Level 5 

Reading

In Level Five, we are continuing to build on our comprehension skills through the Reader’s Workshop program. The Reader’s Workshop structure is flexible and changes depending on the class needs and the skill being taught, but generally involves:

1. Explicit teaching and modelling of the comprehension skill as a whole class
2. An independent activity where the students will either practise the skill using a good fit book or a teacher chosen text. This is done either individually, with a partner or a small group, depending on the activity. Students record their thoughts about their reading. During this time, the teacher works with a guided reading group, looking at a text best suited for that particular reading level
3. A whole grade reflection and sharing of ideas

In Term Four, we will start by thinking ‘within the text’ by practising concise summarising skills. We will then move to thinking ‘beyond the text’ through making predictions and finish with thinking ‘about the text’ by honing in on analysing and critiquing skills. 

Weekly Focus

Week 1 and 2: Summarising 

Week 3 and 4: Predicting

Week 5 and 6: Analysing

Week 7 and 8: Critiquing

Week 10 and 11: Revision

Writing 

In Term 4, our main writing focus will be poetry. To begin our unit we will explore the different elements of poetry, figurative language. Students will experiment with couplets, limericks, concrete & shape poems, odes, similes, metaphors and personification while exploring rhyming and repetition. Together we will work through the writing process from drafting to publishing with the option of creating their own anthology. Students will begin to explore how literacy texts can be conveyed from different viewpoints and participate in planning, rehearsing and presenting informal debates. Through these informal debates, students will be encouraged to move beyond bare assertions and take into account differing perspectives and points of view.

Weekly Focus

Week 1: Story Book Competition 

Week 2: Poetry - Elements of Poetry, Figurative Language & Rhyming Couplets

Week 3: Poetry - Repetition, Limericks, Concrete & Shape Poems

Week 4: Poetry - Odes

Week 5: Poetry - Similes, Metaphors & Personification

Week 6: Poetry - Publishing Poetry

Week 7-10: Informal Debates

Week 11: Revision

Spelling & Grammar 

Our school-wide Jolly Phonics program will continue in Term 4, we will continue to extend the earlier phonics teaching with further spelling, grammar and punctuation concepts. We will continuously revise and consolidate topics taught in the previous terms and continue

 learning about new sounds. In grammar, we will be learning about making verbs from nouns and adjectives, adjective order, different types of adverbs and irregular plurals.

Maths

This term in Maths, we are focusing on fractions and probability.  We will complete our unit on Fractions involving ordering fractions and locating & representing them on a number line. This will include describing, continuing and creating patterns with fractions, decimals and whole numbers involving addition and subtraction.

With Probability we will list outcomes of chance experiments involving equally likely outcomes and show probability of those outcomes using fractions. Students will also complete a location and mapping topic involving using a grid reference system to describe locations and give directions. Students will also complete a unit on the translation, reflection, rotation and symmetry of regular and irregular shapes.We will explore the concept of BODMAS as a strategy to solve written equations in a systematic way.

Weekly Focus

Week 1&2: Fractions & Probability

Week 3: Location & Directional Language

Week 4: Translations, Reflections, Rotations & Symmetry

Week 5: 3D shape nets

Week 6&7: BODMAS/BIDMAS

Week 8-10: Financial Planning

Week 11: Revision

Inquiry

This term for Inquiry, our focus will be on ‘Animal Adaptations’. For this topic, students will be exploring how living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment. They will learn all about extreme environments, such as deserts, rainforests and polar regions. Students will investigate reasons behind why certain animals migrate or hibernate in order to survive. Our overarching question will be ‘Why have animals adapted/changed/adjusted to survive in their environment?’.

Students will take ownership of their learning by choosing animals and extreme environments of personal interest to explore and research. They will have opportunities to work collaboratively and independently. For their final project, students will demonstrate their understanding of their learning throughout the term by selecting an animal from an extreme environment of their choice. They will need to research and add adaptations to their chosen animal so it may improve its chance of survival over the next 100 years!