Building on strong foundations, students engage with complex texts, advanced mathematical concepts, and in-depth investigations across all curriculum areas. This year emphasises critical analysis, independent problem-solving, and effective collaboration as students prepare for senior primary learning. Through challenging projects, authentic inquiry experiences, and targeted instruction, Year 5 students strengthen their academic capabilities while developing leadership skills, resilience, and a deeper understanding of their role as active citizens and learners.
English – Students select language purposefully to interact in different social situations, engaging with diverse texts including novels, poetry, non-fiction, film, and dramatic performances from Australian and world authors, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander oral traditions. As confident independent readers, students examine complex sequences of events, elaborated narratives with flashbacks and time shifts, and explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas in real world and imagined settings. They work with texts featuring complex sentences, unfamiliar technical vocabulary, figurative language, and information presented through various images and graphics, discovering that English is dynamic and changes over time. Students create sophisticated narrative, informative, and persuasive texts, including stories, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, poetry, arguments, and explanations, for specific purposes and audiences while continuing to develop legible handwriting.
Mathematics – Students apply their understanding of relationships to convert between different forms of numbers, units, and spatial representations. They use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems with natural numbers and operations, reporting insights and conclusions about real world contexts. Students use common percentages to make proportional comparisons, construct and measure angles in degrees using appropriate instruments and digital tools, and directly measure area and perimeter of regular and irregular spaces using metric units. They locate and move positions within grid coordinate systems, recognise what stays the same and changes when shapes undergo transformations, and experiment with factors and multiples using algorithms and digital tools. Students plan, conduct, and report findings from statistical investigations involving an increasing range of data types and representations, developing reasoning skills by considering relationships between events and connecting long-term frequency to the likelihood of events occurring.
Humanities – Students explore society, citizenship, and history through interconnected disciplines. Civics and Citizenship introduces key values underpinning Australia’s democratic system, including state/territory and federal parliaments and courts, learning about representative democracy, voting processes, and how laws are made and enforced. They investigate group participation in achieving shared goals and examine the rights and responsibilities of Australian citizens. Economics and Business explores how natural, human, and capital resources satisfy needs and wants, introducing scarcity, entrepreneurship, work’s importance, consumer decision-making strategies, taxation including GST, and online banking and saving. Geography explains people’s influence on place characteristics, their sustainable management, and major geographical divisions of the world. Students analyse bushfires and climate hazards, their impacts and reduction strategies, and examine economic, demographic, and social differences between countries while developing questions and interpreting geographical data. History studies colonial Australia in the 1800s, Federation, and Australia’s development during the 20th century, examining experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, colonists, and migrants, investigating significant events, political and economic developments, and contributions that shaped contemporary Australia.
Health and Physical Education – Students take increasing responsibility for their own health, physical activity, and personal safety. Students apply and transfer movement skills into new situations across indoor, outdoor, and aquatic settings, exploring ways to actively participate and contribute to building a healthier community. They explore complex movement concepts, promote safe and equitable participation, and develop communication and conflict resolution skills for interacting respectfully in various movement and social situations. Students work toward demonstrating knowledge and skills in the Victorian Water Safety Certificate.
Science – Students recognise that scientific inquiry develops explanations and solutions through systematic investigation. They explore classification, materials, forces, energy, and natural systems through hands-on experiments, conducting fair tests and using tables, graphs, and measurement to identify patterns. Students develop increasingly sophisticated understanding of scientific concepts, applying their knowledge to real-world problems while learning to analyse data, draw evidence based conclusions, and communicate findings using scientific language and conventions.
Social and Emotional Learning – Students develop optimistic habits in how they view themselves, their world, and their future, understanding the importance of persistence and resilience. Most students experience physical, emotional, and social changes associated with puberty, learning positive ways to manage these transitions. They explore their unique qualities, ways people define identities, and value diversity within their community. Students become more conscious of external influences on their attitudes and behaviours, exploring how their choices influence their own and others’ wellbeing at home, school, and in the community while developing communication and conflict resolution skills.
Technologies – Students create designed solutions across engineering, food production, and materials specialisations, investigating technologies used in local, national, and global communities while considering ethical factors including social and environmental sustainability. They explore innovation, clarify thinking through problem solving, and engage in speculative thinking about future trends. Students use graphical representation techniques including sketches, models, diagrams, and storyboards to communicate designs, working individually and collaboratively to co-design steps and negotiate design criteria. In Digital Technologies, they apply systems thinking to investigate digital system components, examine data transmission through networks, and protect data with separate passphrases. Students explore how data is represented, develop confidence using spreadsheets to manipulate and visualise data, create content applying agreed conventions, and implement algorithms as visual programs involving branching, iteration, and variables while evaluating solutions’ community impact.
The Arts – Students engage with creative expression across multiple art forms. Visual Arts explores artworks from local, regional, national, and global cultures showing how artists communicate ideas and perspectives. Students develop creative and critical practices, creating 2D, 3D, and time based artworks using available materials and digital tools, presenting work in informal and formal settings. Performing Arts explores how drama communicates ideas and meaning. Students develop creative practices using drama elements and conventions, create improvised, devised, and scripted works, and perform for specific audiences. Students explore how dance elements communicate ideas across cultures and times. Students develop choreography and performance skills using safe dance practice, fundamental movement skills, and production elements, creating dances individually, in pairs, or groups while presenting works in informal and formal settings.
Our core learning areas are taught using structured, evidence-based practices aligned with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 and the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0). Lessons follow the Mindalk Instructional Model with a clear learning pathway, with explicit teaching, guided practice, feedback, and opportunities to apply knowledge. Teachers differentiate instruction and adjust supports so every student can access and extend their learning. As students move through year levels, their knowledge and skills build in complexity, ensuring strong progression and deep understanding across all core subjects.
Year 5’s two-night camp offers increasingly challenging activities that push personal boundaries and develop leadership capabilities. Students engage in advanced adventures and team initiatives requiring strategic thinking and collaboration. The experience emphasises personal responsibility, conflict resolution, and supporting peers through challenges. This camp creates powerful memories and strengthens the year level community as students prepare for their transition to senior primary years.
