Year 6
Yearly Overview
ENGLISH
Students develop sound English skills across all curriculum areas. In Reading and Viewing, they learn a range of comprehension strategies that are taught through the Independent Reading program. Their comprehension strategies are also developed through group discussions on individual texts as part of Reciprocal Reading, Literature Circles and one-on-one reading conferences. In Writing, students are taught a variety of text types, including narrative, persuasive, explanation, procedural, letter writing and historical recount texts. They engage in lessons that develop their skills in spelling, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary use, and thoroughly work through the P.O.W.E.R. writing process [Plan, Organise, Write, Edit, Revise]. We have a strong focus on Speaking and Listening. Students develop these skills through speaking at assembly, in class discussions, class debates, Reciprocal Reading and Literature Circle discussions and formal speeches. Each year we participate in the Rotary Speech Competition run by the Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Rotary Club. Chatham students have won the competition multiples times, including the past 3 years.
MATHEMATICS
Students have a strong focus all areas of the Mathematics curriculum. They develop effective mental and written strategies to describe and calculate prime, composite, squared and cubed numbers. Students explore the use of brackets and the rules to solve equations involving multiple operations. They develop their understanding of graphing techniques and the principles of 12 and 24 hour time and elapsed time. Students build their understanding of area, perimeter, volume and capacity. They investigate angles on a straight line, vertically opposite angles, angles at a point and use this information to calculate unknown angles. Students also explore chance experiments and percentage discounts. They compare fractions and decimals through a number line and compare, find equivalence and simplify fractions. Students learn to add and subtract fractions and multiply and divide decimals. They investigate tessellating patterns through translations, rotations and reflections.
INQUIRY
In Term 1 our Inquiry Concept is titled Diversity. This is a Geography focus where students develop their understanding of mental maps of the world and the diversity and variety of connections between people and places. Students conduct research into characteristics of various countries and cultures throughout the world and how countries are connected through land borders and various other agreements.
Our Term 2 Inquiry concept is titled Conflict. This is a History focus where students explore Australia as a nation post 1900 and significant events that have occurred, including the story of the ANZACs, Australia’s involvement alongside Britain during WW1 and other historical events related to Australia. They study the historical connection to Britain and why we fought alongside them in WW1.
Our Term 3 Inquiry concept is titled Creation/Consumption. This is a Science focus where students develop their understanding of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. They learn the components of an electrical circuit and make connections with other electrical systems on a larger scale. Students also investigate electrical conductors and insulators. They also discover how moving air, water and solar panels generate electricity and have the opportunity to investigate other energy sources and their impact on our environment.
Our Term 4 Inquiry concept is titled Power. This is a Civics and Citizenship focus where students develop their understanding of Australia’s democratic government system, studying both the Federal, State and Territory parliaments. Students learn about the importance of democracy, the roles and responsibilities of the different levels of government, the preferential voting system and how a law is passed.