Primary Years (5-6)

Nurturing A Community Of Curious And Capable Leaders

Years 5 and 6 Curriculum

Years 5 and 6 at School of the Nativity provide a balanced and engaging upper primary learning experience. In Year 5 and 6, students at School of the Nativity engage in a rich upper primary curriculum that supports academic growth, independence and personal development. Students take on new learning challenges as they build the confidence, skills and resilience for the future. Students strengthen essential literacy and numeracy skills while exploring inquiry, faith, wellbeing, creativity, culture, technology and sport. Students learn to think deeply, act responsibly and contribute positively to their school community

Preparing Confident Learners for the Future

Through our broad curriculum, students engage critical thinking and collaborative work as they build skills in communicating clearly and contributing positively to their community. We nurture each learner to develop confidence, independence and experience a strong sense of belonging using explicit teaching techniques, inquiry learning, faith formation as well as wellbeing programs, creativity, technology and sport. Our students grow as capable and compassionate young people who finish primary school prepared for the next stage of learning.

Our Curriculum

Explore the Year 5 and 6 curriculum at School of the Nativity, where students grow in core learning skills, creativity, technology and leadership within a setting grounded in compassion and justice.

English
Reading, Writing and Confident Communication

In English, students strengthen their skills in reading, writing, spelling, speaking, grammar and comprehension. They engage with the Sound Waves spelling program to build knowledge of phonics, morphology, etymology, homophones and contractions.

Students read and respond to a range of texts. They develop comprehension and critical thinking skills through class texts, Literacy Pro activities, current affairs resources and visual or audio literacy experiences such as Behind the News.

Writing lessons support students to plan, draft, edit and refine their work. Students explore narrative, persuasive and information report writing, with a focus on sentence structure, paragraph development, grammar, punctuation and note-taking through The Writing Revolution.

Key English learning includes:

Narrative, persuasive and information report writing

Spelling through Sound Waves

Reading comprehension and text response

Sentence types, conjunctions and expanded sentences

Paragraph planning and note-taking

Grammar, punctuation and figurative language

Oral speaking through discussions and school events

Visual and audio literacy through current affairs content
Mathematics
Number, Reasoning and Real-World Problem Solving

In Mathematics, students build strong number knowledge, reasoning and problem-solving skills. They explore decimals, fractions, percentages, factors, multiplication, division, equations, patterns, measurement, data and financial contexts.

Year 5 students develop skills in number operations, time, coordinates, direction, data displays, mass, perimeter, area, measurement and fraction understanding. They compare and order decimals and fractions, represent values on number lines and connect percentages with decimal and fraction equivalents.

Year 6 students extend their understanding of number, patterns, angles, measurement, area, perimeter, decimals, fractions, data representation and order of operations. They solve problems involving rational numbers, percentage discounts and financial contexts, using efficient strategies and digital tools where appropriate.

Students develop mathematical confidence through:

Number operations and place value

Multiplication, division and inverse operations

Factors, prime numbers, composite numbers and square numbers

Fractions, decimals and percentages

Equations, patterns and algorithms

Measurement, perimeter, area and mass

Coordinates, direction and data interpretation

Practical problem-solving in real-world contexts
Science
Living Things, Landforms and the Earth’s Surface

In Science, students investigate the natural world through observation, questioning, experimentation and explanation.

Students explore how humans and animals use structural and behavioural adaptations to survive and thrive in their environments. They identify key features, explain their functions and use the scientific process to deepen their understanding.

Students also investigate the Earth’s surface, including landforms, landscapes, weathering and erosion. They explore how natural processes and human activity change the environment over time, then examine strategies that can reduce or prevent erosion.

Science learning encourages students to:

Observe and describe natural features

Conduct experiments using the scientific process

Explain how adaptations support survival

Identify landforms and landscapes

Understand weathering, erosion and environmental change

Investigate real-world examples through inquiry learning
Technologies
Responsible Digital Literacy And Innovation

Technologies learning helps students become safe, responsible and thoughtful users of digital tools.

Students explore digital citizenship topics such as media balance, online friendships, cyberbullying, stereotypes, clickbait, online advertising and news literacy. They reflect on their media habits, create plans for healthy technology use and learn how to respond safely in online situations.

Students also engage in robotics learning, where they build and program autonomous robots using sensors. Through the design process, they test and refine programs, solve problems, complete missions and strengthen teamwork skills.

This future-focused learning helps students develop:

Digital citizenship skills

Safe and responsible online behaviours

Critical thinking about media and online content

Coding, robotics and design thinking skills

Collaboration and persistence

Confidence with technology and innovation
HASS
History, Geography and Sustainable Communities

In Humanities and Social Sciences, students explore important historical and geographical concepts that help them understand Australia’s past, present and future.

In their history learning, students investigate colonial Australia in the 1800s. They explore why colonies were established, what life was like for different groups of people, and how colonisation affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, early settlers and the environment.

Students also develop geographical understanding by exploring natural environments, communities and severe weather events. They investigate how bushfires, floods, droughts and cyclones affect Australian communities, and how people prepare for and respond to these challenges.

