Year Level Updates

Year 5

This term in Year 5 we have been working on our Speaking and Listening skills on the format of debating.

Our first topic at the start of the term is Social media should be banned for anyone under the age of 16”. Interesting perspectives are explored such as what app constitutes as Social Media as students made connections with their Online Digital Safety lessons to help build their arguments.

Students were placed into teams having a side chosen for them. Students were pushed to consider perspectives other than their own as they may have to debate an issue they may not necessarily agree with. 

Before choosing our second topic, students created as many arguments as possible using an Argument Game grid to help generate arguments in an impromptu manner. From this, our classes negotiated our second topic this term which was “It is cruel to keep animals in Zoos.”

Students research throughout, emphasizing evidence and examples to strengthen their arguments. Students were highly persuasive when they shared personal anecdotes with their peers sharing their own experiences with the topic. Students showed improvement in their debates in using eye contact to engage the audience, pacing the room for engagement and slowing down key phrases for emphasis. 

Particular persuasive techniques were explored in their speech writing and debates as students incorporated:

• Rhetorical questions
• Repeated keywords or phrases for emphasis
• Using numerical data as a point of emphasis
• Having an emotive key statement for conclusion
• Using hyperbole
• Sharing a personal story to engage the audience

Students are in good stead in preparation for their public speaking with Ron Thomas that takes place in Term 4. We anticipate their confidence will be very high leading them to theri leadership speeches at the end of the year.

Adrian Webster

Sinead McGlinchey

Year 5