Welcome back to Term 2! We hope all families enjoyed a lovely break over the holidays and didn’t eat too much chocolate! This term is 11 weeks long and we have plenty to pack into this time especially with the upcoming and much anticipated production ‘Villainous Voices’ as well as numerous sporting events. So, we are looking forward to getting stuck into some great learning and experiences.
LITERACY
This term in Reading, our Grade 5 students will continue to apply their comprehension skills to assist in their understanding of the texts they read and engage with. In Term 2, our students will be engaging in our whole class novel ‘Refugee’ by Alan Gratz. Throughout the exploration of this text, students will be exposed to a variety of relevant topics including multiculturalism and health, as well as acceptance and empathy. In addition, we will also be holding regular, weekly Reading conferences in small groups which will allow students to discuss and question texts in detail.
In Writing, students will further develop and explore their writing abilities and interests throughout our Writer’s Workshop sessions. They will continue to enhance their skills in a variety of writing genres such as letter writing, poetry, and informative reports, all whilst having authors choice in their published pieces. Our sessions will also be linking in with reflections on our Refugee class text as well as further exposure to our Integrated Studies unit.
In Spelling, the students will be exploring various spelling strategies through word study as a class. These strategies focus on phonemes, visual cues, morphemes and etymology.
NUMERACY
The Grade 5 team will continue to use an Open ended / problem solving approach to our teaching of maths. This term we will be focusing on Addition & Subtraction, Measurement (length, area & perimeter), Tessellation of shape, as well as Statistics. As part of our Statistics unit, we will be comparing our use of toilet paper compared to the rest of the world. It’s sure to make a ‘splash’.
INTEGRATED STUDIES – FROM COLONY TO NATION
Students will explore how Australia developed from a collection of individual colonies into a unified nation. This unit investigates the early history of Australia, beginning with Aboriginal perspectives and continuing through European settlement and the formation of penal colonies.
Students will learn about the significant people and events that influenced the path to Federation, and the reasons behind the decision to unite. Throughout the unit, they will examine the impacts of colonisation and immigration and explore how these historical changes continue to shape our nation today. The unit will conclude with a group project, where students will apply their learning to demonstrate their understanding of Australia’s journey to becoming a nation.
HOMEWORK
Homework will continue this term and we will be using the same structure as Term 1. Students will be expected to complete 60 minutes of reading over the week, which will be recorded in a Reading Log - they can choose to spread this out over several days - as well as a Maths sheet that will allow them to revise various concepts.
PRODUCTION
Our production journey is well underway, and the countdown is on until we are on stage and under the bright lights! Students have been working hard in their Performing Arts lessons as well as extra practice in their classes, with also numerous Grade 5 students being part of the dance ensemble and acting roles. Costume notices have been sent home and posted on your students Class Dojo page. The school will be providing some elements to their costumes, but students are still required to provide some items. Please note: each class is different. All costume items need to be handed into the classroom teacher by Friday 9th May. There will also be rehearsals in costume and photos occurring on Monday 19th. More information regarding booking of tickets is still to come!
