Year 5/6 News 

 English

Reading

This term in reading the 5/6 students will be continuing their work on summarising important parts of non-fiction texts in a sequenced way, both orally and in writing. The students will be exposed to multiple different forms of non-fiction texts, such as information reports, videos and other such texts. Throughout the term the students will be also focusing on developing their questioning skills, honing their ability to ask questions before, during, and after reading to clarify content, being able to find the answers to their questions, evaluate whether their questions are important to understanding the text and being able to question the credibility of the information they are reviewing and conducting further research to find out the facts. 

Writing

This term the grade 5/6 students will be working on narratives and poetry. The students will continue using the writing process which involves developing their ideas, drafting, revising and editing and publishing. Throughout the unit, the students will also have the opportunity to extend their vocabulary through the use of vivid vocabulary, specific vocabulary and adjectives which are descriptive or precise. Later in the term 5/6 students will also be exploring different types of poetry. Focusing on the different structures that poems can have, the varying range of poetic devices and selecting vocabulary that vividly and precisely conveys images, feelings, mood and tone. 

Mathematics

This term, the Grade 5/6 students will explore multiple units in Mathematics. We will begin the term by revising addition and subtraction. Our major focus in Number & Algebra this term is multiplication and division.  In this unit, students will explore the relationship between multiplication and division and will use their knowledge of multiplication to solve division problems. They will develop more efficient ways to solve multiplication and division problems. In Measurement and geometry, students will investigate the concept of Transformations and Area.  Students will learn the transformations such as translation, rotation, and reflection and how it affects the shape of a simple and complex 2D object. They will identify and describe the line of symmetries in 2D shapes.   They will also get introduced to cartesian coordinate system where they will plot the points of a shape as it is transformed across the four quadrants. In area, students will learn to calculate the area of regular, irregular, and composite shapes using knowledge of multiplication facts, understanding that area is a 2D concept. 

Inquiry

In Inquiry this term the grade 5/6 students will be focusing on building their understanding of the significant events and policies in Australia’s history that have impacted Aboriginal people. The students will be exploring how the status and rights of Aboriginal people have changed over time due to key events in Australia’s history. They will investigate the significance of the Prime Minister’s apology to the stolen generations and identify the policies and practices that enabled authorities to remove Aboriginal children from their families and communities. The students will be also researching and sorting out their findings on how the removal of aboriginal children by authorities affected individuals, their families and communities. The students will finish the term by creating a timeline based on the history they have learned over the unit of work. 

Science

This term in Science, Grade 5/6 students will be focusing on the Physical Science strand. Students will be investigating circuitry and the flow of electricity. They will be working with different electrical conductors and insulators. Students will explore the features of electrical devices such as switches and light globes. Grade 5/6’s will also investigate how moving air and water can turn turbines to generate electricity and how solar panels generate electricity.

During these investigations students will be continuing to develop the following science inquiry skills – questioning and predicting, planning and conducting, processing and analysing data and information, evaluating and communicating.

LOTE - Chinese

Welcome to Term 3! This term in Chinese we will begin with countries’ unit. In Chinese students will be learning 8 countries both in speaking and writing forms. Firstly they will trace the Chinese names of  Australia and China, colour in the Maps for Australia  and China. And then they will learn English, Japan, New Zeland, Canada, Germen and America. At the same time they will do some revision on numbers, festivals and colours from the previous semester. 

 Art

Welcome to Term 3 Art! We hope you had a fantastic break and are ready to dive into a term filled with imagination, colour and artistic exploration. Term 3 promises to be an exciting time for all students from Foundation to Grade 6, as we embark on a journey of creativity in the art room.  

Students will unleash their inner artist, as they have a plethora of captivating activities planned for them this term. A range of engaging projects that will allow students to express themselves through various mediums, from weaving wool to foil sculptures, clay sculptures, painting, drawing and lots more. The Art room will be buzzing with inspiration and artistic expression. We started the term off with making Gods eyes. The students had lots of fun making these and learning all about the weaving technique along the way.  I can’t wait to see the masterpieces our students produce throughout the term. Wishing you all an inspiring and artistic Term 3!

P.E.

This will be another busy term for the grade 5/6 students with more interschool sport for those students lucky enough to represent the school. We have students who will be attending the basketball gala day with boys’ and girls’ teams being represented. It is a great opportunity to play and represent Melton West primary, our school community should be proud of our students and how they represent the school at these events. Good luck to all those attending and thanking all the staff in advance who attend and help our students.

In addition to these opportunities there will again be a lot of learning taking place for the students in 5/6, firstly students will begin the term with football, students will first develop the required skills for football which include kicking, handballing, and marking and then move towards a games-based approach for this sport playing in small-sided games. During this unit students will continue to develop their skills for the game of football and be able to participate in playing games of the sport. Once this unit has been completed students in grade 5/6 will move to soccer as the sport of focus. Once again students will work on skills needed for soccer which include passing, shooting, and dribbling. The students will then move to the games approach and play in soccer games that showcase these skills and allow students to identify the rules of the sport, work in teams and use strategy to deliver successful outcomes. This will be where each grade 5/6 class participates in a round robin competition of soccer over a two-week period. I am looking forward to working with each student and helping them all develop their skills in physical education.