OAKLEIGH SOUTH PRIMARY SCHOOL
Year 5 – Engaging Minds Creating Memories
Curriculum
Students work in a differentiated learning environment to enhance and develop their individuality and celebrate their success.
Reading
Year 5 students engage in activities designed to enhance their reading comprehension skills. They concentrate on specific strategies tailored to their individual levels as part of small focused groups reading with the teacher and Literacy Rotations. Programs like Accelerated Reader, MyON, CARS & STARS, and SRA are utilized to support their progress. The students also explore a diverse range of text types to strengthen both their literal and inferential comprehension abilities.
Writing
Our students participate in differentiated writing groups tailored to meet their individual needs and help them develop essential writing skills. They explore a variety of writing genres, including narrative, exposition, information reports, procedural writing, poetry, and explanations. Throughout the process, students are guided in planning, organising, composing, editing, and publishing their work, with particular attention to punctuation and spelling. These skills are further reinforced through regular classroom writing sessions, complemented by a dedicated weekly grammar lesson.
Speaking and Listening
Our students actively engage in classroom discussions, respond to texts, and present projects and reports to their peers. They are encouraged to speak clearly, use eye contact, vary their tone, and maintain excellent posture to effectively engage their audience. Organisation in delivery is also emphasised. In Year 5, students take on additional responsibilities by preparing and presenting leadership speeches to their classmates.
Numeracy
Students participate in bi-weekly differentiated Maths Groups to develop their mathematical skills specifically catering to individual needs. Students develop an understanding of mathematical concepts, and are able to pose and solve problems in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Topic investigations are also a highlight for students. Our Essential Assessment digital platform tracks student progress and sets tasks for students to complete and meet learning goals in mathematics. They complete Mathletics tasks at school and at home, as well as Maths Invaders to improve their number sense and fluency. A small group of our Year 5 students work with Mr. Kuruc from South Oakleigh Secondary College where they are extended and challenged.
Integrated Studies
The Integrated Studies units merge all the core learning areas of the curriculum through Humanities and Science these include: Geography (Natural Disasters) Science (Adaptations), Civics and Citizenship (Who Am I), History (Australian History in the 1800s). Students complete response tasks in the form of set projects both at home and at school. Features of Design Thinking and Critical Thinking are both explored and applied comprehensively throughout the Integrated Studies program.
NAPLAN
In March, the Year Five children sit NAPLAN Assessments in the areas of Reading, Writing, Numeracy and Language Conventions.
Homework
Homework is a key part of the Year 5 curriculum at Oakleigh South Primary School, carefully designed to reinforce the skills and knowledge your child is building in class. These tasks are strategically selected to help students practice and apply what they’ve learned, deepening their understanding and solidifying their academic foundation.
Here’s what’s expected each week:
Mathletics Program: Your child is encouraged to participate in the Mathletics Program each week, with a goal of reaching at least 1,000 points by the week’s end. This platform offers a fun and interactive way to strengthen their math skills, complementing what they’re learning in the classroom.
Spelling Practice: Completing the weekly spelling worksheet is essential for your child’s language development. This task is designed to reinforce their understanding of word patterns and enhance their ability to spell accurately. Regular engagement with these exercises helps expand vocabulary, solidifies spelling proficiency, and supports overall literacy skills, ensuring your child becomes a confident and capable reader and writer.
Maths Worksheet: A double-sided maths worksheet needs to be completed each week. This activity is important for reinforcing concepts covered in class and for providing regular practice with problem-solving techniques.
Reading: Your child is expected to read for an average of 20+ minutes each night to meet their Accelerated Reader (AR) target. This consistent reading practice is crucial for enhancing literacy skills and cultivating a lifelong love of reading.
Students are expected to complete all tasks and submit their homework books weekly, along with updating a chart to monitor their Mathletics progress. This practice fosters responsibility, time management, and independent learning.
These tasks are more than just homework; they are key to building your child’s future success. By completing them, your child is developing the skills needed to excel academically and beyond.
Victorian State School Spectacular
Each year, around twenty Year 5 students have the opportunity to be part of the Victorian State Schools Spectacular, as part of the Mass Choir and Mass Dance. This is held in September at Hisense Arena, with over 3000 Victorian state school children participating. The event is also televised.
Camp Peninsula Outdoors
In Term 4 each year, our Year 5 students attend Peninsula Outdoors Camp, near the beach. This exciting camp experience includes water-based activity programs that explore the natural environment and develop leadership, teamwork and initiative skills in our students.
Peninsula Outdoors is near Point Leo on the Mornington Peninsula, approximately an hour’s drive from OSPS. Students are involved in many exciting water-based activities such as surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, canoeing, aqua challenge, beach activities, bike skills and kite making.
Sport
Students engage in regular fitness activities and have opportunities throughout the year to participate in House Swimming, Cross Country, and Athletics events. They also have the chance to compete at District, Division, Region, and State levels. Additionally, Year 5 students learn the skills and rules involved in interschool sports within the Bentleigh District, across various summer and winter competitions. The students take part in a five-day Swimming and Fitness Program at GESAC.
South Oakleigh College
Our strong affiliation with the College has allowed the Year 5s to participate in rotations, introducing them to new experiences and opportunities. During this program, the children have the chance to learn in a secondary school setting. They participate in a Biology lesson, an Art session and spend time in a working TV Studio and Small Lab, and also learn about the different muscles used in a sport and movement session in the school gymnasium.
Leadership Day at South Oakleigh College
Year fives spend a day learning about what it takes to make a good leader. They spend a fun filled day with activities that reinforce the characteristics of a good leader and team player. The children also have a BBQ lunch on the day. The children are also involved in a Media Studies session at the college where they have the opportunity to use real filming, cameras, lights and sound equipment to record and film a talent show.
Leadership Positions
In Term 4, The children have the opportunity to nominate themselves for a Leadership position for the following year, as a Year 6 student. The process for this is to write and present a Speech, which is then presented in front of their House cohort from both Years 4 and 5. Students then vote to elect House Captains and Vice Captains.