Term 4 Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Overview

Term 4 2015                                                          Year 5

Dear Parents and Carers,

This overview outlines the content that will be covered during this term with your child. It is a great reference to keep somewhere prominent so that you can refer back to it with your child and discuss specifics of their learning. Please don’t hesitate in contacting us if you have any queries or concerns about your child.

Religious Education:

Our first unit this term, entitled “Mission – Witnessing and Proclaiming Jesus Throughout the World”, will be covered over the first four weeks of the term. In this unit students develop their understanding and appreciation of Christian mission as a sharing in the mission of Jesus. Children will look at ways various Christian charities reach out to help the needy and will be encouraged to consider practical ways in which they can help others.

The second unit to be covered this term focuses on “Advent and Christmas”. During this unit, children will investigate the readings of Advent, such as God promises a ruler from Bethlehem (Mic 5:1), The Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38) and The birth of John the Baptist (Lk 1:5-25). Children will build on their understanding of how Mary responded in faith and trust to God’s invitation and how God invites each of us to open our lives to respond to the gift of Jesus.

English:

During this term, students will be reading and viewing a wide variety of texts.  We will be focusing on how writers use language features and other elements to meet the needs of their audience and the purpose of their writing.  We will be focusing on a range of comprehension strategies such as: making connections, inferring, visualising, synthesising, evaluating, questioning, activating prior knowledge and summarising.

Students will write informative, persuasive and imaginative texts. Through our analysis of students’ own writing, we will identify areas of grammar, spelling and punctuation that will be explicitly taught so that students may use these more effectively.

Throughout speaking and listening, writing and reading tasks this term, students will be encouraged to:

·       Express themselves

·       Think imaginatively, creatively and interpretively

·       Reflect on their learning

Mathematics:

Strands to be covered during mathematics this term include:

·       Number and Algebra: exploring a variety of strategies involving multiplication, division, addition, subtraction and whole number through our maths warm-ups, fractions, decimals and percentages.

·       Measurement and Geometry: measuring and naming a variety of angles and finding these in everyday contexts, calculating the duration of time and furthering understanding of 24 hour time.

·       Statistics and Probability: representing data through a variety of graphs and interpreting these, explaining possible outcomes and probability regarding different situations.

Integrated
Human Society & Its Environment and Science and Technology:

This term we will be completing an inquiry-based unit around Rainforests. Our inquiry question will be: How can we as ecologists maintain the balance between fauna and flora within a rainforest? This unit provides opportunities for students to investigate rainforest environments in Australia and around the world. The biodiversity of the rainforest and the delicate balance of life will be explored. Students will investigate the impact of the loss of rainforests due to human expansion and development and the differing views held by indigenous rainforest peoples of the world.

Personal Development:

This term students in Year 5 will be participating in the unit Growing and Changing.  Information regarding this unit was sent home earlier in the week.

Music and Physical Education:

Sport lessons are on Thursday this term; therefore children will need to wear their sport uniform every Thursday. Children will also participate in Music lessons on Thursday this term.

Creative and Performing Arts:

Children in Year 5 will be taking part in the Drama strand this term. We will be looking at a variety of Reader’s Theatre scripts and techniques when performing these.

Library:

Year 5’s Library day is Tuesday this term. In order to borrow every child will need a library bag on Tuesdays.

Please don’t hesitate in contacting us should you have any queries,

Miss Dooley, Miss Boidin and Mrs Leach

Year 5 Team