Fisher - Years 4-6

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS

This semester our focus in Science is on Physical and Chemical Sciences. In German our focus is on home and links to Germany and Schultüten.

Year 5/6 Science

Physical Science - Energy (10 weeks)

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • think and act scientifically by engaging in provocations that elicit prior knowledge and misconceptions.
  • identify, describe and classify simple energy transformations.
  • investigate and understand how people from different cultures use renewable sources of energy.
  • know what makes an energy source renewable or non-renewable and understand the impact of electricity generation on the environment.
  • understand how personal and community choices can influence the use of renewable sources of energy.
  • investigate household energy consumption and know what can be done to reduce our impact on the planet.
  • transfer and apply their knowledge of energy sources to design an eco-house for construction in remote Australia.
World Record Forces
World Record Forces

Chemical Science - It Matters

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • Think and act scientifically by engaging in provocations that elicit prior knowledge and misconceptions about materials.
  • Understand the term “states of matter” and explore the properties of different liquids
  • Investigate and understand the properties of different solid materials.
  • Know that gases are a state of matter.
  • Know and understand how our knowledge of matter helps us to make safe choices
  • Understand that gases can be produced in different ways.
  • Participate in investigations to understand that a unique property of gas is the way it moves.
  • Investigate the compression of matter and know that gas can be easily compressed, but solids and liquids cannot be easily compressed.
  • Understand the process of evaporation and design an investigation to test ideas.
  • Explore how Aboriginal people use an understanding of evaporation to maintain water sources.
  • Understand that cooling (removing heat) can cause matter to change state.
  • Develop an understanding of how different gases contribute to the greenhouse effect.
  • Plan, conduct, evaluate and report on an investigation into a factor that affects evaporation, and to describe and apply knowledge of the properties of solids, liquids and gases.

Year 4/5 Science

Physical Science - World Record Forces

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • think and act scientifically whilst engaging in games to elicit prior knowledge and misconceptions about forces.
  • know there are different types of forces including contact and non-contact forces, and know examples of where they occur in everyday life.
  • think and act scientifically to understand that scientific knowledge can be applied to a variety of different situations.
  • conduct investigations to understand the force of friction and how it can be beneficial
  • represent data in graphic form and analyse data to identify relationships and patterns between the type of sole, and the amount of friction produced.
  • understand how Aboriginal peoples use their knowledge of forces to take part in traditional games.
  • understand that magnetism is a non-contact pulling force that acts from a distance
  • investigate and understand that all magnetic materials are metal, but not all metals are magnetic.
  • identify investigable questions about familiar contexts, and plan and conduct investigations.
  • know and understand the importance of forces in our everyday lives.
  • investigate how the shape of an object can affect the forces acting upon it.

Chemical Science - Marvellous Materials

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • think and act scientifically by engaging in learning opportunities that elicit prior knowledge and misconceptions.
  • understand objects are made from materials.
  • know the common properties used to describe materials.
  • conduct simple investigations to understand different materials have different properties.
  • understand that the properties of materials determine their use.
  • identify variables for an investigation and determine which variable(s) will be measured, changed and kept the same.
  • conduct a scientific investigation and use formal measurements to record observations.
  • understand how Aboriginal peoples select and use natural materials.
  • understand Aboriginal peoples use different natural materials to produce paint for different purposes.
  • understand how plastic is made and the issues created by using plastic.
  • understand that natural materials may be processed to make bioplastic.
  • apply their understanding of the properties of materials to recommend appropriate uses for a specific material (bioplastic).

YEAR 4/5/6 German

 Außerhalb dieser Welt - Out of this world

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • identify and recall new vocabulary on the topic of space.
  • recognise and use coordinating conjunctions und, aber and oder.
  • develop/extend sentences using a coordinating conjunction.
  • recognise and use subordinating conjunctions weil and dass.
  • recognise how weil and dass impact word order.
  • understand the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
  • recall and use familiar greetings.
  • recognise there are multiple ways of expressing the same thing.
  • learn about play scripts as a text type.
  • identify the key textual features of a script.
  • write a simple script.

Trautes Heim, Glück allein - Home sweet home

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

 

  • identify and recall new vocabulary on the topic of housing.
  • compare the style and appearance of housing in Germany and Australia.
  • comment on the style and appearance of housing in different environments in Germany - urban, mountains, forests, beachside, riverside. 
  • understand how housing design/ architecture reflects the climate and lifestyle of a country.
  • develop sentences using es gibt.
  • recognise the link between a noun’s gender and its definite/indefinite article in relation to furniture, for example, der Tisch, ein Tisch.
  • use the nominative and accusative indefinite articles to denote an unspecified object.
  • design and label a house in response to a brief/ letter.

YEAR 6 German

Briefe nach Österreich - Letters to Austria

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • reflect on the purpose of letter-writing.
  • reflect on structure and language.
  • identify and recall new vocabulary on the topic of letter-writing.
  • recognise how language reflects politeness and closeness of social relationships.
  • recognise that greetings can vary according to country, region and dialect.
  • identify their audience.  
  • use informal and formal language.
  • define/ describe what is meant by the word intercultural.
  • reflect on letter-writing as an intercultural experience.
  • share cultural traditions and values.
  • apply text features and writing conventions.
  • write a letter to a penpal in a German-speaking country.

Schultüten (100 Days of School Gift to Receptions)

Learning intentions

In this unit students will:

  • understand that the term Schultüte has no direct translation into English.
  • understand that the Schultüte is part of school culture in Germany and an ongoing tradition.
  • understand how a gift can give joy and contribute to a child’s identity and feelings of belonging at school.
  • organise their time and meet deadlines.
  • create a journal to document the making of their Schultüte.