Through HASS, students learn to:

Ask meaningful inquiry questions

Collect, organise and evaluate information

Consider different perspectives

Communicate findings using historical and geographical language

Understand the impact of human activity on environments

Explore sustainable land and resource management, including First Nations perspectives
Religious Education

Faith, Service and Christian Traditions

Religious Education supports students to deepen their understanding of faith, Scripture, service and Christian community.

Students explore how God’s love is revealed through the Holy Spirit, the life of Jesus, human goodness and the call to serve others. They reflect on grace, discipleship, personal gifts and the ways they can contribute to the world with compassion and courage.

Students also learn about the shared foundations and rich diversity of the Christian tradition. They examine the Creeds as important statements of belief and explore how Catholics and other Christian denominations share common practices while expressing faith through different traditions.

This learning encourages students to develop respect, understanding and thoughtful dialogue within and beyond the Christian Church.
Leadership Opportunities

Our strong leadership program helps students learn what it means to lead with responsibility, respect and service. Students explore leadership skills, take on roles within the school and participate in community service opportunities.

These experiences encourage students to use their voice, support others and contribute positively to school life.

Health and Wellbeing

Positive Education and Self-Regulation

Health learning supports students’ social, emotional and personal development. Students engage with the RISE to Thrive behaviour agreement and apply it to everyday school situations.

Through The Zones of Regulation, students build shared language for positive communication, problem-solving, emotional understanding and self-regulation. They learn to recognise emotional signals, check in with their zones and identify situations that may trigger strong emotions.

Positive Education lessons help students develop self-knowledge, creativity and decision-making skills. Students explore positive traits, personal identity, ethical viewpoints and strategies that support respectful relationships.
Physical Education
Building Skills in Movement and Teamwork

Physical Education supports students to stay active, build movement confidence and develop teamwork.

Students participate in track and field activities as they prepare for Sports Day. Through Sporting Schools, they also engage with specialist coaching programs in volleyball and hockey.

Across the year, students develop skills through gymnastics, invasion games and target games.

These activities help students:

Build strength

Control, coordination

Tactical thinking

Aiming

Throwing

Strategic decision-making

Specialist coaching opportunities through SAPSASA and SACPSSA statewide sporting competitions further enrich student learning.
Visual Arts

In Visual Arts, students explore identity, symbolism, digital media and creative expression.

They create personal artworks and assemblage sculptures that communicate ideas about themselves. Students also explore street art, graffiti, murals and digital adaptations, considering how artists use colour, imagery, lettering, location and technology to communicate messages in public spaces.

Through the creative process, students plan, create, refine and evaluate artworks that express ideas, perspectives and social themes.
Performing Arts

In Performing Arts, students explore beat, rhythm, dynamics, composition, chord structure, notation, melody and improvisation.

They use instruments, voice and digital recording programs such as SoundTrap to create phrase-based and own-choice compositions. This learning gives students opportunities to experiment, perform and express ideas through music.
Japanese

In Japanese, students develop language skills through speaking, listening, reading and responding.

They learn pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, hiragana sounds, punctuation, scripts, vocabulary and sentence structures. Students also explore how language reflects cultural practices and make connections with their own language, culture and identity
Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Garden program gives students practical, hands-on learning experiences in gardening, cooking and sustainability.

Students plant and care for the garden, develop cooking skills and explore how garden learning connects with everyday life. The program also supports Biological Sciences through a focus on plant growth and sustainable living.

Year 5 and 6 students participate in extended Kitchen Garden lessons, giving them more time to build skills in the garden and kitchen.
Camps

Year 5 and 6 students enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities that enrich their learning, build confidence and strengthen their sense of community.

Each year, students take part in memorable Camp experiences and Aquatics. They also participate in excursions that support classroom learning and help them make meaningful connections between their studies and the world around them.

Celebrating the Graduation Journey and Transition to Secondary Education

Celebrating the Graduation Journey
As students prepare to graduate from School of the Nativity, they take part in special celebrations that recognise their growth, achievements and contribution to the school community.

Graduation celebrations include a Mass, formal dinner and dance, a final assembly prepared and presented by graduating students, and a fun day out excursion. These milestone experiences give students a meaningful and memorable conclusion to their primary school journey.

Transition To Secondary Education

We support every Year 6 student as they prepare for the move to secondary education. This important transition is guided with care, helping students feel confident, informed and ready for the next stage of their learning journey. Students at School of the Nativity are eligible for guaranteed entry to Cardijn College, Cabra Dominican College and Sacred Heart College when applications are submitted in line with each college’s enrolment processes.

We also support students and families who choose other Catholic, government or independent secondary schools, helping each child move forward with confidence and a strong sense of belonging.

Primary Years (5-6)

Nurturing A Community Of Curious And Capable Leaders

Years 5 and 6 Curriculum

Our Curriculum

English

Mathematics

Science

Technologies

HASS

Religious Education

Leadership Opportunities

Health and Wellbeing

Physical Education

Visual Arts

Performing Arts

Japanese

Kitchen Garden

Camps

Celebrating the Graduation Journey and Transition to Secondary Education

Year 5 – 6 Teachers

Scott Baldock

Rebecca Broad

Emily Davis

Emma Harrison