Grade 5/6

Writing

These past couple of weeks, our Grade 5/6 students have been developing their reading and writing skills through a range of engaging text types. They have explored explanation texts, learning how to clearly show cause and effect when explaining ideas and processes, by examining the structure and purpose of texts. Students also practised persuasive writing by creating letters and flyers encouraging people to attend Healesville Sanctuary, which highlights using persuasive techniques to influence an audience. To connect learning to the real world, students examined current articles about TikTok being banned for under-16s by the end of the year, sparking lively discussion and critical thinking about media influence, digital citizenship, and the curriculum aim of evaluating opinions and points of view in texts. It has been fantastic to see students engaging with authentic issues and applying their literacy skills with creativity and passion!

Inquiry

This term in Inquiry, our Grade 5 and 6 students are delving into the importance of laws and rules in our society. They are investigating why communities create laws, how rules differ from laws, and the responsibilities of local, state, and federal governments in the law-making process.  We are also looking forward to welcoming police officers into our classrooms for an incursion, where they will share their experiences, explain the laws they uphold, and discuss what happens when people don’t follow them.

Numeracy

In numeracy, our students are building their understanding of multiplication across year levels by being able to explore multiplication as repeated addition and grouping and beginning to use arrays and skip-counting to solve problems. They are developing their recall of multiplication facts, explore patterns in the times tables, and are beginning to work with written strategies. Other students are extending their knowledge to larger numbers, decimals, and fractions, applying multiplication to real-world problem solving, area, and scaling. Others who are excelling are applying efficient strategies, using powers and algebraic expressions by connecting multiplication. This progression ensures that students build strong foundations, confidence, and flexibility in using multiplication across all areas of mathematics.

Reading

In Reading, our Grade 5/6 students have been exploring both literature and real-world texts. They recently read the novel Azaria, which tells the story of the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain, and discussed how authors use narrative to share perspectives and emotions. Alongside this, students examined newspaper articles and websites connected to the case, comparing how facts and opinions are presented in different text types. They analysed text structures, language features, and how information and ideas are represented differently. Students have been developing their skills in questioning, summarising, and evaluating sources, while also reflecting on how media influences public opinion. Through these activities, they are strengthening both their comprehension and critical thinking as readers.

GARDEN

Come and see the garden our children have been planting outside the foyer and 5/6 space! Children have been working hard cultivating the earth and planting loads of Australian natives!