Level 5: Connect

Healesville Sanctuary Excursion

Yesterday (27th of August), our Level 5 students braved the wild weather, cold winds, pouring rain, and all, to take part in an incredible excursion to explore the unique habitats of Australian animals. Despite the conditions, our students showed great resilience and enthusiasm as they investigated how animals survive in different environments. Through hands-on activities, they analysed skulls, grouped animals by diet, and reflected on how environmental factors impact survival. The program also highlighted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and encouraged sustainable practices to help care for wildlife in our own communities. Highlights of the day included seeing Tasmanian devils (and their adorable babies!), a curious platypus, majestic birds of prey, emus, koalas, and more. Our students came away not only with new knowledge but also a stronger appreciation of their role in protecting our native animals.

Inquiry

In our Inquiry unit, students have continued building their understanding of democracy and citizenship by exploring the responsibilities of voters and elected representatives in Australia. Through hands-on discussions and activities, they have been identifying different types of citizenship and considering the rights and responsibilities that come with each. Students have reflected on their own role within the school community before planning and writing explanations about what makes a good representative. This work not only develops their knowledge of civics and citizenship but also strengthens their skills in persuasive and informative writing, as they learn to clearly express their ideas using purposeful language and structure.

Maths

During Weeks 4 and 5 our students were exposed to algebraic thinking. This work enabled them to develop confidence with problems that involved variable numbers. Our focus also included using the bar model to understand missing numbers.

Literacy

In Reading, students have been engaging with the mentor text The Shop at Hoopers Bend. Using this rich novel, they are practising the skill of making predictions by drawing on clues from the text and their prior knowledge. Students are also exploring character traits, looking closely at how an author reveals personality through actions, dialogue and description. To build their own writing skills, they have been examining the descriptive sentences in the novel, identifying the language features that make the writing vivid and engaging, and experimenting with using similar techniques in their own work.

In Writing, students have been completing their information text publishing, incorporating Indigenous perspectives and exploring the significance of living things to the local area and its people. They have demonstrated a strong understanding of how to respectfully represent these important connections. We have begun a new learning focus — poetry. So far students have explored what poetry is and its purpose, next they will be learning about different types and structures of poems while engaging with rich mentor texts to inspire their own writing.