Level 5 & 6 

Can you believe we are almost half way through the term?!

🌱 LITERACY - READING 

This week, our Grade 5 and 6 students will explored how advertising techniques have evolved by analysing Mac and HP advertisements throughout history. They will examine strategies used to engage audiences, such as music, slogans, emotional appeals, endorsements, colour, imagery, and the use of facts or statistics, while also considering whether these ads account for diversity and inclusion. Building on this, students will investigate how everyday objects are turned into characters in advertising campaigns, such as M&M’s, Maltesers, and cereal mascots, studying how their personalities, actions, and slogans help sell products. To apply their learning, students will then be creating their own promotional materials to advertise within their podcasts

What you can do at home: 

You can support this learning at home by encouraging your child to notice and discuss advertisements they see on TV, online, or in public spaces. Ask questions such as: “Who do you think this ad is for?”, “What makes it memorable?”, or “How is it trying to make people feel?”. Families could also explore how products are marketed differently to various audiences or how companies use characters, colours, and music to grab attention. Watching a few classic Mac vs HP ads or favourite product commercials together is a great way to spark conversation about bias, persuasion, and creativity. You might also help your child brainstorm ideas for their own podcast promotion.

🌱 LITERACY - WRITING

Over the next few weeks, our Grade 5 and 6 students will be developing their very own podcasts. It will be written, recorded, and produced using GarageBand. Working either solo, in pairs, or in small groups, students will explore how podcasts can inform, entertain, and engage listeners.

Each group will begin by brainstorming ideas and selecting a purpose for their show — whether that’s to make people laugh, share news, discuss sport, or inform an audience about an issue that matters to them. They’ll consider elements such as purpose, audience, format, tone, content, and engagement rating, just as we have in our earlier podcast analysis lessons.

Once topics are chosen, students will plan their episode outline, incorporating music, an introduction, and researched talking points to support a short three-minute segment. From there, they’ll write a loose script or set of talking points before recording and editing their work.

This project encourages students to combine creativity, collaboration, communication, and digital production skills, resulting in unique and entertaining podcasts we can’t wait to share with each other.

What you can do at home: 

At home, parents can support by listening to podcasts together and discussing what makes them engaging, helping their child brainstorm possible topics, assisting with simple research or sharing relevant experiences, encouraging clear and confident speaking, providing a quiet space for practice or recording, and celebrating their child’s creativity by listening to the finished podcast together.

🌱 NUMERACY

This week in Mathematics, our Grade 5 students will continue their focus on financial maths, exploring how to make sensible money decisions by rounding to the nearest five cents and applying these skills in real-life budgeting scenarios. Meanwhile, our Grade 6 students will continue extending their understanding of financial maths by working with rounding, fractions, decimals, and percentages. They’ll be learning how these concepts connect through practical applications such as discounts, savings, and calculating best buys. Students will develop the skills needed to make informed financial choices in everyday situations.

What you can do at home: 

Give your child real-life opportunities to work with money — such as comparing prices at the supermarket, calculating discounts, or planning a small budget for a family meal or outing.

🌱 CBL 

As part of CBL, students have been challenged to design an app prototype that solves a problem or improves an experience within the Wonga Park Primary School community. They will identify an issue they’d like to address, then brainstormed creative solutions and began developing detailed blueprints for their apps. They will be required to consider their target audience, how their app would benefit the WPPS community, and how it would function in practice. The unit will culminate in a “Shark Tank for Apps” presentation, where students will pitch their prototypes to a panel, showcasing innovation, problem-solving, and persuasive communication skills.

Essential Question: 

How do we use coding to solve problems and create solutions in our world?

Guiding Questions: 

• Where do we see coding in everyday life?
• What is an algorithm and how do coders use them?
• What problems do we face at school or in our community that coding might help with?
• How can we share our coding project with others to make a positive impact?

Challenge:

Design an app prototype that solves a problem or improves an experience in our school community. 

🌱 HOMEWORK

Students are expected to complete homework on a weekly basis. This consists of

- 100 minutes total of reading a novel/factual text of their choice

- 3 (minimum) Mathletics tasks, which the teachers will assign

- 2 Nessy activities

This homework is to be recorded in the Calendar App on student iPads. Your child's teacher will check this homework on Friday.

BUDDY BAGS - Grade 5 students should now only have one task left to complete for their Buddy Bags, which are gifted to their 2026 Prep Buddies. This is the 'Nameplate' task that will be completed in school, once we know our buddy's name. Please check in with your child to see which tasks they may still need support in completing.

MEMORY BOOKS - Grade 6 students will continue to work on their Memory Book to reflect on their experiences at Wonga Park Primary School. This information has been communicated to parents via email, and is available for students on Showbie. 

🌿 REMINDERS

🌱 Please assist your child in ensuring that their iPad comes to school every day, fully charged.