Year 5 News
Our Learning Celebrations
Literacy
Text Studies
This term, Year 5 students have begun exploring the novel Bindi by Indigenous Australian author Kirli Saunders. Through their text study, students have learned about the author's connection to Country, explored the unique features of free verse poetry, and made personal connections with the main character and the text.
They have investigated important themes, including caring for Country and the impact of natural disasters, while developing skills in notetaking, using evidence from the text, and writing descriptive and complex sentences.
These rich learning experiences have encouraged students to think deeply about the text and its important messages.
Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar
During spelling sessions this term, our Year 5 students have been developing their understanding of morphology by exploring the Greek root phon (meaning "sound") and the prefix eco- (relating to "environment" or "home").
Through engaging activities such as word sums, word matrices, cloze sentences, matching definitions and dictation tasks, students have built their vocabulary, strengthened their spelling skills and deepened their understanding of how words are formed.
These lessons have supported students to make meaningful connections between words, helping them become more confident and capable spellers.
Partner Reading
Our Year 5 students have been building their reading skills through partner reading, practising how to read with a specific audience in mind - their Prep buddies. They focused on choosing a good reading spot, adjusting their voice, tone, and pace, and using expression to keep younger listeners engaged.
We have also used partner reading to complete reading comprehension tasks, strengthening their understanding of texts while developing confident communication skills.
Mathematics
Year 5 have launched into Term 3 with a focus on multiplication, division and algebraic reasoning. Over the first three weeks, students have explored inverse operations using arrays, built fact families and fact family triangles, and applied these relationships to solve missing number equations.
They have also investigated equivalence, the commutative and distributive properties, and learned how grouping numbers using the associative property keeps multiplication balanced.
Most recently, students have begun exploring factors, multiples and divisibility rules, using patterns and reasoning to justify their thinking.
Unit of Inquiry
This term, our new Unit of Inquiry is exploring the transdisciplinary theme, How We Express Ourselves. We launched the unit with an engaging provocation, where a small group of students were secretly asked to perform the same actions whenever they heard a cue from their teacher. Their classmates quickly began copying these actions, demonstrating just how easily people can be influenced by those around them. This activity was inspired by the Conformity Experiment used with adults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6kWygqR0L8.
Throughout the unit, our Year 5 students have been exploring the many factors that influence their thoughts, choices and behaviours. They have reflected on how their values and beliefs, the communities they belong to, and the people they interact with all contribute to shaping who they are.
As we work towards our summative task, students will investigate a range of trends and consider the influence these can have on individuals, communities and society.
Prep Buddy Activity
The Year 5 students had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with their Prep buddies as they celebrated 100 Days of Prep. Together, they helped the Preps draw, cut and decorate their special 100‑days headbands, offering gentle guidance and plenty of encouragement along the way.
To finish the celebration, the Year 5s formed a cheerful guard of honour, creating a magical moment as the Preps proudly walked through while everyone clapped and celebrated their milestone. It was a beautiful display of buddy teamwork, leadership and school spirit.
What We Are Learning Next
Text Studies
In the coming weeks, Year 5 students will continue their study of Bindi by Kirli Saunders through close reading and discussion of key sections of the text. They will explore important themes such as belonging, growth, healing and the connection between people and nature. Students will develop their understanding by analysing characters and themes, making connections between parallel stories, and strengthening their note-taking and sentence-writing skills as they respond to the novel.
Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar
In upcoming spelling sessions, Year 5 students will continue building their understanding of morphology by exploring the suffixes -an and -ian, as well as the Greek root spir. Through word sums, word matrices, crosswords, cloze activities and dictation tasks, students will strengthen their spelling, vocabulary and word-building skills. They will also develop their grammar knowledge by learning how to use the impersonal pronoun it to express opinions more effectively.
Mathematics
Year 5 will continue strengthening their mathematical thinking over the coming weeks as they practise and apply the skills developed throughout our algebraic reasoning and algorithmic thinking unit. Students will revisit key ideas such as inverse operations, fact families, unknown values, and number properties including the commutative, distributive and associative properties.
They will then complete a summative learning task demonstrating their understanding of these concepts and their ability to explain patterns, justify strategies and follow algorithms.
Once this topic is finalised, students will explore arithmetic sequences and how number patterns change through addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Inquiry
Looking ahead, students will be working in collaborative groups of three to investigate the influence of trends. Together, they will brainstorm ideas before selecting a trend they believe could be introduced within our school community. Their challenge will be to design a trend that has a positive impact and helps strengthen our sense of belonging at school.
Each group will then present their idea to the class, sharing the trend they have chosen and explaining why they believe it would be successful and beneficial for our community.
To bring their learning together, students will create and record their own podcast episode. This exciting task will allow them to share their ideas, justify their thinking and demonstrate their understanding of how trends can influence individuals and communities.