engage in conversations about books or movies, prompting your child to analyse the characters' traits and motivations behind their actions.

Mathematics

During Term One in Mathematics, students will be undertaking learning sequences developed through the use of Ochre Education’s high-quality curriculum resources covering the topics of Integers, Square and Cube Numbers, Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. Ochre provides a range of resources connected to the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 which enacts effective teaching practices such as explicit instruction, check for understanding, retrieval and spaced practice. We are excited to continue these lessons in our classrooms.

 

 

As part of this approach, students will represent integers on number lines and begin to explore the Cartesian plane. They will compare the magnitude of integers and solve problems involving addition and subtraction of integers.  They will deepen their understanding of part numbers and then use that knowledge to investigate Money and Financial Mathematics. Students will build on their knowledge of fractions and decimals to include negative fractions and decimals. In addition to this, students will learn to multiply, divide, square, cube, square and cube root fractions as well as perform combinations of operations to fractions and decimals. They will continue to develop their understanding of percentages and the relationship between all three. Students will determine the percentage of an amount and write one amount as a percentage of another, using the context of money. They will explore concepts such as unit price, ‘best buys’, and budgets, while developing real-life skills that will set them up for the future.

 

Mathematics Key Vocabulary:

 

Integer, magnitude, equivalent fraction, mixed numeral, proper fraction, improper fraction, numerator, denominator, decimal, percentage, profit, and loss.

 

How can you support your child’s Mathematics learning at home? 

  • Notice examples of positive and negative numbers.
  • Let your child/ren use physical money to pay for goods and services. Calculate the expected change and check what is received. 
  • Notice ‘sale’ and ‘percentage off’ signs at shops and calculate what the price charged will be.
  • Talk with your child about the products you buy at the supermarket – do you look for the best value or do you have preferred products that might cost more?
  • Encourage your child to create a budget with any pocket money or money from celebrations.

Inquiry

Question: How are our choices influenced by digital technologies?

 

Global Goal: Global Goal 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

 

During Term Three, learners will explore the Inquiry question, ‘How are our choices influenced by digital technologies?’ and Global Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. They will begin with the exploration of ‘choice’ and what influences our choices, before moving on to the evolution of communication. Students will investigate how communication and social boundaries have changed over time, particularly with the introduction of digital technology. They will examine the significance of ethical decision making, both for themselves and others, and the impact of these decisions. Towards the end of the term, learners will craft constructive messages around the mindful use of digital technology using a variety of different platforms. 

 

Inquiry Key Vocabulary:

 

Choice, ethical decision making, social boundaries, communication, digital technology, innovation, infrastructure.

 

How can you support your child’s Inquiry learning at home?  

  • Talk about the choices you make daily and what influences those choices.
  • Discuss the importance of mindful use of digital technology at home.
  • Encourage your child to create personal boundaries to using digital technology at home.

Wellbeing

The Resilience Project

 

As we move into our second year of implementing The Resilience Project (TRP), we continue to build on the success of this whole-school approach to social and emotional wellbeing. This year, Level Six students will deepen their understanding of research-informed habits designed to strengthen their capacity to manage the challenges and changes that come with wellbeing and their transition to high school.

 

The Resilience Project focuses on four key pillars of wellbeing and positive mental health: Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM), and Emotional Literacy. Building on these pillars, students will engage in a variety of thoughtfully designed learning experiences that focus on topics such as character strengths, positive self-talk, and managing social changes. These experiences will integrate meaningfully into our Inquiry unit, which explores a sense of belonging and navigating challenging situations.

 

A standout feature of TRP is its focus on consistent, positive mental health habits. Across Level Six and other year levels, daily wellbeing check-ins, known as ‘GEM chats’, are an essential part of the program. These check-ins encourage students to reflect on prompts such as, “What is something you are looking forward to tomorrow?” or “How are you feeling right now in this moment? Why?”

 

Looking ahead, we are excited to further develop Student Voice and Agency by empowering Level Six students to design and facilitate their own GEM chats and wellbeing practices. Through TRP, we are equipping our students with lifelong tools to navigate challenges and embrace positive mental health habits. You can explore The Resilience Project at Home Hub here.

 

Cyber Safety Project

 

In Term One, our Level 5 students will begin a new and exciting journey focused on Cyber Safety. This project will help our students develop essential digital literacy skills, while also encouraging them to think critically about their actions and well-being in the online world.  The lessons will cover a wide range of content under the overarching themes of Responsibility, Integrity, Strength and Empathy. This term, the theme is responsibility, and we will be covering topics such as identifying phishing scams, effective use of security features, creating strong passwords and how to utilise all these elements to ensure online safety and security. In a world where the internet is becoming part of children’s daily lives, the Cyber Safety program provides essential information in a fun and interactive way.

 

 

If you wish to support your child’s learning in Wellbeing this term, you can: 

  • Ensure that your child’s schedule outside of school has a healthy balance of academics, exercise and leisure. 
  • Conduct daily wellbeing check-ins with you child. Ask them what GEM chat prompts they used at school and see how your family would respond. 
  • As a family, practice some of the brain break and mindfulness activities that your child has learned at school, such as, guided meditation, human knot game and so forth.