Year 5

Hello parents and community, here is what the Year 5s have been doing for the last couple of weeks of Term 2.

STEAM

In Year 5 STEAM, we have been creating houses and landscapes that can survive a natural disaster, more specifically a cyclone or flood.

Each team had to nominate one member to pick a slip of paper out of a box without looking. On the slip of paper was a scenario that told us where our house and landscape would be located. Some examples included a small island, farmland, suburban area, tilted landscape, sandy soil, wet ground, near the coast, beside a river, open plains or in a valley.

Once we had our information, we had to start building from scratch. This meant we had to think critically about materials, stability, structure, and placement. In the end, we all persevered and used our problem-solving skills, creativity, and teamwork.

We tested our designs and made improvements as we went. This project helped us develop a better understanding of engineering and design, and how these skills can be used to solve real-world problems.

Written by Abigail Krins and Alice Freeman - 5C

MATHEMATICS

In the past four weeks in Year 5, we have completed many activities to strengthen our mathematical problem-solving skills. We have learnt a range of addition and subtraction strategies, including working with fractions, using mental computation and applying written problem-solving methods. We also explored perimeter by designing our own theme parks and used written strategies to plan a school fete with a partner. These activities have helped us build our confidence in Maths, and we have had lots of fun learning in creative and engaging ways.

Written by Charlie Garnish and Masha Zhastkova - 5B

LITERACY

In Term 2 we read the book Waves by Donna Rawlins. Each of the stories were about a child from a different background who travelled to Australia on a boat. We read and learned about people who came from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan who were called Afghan Cameleers and other immigrants who moved here after World War 2. We wrote 3 star summaries about each story with a prediction, connection and inference. We practised writing short stories similar to the stories in the book, using ‘Show, Don’t Tell' and using language and writing style that is similar to what the author used.

By 5A

In Term 2 we learned about natural disasters and how to construct houses that can withstand the damage they cause. Year 5 students were put into small groups and given an area of land to build our houses. Some groups were given small islands or valleys or farm land, while others were given urban areas or coastal areas. Firstly, we made a prototype of our houses from cardboard paper, then we worked together to make changes to the house or to the land to make it disaster proof. Many of the groups used materials like popsicle sticks, plasticine, craft rolls and skewers to reinforce the roof, or put the house on stilts. The Year 5s spent many weeks making our final houses and plots of land and were really excited to present them to our families and the other students of the school.

By 5A

Important Dates

Friday 26th June - Last Day of Term (early finish at 2:30 pm)

Monday 13th July - First Day of Term 3

Wishing you all a safe and happy holidays.

KInd Regards,

Year 5 Team

Mr Groves, Mr Littlechild and Mrs Van Zyl.