Grade 5 News 

Upcoming Dates – Term 1

Monday 23rd February: School Photos

Friday 27th February: Lysterfield Cross Country

Wednesday 11th March: NAPLAN writing

Thursday 12th March: NAPLAN reading

Tuesday 17th March: NAPLAN conventions of language

Wednesday 18th March: NAPLAN numeracy

Important Reminders

• The Grade 5 maths curriculum assumes that all students know their multiplication tables. If your child is still working on this skill, we ask that you support them by finding some time to practice. If you would like suggestions about how to practice, please get in touch with your child's classroom teacher.

   

• Grade 6 Leaders will be selling icy poles each Monday and Tuesday at lunchtime for $1

• Hats - As per our school's SunSmart policy, all students are required to wear hats until the end of April 2026.

   

Grade 5 Specialist Timetable

Learning in Action

NAPLAN 

Each day students are preparing for Naplan by practising a few maths, Language Conventions (spelling and grammar) or comprehension questions to familiarise themselves with the format.

📖 Literacy

This fortnight, Grade 5s continued enriching their Latin-based word morphology of capt-ceit- ceive-cept-cip meaning to take/catch/hold. 

Students enthusiastically began the class novel, War Horse, and explored some relevant background information about war, loyalty, and the historical role of horses. Later, in pairs, they practised their reading fluency using the same text. 

As writing lessons are closely linked to the novel, students completed sentence-level response tasks based on their reading. They focused on understanding and using appositives to expand sentence structure and add detail to their writing. When learning about grammar, we revisited concrete and abstract nouns. The new vocabulary included such words as exaggerate, placid abundance, nuisance, intrigue, resent and tedious.  In addition, students planned and drafted the introduction for their narrative ‘Journey to the Unknown’.

Preview for Learning

Over the next fortnight, students will continue reading and discussing War Horse and the related background knowledge. In addition, they will further develop their sentence expansion and vocabulary. In writing sessions, students will continue planning and drafting the action and problem of their narrative, including revising and editing.

➗ Maths

Last week, students continued the unit on data representation, focussing on identifying the shape of data distribution and interpreting line graphs. They concluded by calculating the mode and identifying variables. This week, we began the unit Factors and Multiples and began by identifying them using the distributive property. 

The routine of Maths Daily Review, which takes place four times a week, allows students to revisit and strengthen their understanding of concepts. This, plus Maths Masters for their number fluency, have now become embedded in their weekly schedule.

Preview for Learning: 

Students will continue the unit, Factors and Multiples, by identifying them with algorithms as well as determining the lowest and highest common multiples.

Knowledge Rich

We commenced the term with the unit Natural Disasters and Geographical Features, reading about and discussing natural disasters that impact human and natural features in Australia. The focus has been on floods, bushfires, droughts and cyclones. 

Preview for Learning:  students will continue to enrich their knowledge of these natural disasters and look at how emergency services are used to support the community during these times.

Wellbeing

This fortnight was full of exciting events for the Grade 5s. Last week, they met their Prep buddies for the first time and presented them with the picture story book, which they had written and illustrated last year, in preparation for the event. We are sure that you must have heard all about it from them over the weekend!

This week, they were all looking forward to our first Circles session for the year. They were required to pick up and escort their Prep buddies to the relevant group and sit beside them and support them in these sessions. This will continue for the remainder of this year and into 2027.

In Friendology, students revisited ‘What is a Friend?’, discussing  what makes a good friend and the qualities that make a healthy friendship using the Friend-O- Meter.

Grade 5 Teachers

Karin Halstead, Peta Alexander, Susanne Stokol and Irene Chalmers