Grade 5 Community News
Hello Grade 5 families!
We had a wonderful final two weeks of Term 3, bringing another busy and rewarding term to a close. Our Grade 5 students showed so much growth and development across all areas of their learning, and it was fantastic to see their continued effort, enthusiasm and progress throughout the term.
Weeks 9 and 10 gave us some special opportunities to finish the term on a high. In Week 9, students participated in our Elephant Ed incursion, which provided an engaging and valuable learning experience. We also enjoyed a Free Dress Day, which brought some extra fun and excitement to our final weeks together.
As Term 3 came to an end, we were incredibly proud of everything our Grade 5 students achieved. We wished all our students and families a well-deserved and restful break and look forward to everyone returning refreshed and ready to finish the year strongly in Term 4!
English
We have continued reading Once by Morris Gleitzman and have been exploring the experiences of Felix throughout the novel. As we read, students have been focusing on character emotions and development, considering how Felix’s experiences influence his thoughts, feelings and actions. We have also been discussing the morals and messages within the text and thinking deeply about what the characters’ experiences can teach us.
In Text Level Writing, students have begun developing an information report about Poland. We have been learning how to research, organise and record important information, while considering how to structure our ideas clearly for an audience.
In Sentence Level Writing, we have been focusing on summary sentences, nominalisation and note-taking. Students have been learning how to identify the most important information, turn their notes into concise summary sentences and use nominalisation to create a more formal and informative writing style. These skills will support students as they continue developing strong, detailed information reports.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, students completed both our Measurement and Location units during Weeks 9 and 10. In our Measurement unit, students consolidated their understanding of the metric units used to measure length, mass and capacity, selecting appropriate units for different situations, comparing equivalent measurements and developing their estimation skills. They also applied their learning to practical and real-world problem-solving tasks involving millimetres, centimetres, metres, kilometres, milligrams, grams, kilograms, millilitres, litres and kilolitres.
Students then explored Location, where they were introduced to the Cartesian plane in the first quadrant. They learnt to identify, read and plot coordinates, use the correct x-axis and y-axis conventions, identify the coordinates of shapes and construct polygons by plotting and connecting coordinates on a grid. Students also developed their communication skills by giving and following clear instructions to describe and draw shapes using coordinates.
To finish the term, we also spent time revising key concepts from previous units, giving students the opportunity to consolidate their learning and build confidence across a range of mathematical topics in preparation for Term 4.
A huge thank you to all of our Grade 5 students who made such a fantastic effort during the Oz Rocks Times Tables Rock Stars competition. We were incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, teamwork and commitment shown across the Grade 5 cohort. We encourage students to continue practicing their times tables over the school holidays using Times Tables Rock Stars and NumBots so they can maintain and strengthen their multiplication fact fluency, ready for another exciting term of Maths learning.
Humanities
In Humanities, students completed our Search for Resources unit, bringing their journey along the Silk Road to a close. Students explored the effects of the Silk Road and how long-term trade contributed to population growth, the development of towns and cities, the spread of goods and the exchange of cultures, languages, stories, knowledge and ideas across different parts of the world.
In our final lessons, students extended their understanding of resources and trade by comparing the two-way trade of the Silk Road with the one-way removal of resources from the Belgian Congo by Belgium. Students located Belgium and the Congo on maps, compared the relative size and location of the two countries, and were introduced to the concepts of exploitation, colonialism, injustice, and inequality.
Students investigated how resources such as rubber and precious minerals were removed from the Congo and transported to Europe. This allowed them to consider the important difference between trade, where resources are exchanged, and exploitation, where resources are taken unfairly for the benefit of others.
It was a thought-provoking way to conclude our Humanities learning for Term 3, with students drawing on their knowledge from across the unit to consider how the search for resources has influenced the movement of people, trade and change throughout history.
Reminders
- iPads charged for school every day
- Please purchase the Term 4 text Once by Morris Gleitzman