Year 5 plan — Australian Curriculum: English Northern Region Planning

Identify curriculum / Year level description / In Years 5 and 6, students communicate with peers and teachers from other classes and schools, community members, and individuals and groups, in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments.
Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret and evaluate spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include various types of media texts, including newspapers, film and digital texts, junior and early adolescent novels, poetry, non-fiction, and dramatic performances.
The range of literary texts for Foundation to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups, and classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.
Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 5 and 6 as independent readers describe complex sequences, a range of non-stereotypical characters and elaborated, events including flashbacks and shifts in time. These texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within real-world and fantasy settings. Informative texts supply technical and content information about a wide range of topics of interest, as well as topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. Text structures include chapters, headings and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries. Language features include complex sentences, unfamiliar technical vocabulary, figurative language, and information presented in various types of graphics.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, explanations and discussions.
Achievement standard / By the end of year 5 students:
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of Year 5, students explain how text structures assist in understanding the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary influence interpretations of characters, settings and events.
They analyse and explain literal and implied information from a variety of texts. They describe how events, characters and settings in texts are depicted and explain their own responses to them. They listen and ask questions to clarify content.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students use language features to show how ideas can be extended. They develop and explain a point of view about a text, selecting information, ideas and images from a range of resources.
Students create a variety of sequenced texts for different purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, taking into account other perspectives. When writing, they demonstrate understanding of grammar, select specific vocabulary and use accurate spelling and punctuation, editing their work to provide structure and meaning.
Adjustments for needs of learners / Section 6 of the Disability Standards for Education (The Standards for Curriculum Development, Accreditation and Delivery) state that education providers, including class teachers, must take reasonable steps to ensure a course/program is designed to allow any student to participate and experience success in learning.)
Details of adjustments for student needs are identified in the class profile and class data from Reading, Spelling and Naplan results and planning for units and routines.
Teaching and learning / Term 1 / Term 2 / Term 3 / Term 4
The sequence of learning may alter according to local, community or global events or student interests. Changes should be negotiated with the APC/SCO and noted in overview.
Connected English / History Unit / Discrete English
Discrete History / Connected History/English Unit - The impact of a significant development or event on a colony / Connected English/Religion
Discrete History
Term Context / Figuratively Speaking
How do authors use figurative language to develop settings and characters?
Unit Focus
Students will engage with a range of short stories and focus on identifying simile, metaphor, personification, imagery and how these literary devices have been used to develop imagery within settings and characterisation. Where possible include texts from Indigenous perspectives or the Asia-Pacific region. / At the Movies – Review
What are the points of view that people might hold about this film/book?
[Possible Links] /// (RE)
Unit Focus
Students view a film/book where characters have differing opinions or viewpoints about an issue. Students are taught to recognise differing opinions within a narrative objectively. They explore and form their own opinions with a friend informally (blog, email, safe chat room) to clarify their understanding; then write a formal review for a published real-world audience. / Untold Stories
Whose story is told in the stories of colonisation? Whose perspective is recorded and why?
[Link] History - The impact of a significant development or event on a colony
Unit Focus
Students will research relevant historical information, identify aspects of literary texts that convey details of information about social, cultural and historical contexts with ethical dilemmas. (Colonial Australia) / Image Explorers
How are sequences of images and sounds used to convey a message to an audience for a particular social purpose?
[Possible Links] /// (RE)
Unit Focus
Students will experiment with new, creative ways of communicating ideas. They will understand, interpret and experiment with sequences of sounds and images to position (persuade) and inform their audience. They will create a multi-modal digital ‘text’ that explores a real world issue or dilemma using only images and sounds. (This may include, but is not limited to programs like Kahootz, Comic Life, Photo story, Video, Moviemaker etc).
Term Overview / Reader’s Forum (4 weeks)
Students will take part in an ongoing reader’s forum to share insights about narrative voice and the author’s use of literary devices to develop characters and settings. They participate in pair, group and class informal conversations about focus texts to paraphrase, question and interpret meanings. They also ask specific questions, make constructive comments and review their own ideas.
Word Study (throughout unit)
Investigate and record interesting vocabulary - include word origins, word meanings (particularly over time) and words from other cultures.
Active Comprehension of texts
(throughout unit)
(Reading is thinking) Navigate and read texts for specific purposes – skimming and scanning to locate, check and review their ideas, using metalanguage to describe literary devices that develop character and setting from within focus texts and to interpret, analyse and link ideas.
Construct (4 weeks)
Students use their knowledge of simile, metaphor, personification and imagery to plan, draft, edit and publish an imaginative narrative using realistic or fantasy settings/characters. When writing, students use appropriate text structure and grammatical features – paragraphs, sequencing, main/ subordinate clauses, complex sentences, verb tense, noun and adjective groups to expand description. Their vocabulary choices express greater precision of meaning.
Editor’s table
(4 weeks simultaneously with construction of texts)
Students read, reread and edit own and other’s work using agreed editing conventions and collaboratively developed writing criteria.
Integrating ICT (throughout unit)
Students use word processing programs to plan, construct edit and publish their writing.
-Concept mapping to plan (Inspiration)
-Word processing to draft, edit and publish. / Reflection (2 weeks)
Students apply specific structures for thinking about moral dilemmas in a balanced way - to guide their understanding of characters motives and assist their ability to infer meaning from text. These may include PMI, character maps, ‘actitude’ analysis, character emotions thermometer and freeze frame strategies. They may also consider non-verbal conventions in digital and screen texts and how these enrich meaning for the viewer (eg : camera angles, music and body language).
