Melton West Primary School

Year 5/6

ENGLISH

In Term 1, for Reading, students in Grade 5/6 will begin the year by learning about our agreed expectations when reading. They will learn how to use their reading journal, choose just right books, establish a neat and orderly classroom library, and use a book borrowing system, among other things. After the ‘First 20 Days of Reading’ concludes, students will dedicate time to learning a range of comprehension strategies to support them in their reading. At the Grade 5/6 level, the focus is on synthesising various comprehension strategies and understanding Tier 2 vocabulary when extracting meaning from complex novels. The comprehension strategies that students will learn to synthesise include the following: making connections, inferring, determining importance, text structure and features, and visualising. Our students will learn to apply these strategies to our class novel, Auggie and Me. In Writing, students will set up their Writer’s Notebook and understand how writers go through a process when creating texts. The major text-type for this term is persuasive writing, with a focus on letters to the editor and government proposals. Students will learn to create arguments with supporting facts and persuasive techniques.

 

MATHS

In Term 1, in Mathematics, our Grade 5/6 mathematicians will begin the year by revising our school’s problem-solving process. The process involves students first reading and understanding what a word problem is asking them to do. Students then plan out an appropriate strategy to use for a particular problem before solving and checking their solution. As part of this process, students will learn about a range of problem-solving strategies that they can use to solve problems at the Grade 5/6 level. These strategies include the following: drawing a diagram, using Maths materials, working backwards, and solving a simpler problem. Students will spend the majority of this term investigating Base 10 numeration, with a focus on decimal fractions and their relationship to our Base 10 system. Students will learn to apply their knowledge of the four operations and our school’s problem-solving process in solving a range of Base 10-related problems, working with numbers up to the millions.  Students will conclude the term with a unit on length and perimeter by relating decimals to the metric system. Students will also learn to choose appropriate units of measurement to perform a calculation.

 

INQUIRY

In Term 1, our Grade 5/6 students will explore two topics of learning for ‘Inquiry’ this term. The first topic, ‘Learning to Learn,’ involves students understanding what good learners do and think. Our Grade 5/6 students will learn about using de-escalation strategies, creating a ‘ready to learn’ plan, and the different forms that stress can take, among other things. Families will soon receive a Student Handbook containing information about each class’s expectations and procedures.

Our second Inquiry topic for Term 1 is called ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind.’ The key understanding for this unit of learning is: ‘Our physical body and its needs change throughout the different stages of the human lifespan.’ The key questions are:

· How is my body changing and what resources can I use to help me manage these changes effectively?

· What are the effects of different substances on the body and mind?

· How can I incorporate healthy choices to sustain the changes my body undertakes?

 

ART

The 5/6 students have also started the term by exploring collage and decorating their folios; collage is an art technique that uses paper - magazines and newspapers. They will create a compilation of ideas that represent their interests. 

The 5/6 students will start the year with colour theory, but only touch on primary and secondary colours to access prior knowledge, with a view to mixing tertiary colours, which requires an understanding of where colours sit on the colour wheel. The students will then take the next step and work with colour harmonies, such as analogous colours - the colours next to each other on the colour wheel, and complementary colours - colours that are opposite on the colour wheel. 

The student’s will then experiment with tints and shades using monochromatic techniques to create their very own monochromatic art piece. Monochromatic styles use one colour and mix with white or black to create an illusion, such as light and dark or near and far. The students will learn about artists, such as Picasso and how he used a range of monochromatic ideas to create artworks. 

All student’s will have the opportunity to use a range of materials including pencil, paint, water colour, crayon and pastel to create their art pieces this term. I really look forward to working with the grade 5 and 6 students this term, in the art room to create some fun and wonderful art pieces.

LOTE- CHINESE

Welcome back to an exciting new year! In term one, the grade fives and sixes will be learning basic language skills in the Chinese Mandarin language, including listening and speaking, recognising sounds and pronunciation, as well as Chinese character reading and writing. They will learn about Chinese culture, such as the Chinese New Year celebrations and traditions, for example red envelopes lanterns and good luck symbols. We will also be learning Chinese vocabulary and phrases about bodies and clothing. Throughout the term, the students will be involved in various activities and learning songs with actions like Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes in Chinese. They will also explore stories of legend such as the race of the Chinese zodiac animals.

 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Welcome back to an exciting year ahead of Physical Education! Throughout term one students in grades five and six will be challenged to regather their gross motor skills through numerous games such as European handball, tennis, cricket, baseball/t-ball and many more games which reinforce the gross motor skills of throwing, catching and striking. Students in years five and six will be challenged more aerobically through many new warm up activities and challenging sessions inside and outside of the gym space. Students will gather an understanding on the backgrounds of the sports to help them gain deeper knowledge within physical education. 

 

SCIENCE

Welcome to STEM to our Grade 5 students! This year, Grade 5 will be undertaking a new and exciting approach to learning called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with a focus on developing skills including problem solving, thinking critically and creatively. 

In Term 1, students will be focussing on two subject areas – Biology in the Science stream and the design process in Engineering. 

In Biology, we will be learning about micro-organisms, such as yeast and how it helps us make bread. Students will plan and conduct investigations about mould growth and learn about the development of antibiotics and penicillin. 

In Engineering, we will be studying the engineering design process and how products move from ideas to design to production, which involves some really interesting projects and activities.