Curriculum Updates

Wrapping up the Term

Year 5 have recently wrapped up their class novel study of A Banner Bold by Nadia Wheatley, bringing together English and HSIE in a rich, connected learning sequence aligned with the new curriculum’s emphasis on integrated knowledge and deep understanding. This approach strengthened students’ historical thinking while also developing their skills as readers and writers.

Throughout the term, students were highly engaged with the novel’s vivid portrayal of life on the goldfields. The story became a springboard for exploring the experiences of diggers, families, migrants and Aboriginal Peoples during the Gold Rush era, helping students build strong connections between literature and Australia’s colonial history.

As part of their English learning, students wrote a series of journal entries from the perspective of a digger on the goldfields. Drawing inspiration from the characters and events in A Banner Bold, they experimented with voice, emotion and descriptive detail to bring their historical personas to life. These pieces showcased impressive empathy and imagination, with students weaving together factual knowledge and creative expression.

Students also completed a persuasive discussion exploring ‘The positive and negative impacts of the Gold Rush on Australia’. Using evidence from both the novel and their HSIE lessons, they examined how the Gold Rush shaped migration, economic growth, cultural diversity and the environment, while also acknowledging the significant disruptions experienced by Aboriginal communities. Their writing demonstrated thoughtful reasoning and a growing ability to consider multiple perspectives.

This term, Year 6 have been engaging deeply with the mentor text Worse Things by Sally Murphy as part of an integrated English program designed to strengthen their understanding of the textual concepts of perspective, context and theme. Through close reading, discussion and analysis, students have examined how an author’s choices shape the way a story is told and how readers interpret characters, events and ideas.

A key focus of the unit has been exploring how perspective is influenced by personal, social and cultural contexts, and how these layers of experience become visible through voice, structure and language. Students analysed how the characters in Worse Things navigate challenge, identity and connection, and how the author uses poetic form to reveal emotion and viewpoint.

Building on this understanding, students then innovated from the mentor text, experimenting with their own authorial choices. Using a range of supporting texts and models, they applied their knowledge of poetic form and thematic development to compose original free verse poems.

Stephanie Yiorkas
Curriculum Leader Gioia House