Virtual discussion (2 weeks)
Discuss opinions about the issue presented in the film/book through an online blog, email or safe chat room with a friend. Student may use a collaboratively developed list of questions to help guide discussion (informal subjective language).
Deconstruct texts (2 weeks)
Students deconstruct and annotate film review examples for structure and language features. They identify formal vocabulary and create a resource (eg word bank), to use when evaluating, writing and editing their own reviews.
Film review (3 weeks)
Students draw on their knowledge to write a formal film/book review for a magazine/newspaper or online forum (using formal language conventions).
Students also write an informal review about the same book/film for a different audience (friend, peer etc) Understanding that patterns of Language vary across social contexts and types of texts.
The key learning focuses on the change from one degree of formality to another, through modality. Students develop the persuasive meta-language of a book/film review, including text structure, language features and audience purpose. / Inquiry Questions (see Research)
Students are given topics about a significant development or event on a colony and are assisted to develop key inquiry questions for their research. These questions may recognise the diversity of people’s experiences within different cultural groups and should form the subheadings of their digital information report.
Research (2 weeks)
Students use research skills and active comprehension skills to locate texts, gather and organise information (skim and scan), evaluate the historical accuracy of texts and summarise information from a variety of sources. They use a range of ICT to plan, draft, and publish texts for a report to inform a defined audience
Creating a multimodal report (4 weeks)
Students employ the following skills in the planning and writing of their digital information oral report. They select appropriate text structure (report), sequence ideas logically, provide supporting detail (for example graphics/ sounds/ visuals) and use technical vocabulary (formal context), paragraphing, grammatical features and spelling conventions. They reread and edit own and other’s work (editor’s table) against agreed criteria.
Innovate on Poetry (3 weeks)
Students explore shape poetry, anthems or odes and choose one to experiment with and innovate on from another perspective. (narrative voice) They may utilize the following knowledge in the process – simile, metaphor, personification, language features and precise vocabulary choices that construct an alternate point of view. Poetry may/may not be used in the oral presentation
Oral Presentation (Report) (1 week)
Students orally deliver a report to inform and engage their audience supported by a multi-modal digital presentation. They use voice effects such as tone, volume, pitch and pace to enhance audience understanding and engagement. / Visual Literacy (4 weeks)
Students will navigate and view a range of digital, print and media texts (images and sounds) to interpret and analyse purpose, text features, non-verbal conventions and visual devices. They will identify how they are used to inform and position (persuade) their audience (e.g., camera angle, position, body language, emotive etc)
Viewer’s Forum (4 weeks concurrent with Visual Literacy)
Students will identify how texts vary in purpose and structure and how they are ‘composed’ or selected for a specific purpose.
Students will explain how sequences of images (in print, digital and media texts) are organised to influence viewer’s interpretations. They will think critically and recognise alternate responses to images and sounds.
‘Movie Maker’ (3 weeks)
Create a sequence of wordless images and sounds (songs, music) that inform and position (persuade) their particular audience, in response to a particular social purpose (cross curricular link e.g., sustainability). They will need to select images and sounds (music) that will engage their focus audience.
Students will use a range of ICT software and programs to plan, draft, and publish their text collaboratively and individually against explicit and agreed criteria. They will experiment with picture formatting tools and effects (transitions, animations, cropping, size, colour, contrast etc) to enhance their presentation.
Recommended Texts for unit / Resources: English and History resources stored in library in Year 5 shelf / box in Classroom Resource Area (History resources will be shared with year 4).
Refer to unit plan and routines:
Australian Girl Series: Meet Grace (Sophie Laguna)
Other recommended texts
Deltora Quest (Emily Rodda),
Playing Beattie Bow ( Ruth Park)
The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
100 Cupboards (N.D Wilson)
(including flashbacks and shifts in time) / Resources: English and History resources stored in library in Year 5 shelf / box in Classroom Resource Area (History resources will be shared with year 4).
Refer to unit plan and routines:
Matilda (Roald Dahl)
The Twits (Roald Dahl)
Other recommended texts
Holes (Louis Sachar)
Fantastic Mr Fox (Roald Dahl)
How to train your dragon, (Cressida Cowell) / Resources: English and History resources stored in library in Year 5 shelf / box in Classroom Resource Area (History resources will be shared with year 4).
Refer to unit plan and routines:
Read aloud: My Australian Story: New Gold Mountain (Chris Cheng)
Other recommended texts
Range of historical texts including websites / Resources: English and History resources stored in library in Year 5 shelf / box in Classroom Resource Area (History resources will be shared with year 4).
Refer to unit plan and routines
Boy Overboard (Morris Gleitzmann)
Our Australian Story: Refugee (Alan Sunderland)
Other recommended texts
Violin Man (Colin Thompson)
Window (Jeannie Baker)
Belonging (Jeannie Baker)
Home (Jeannie Baker)
One Scary Night (Antoine Guilloppe)
Just Another Ordinary Day (Rod Clement)
Range of Media texts – advertising images, comics, photos from magazines, newspapers, websites etc)
Links to other
Learning Areas / History (Connected Unit)
What do we know about the lives of people in Australia’s colonial past and how do we know?
·  The nature of convict or colonial presence,
including the factors that influenced patterns of development, aspects of the daily life of the
inhabitants (including Aboriginal Peoples and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples) and how the
environment changed. / History (Discrete)
How did an Australian colony develop over time and why?
How did colonial settlement change the environment?
Reasons (economic, political and social) for the
establishment of British colonies in Australia
after 1800.
The nature of convict or colonial presence,
including the factors that influenced patterns of
development, aspects of the daily life of the
inhabitants (including Aboriginal Peoples and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples) and how the
environment changed. / History (Connected)
What were the significant events and who were the significant people that shaped Australian colonies?