Year Five News

Unit of Inquiry Four – How the World Works 

In our unit of Inquiry Four, students inquired how technology has impacted on our lives. Students identified a piece of technology and researched how that technology has evolved over time. They drew a timeline and annotated the stages of improvement, focusing on the advancements and improvements on different features. The bigger question that students investigated was, how the manufacture and design of modern technology have impacted on the environment. Students were creative thinkers and suggested ways in which businesses could manufacture technology in an environmentally friendly process.  

Cooking on Wellbeing Days 

With student wellbeing our main concern, teachers have engaged students in a variety of entertaining and exciting activities. On Wellbeing Fridays, Miss Goegan has been running virtual cooking classes. Many students created delicious treats, guided by Miss Goegan and Mr Howarth.  Some of these are, Pizzas, Chocolate Truffles, Focaccias, and French Toast. The activities were so popular that, through our webex, we noticed many parents excitedly participate in them as well. We would like to thank the students and the parents for their enthusiastic participation to ensure the success of these events.  

Year 5/6 Master Classes  

Remote learning has been challenging for students. Students engaged in very little physical and tactile activities. In Week 9 and 10, the year 5 and 6 students were invited to participate in Teacher Master Class program.  The classes available are Science, Cooking, Visual Communication, Boxing, Crafts, What are the odds & Cardboard Box Modelling. Students were given the opportunity to reflect on their personal interests and talents and choose a class that suited them. On Thursday afternoon students attended these classes and challenged themselves in a variety of tasks. All students that participated had an excellent time and are looking forward to trying different classes in the future.  

Preservice Teachers -  

During these challenging remote learning weeks students had the pleasure of being taught by two Preservice teachers. They were being mentored by Miss Goegan and Mr. Howarth. Mr. Ash James reflected on his time in the year 5 class. “I have been working with the year 5 students attending school on-site as part of my teacher certification studies in the second half of this term. The teaching team has been very encouraging, allowing me to plan and teach sessions independently, and giving positive feedback to support my progress. I have developed positive relationships with the students, and have thoroughly enjoyed working with them and supporting their learning progress.” 

A reflection By Mr. Jay Bowen 

Having had the pleasure and privilege to complete my teaching placement in the 5A classroom, one thing became very clear to me – how important the relationship is between teacher and student. This is a relationship built on trust, appreciation and respect. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the contrast from how primary teaching and learning was considered when I was a primary student. 

The more a teacher can truly know about the lives, personalities, needs, wants, fears and goals of the student, the more the teacher is able to effectively support and guide, taking the emphasis off explicit teaching and becoming more of a peer than an authority figure. Often so much emphasis is place on processes and results that the thing that makes these a success is sometimes forgotten – the teacher/student relationship. 

With a strong relationship of trust and understanding in place, it was apparent how engaged students are with in-class discussions, inquiries and even their emotional demeanour towards their schoolwork. The students were excited to come to class and were completely connected to their work, exploring topics from multiple different angles and taking real ownership over their investigation. 

Moreover, a strong teacher/student relationship offers the ability for teachers to present the same information in a multitude of different ways, making it possible to target all students with different needs and proficiencies. 

The result is a truly bonded class, full of positivity, high standards and encouragement, with everyone considered and appreciated and no-one left behind. 

Thank-you, 5A, for the inspiration and I wish you each of you every success! Our time together was, and will continue to be, the highlight of my week.