Integrated Studies

Year Level Description

Integrated curriculum and inquiry develop the Year 5 student's skills across a number of subject areas – Business and Economics, Geography, Health Education, History and Science – and are closely linked to the Year 5 Learning Journey.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• locate appropriate resources and select relevant information;
• compare information from different sources;
• use a range of effective note-taking skills;
• prepare and deliver a range of presentations that demonstrate knowledge and skills related to the topics.

Business and Economics

The Year 5 curriculum gives students the opportunity to develop their understanding of economics and business concepts by exploring the importance of decision-making in everyday life.

Students develop an understanding of why decisions need to be made when allocating resources and the various factors that may influence them when making decisions. Methods that help with these decisions, particularly for consumer and financial decisions are considered. The emphasis in Year 5 is on personal or community issues or events, including decisions relating to economic matters, with opportunities for concepts to also be considered in broader contexts where appropriate. Through the Year 5 market experience, students investigate the basic principles of economics and the fundamentals of good business practice. As part of a group, each student develops a concept and business plan to sell goods and make a profit.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• understand the difference between needs and wants and why choices need to be made about how limited resources are used;
• understand influences on consumer choices and methods that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices.

Health Education

The students are directly involved in activities that illustrate what it means to be healthy and how this involves a balance of social, physical and emotional dimensions. They identify influences on personal and group behaviour and appropriate actions and attitudes that can promote good health and wellbeing. Students learn to build positive social relationships, work effectively in teams, manage and resolve conflict, and increasingly take greater responsibility for their own learning. Students participate in the Life Education Program, which aims to empower children to make informed choices for a safe and healthy life.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• identify some of the psychological and emotional elements that affect decision making and the manner in which people operate;
• identify the factors that enhance health and safety;
• explain how taking on roles within groups affects relationships and behaviour;
• work effectively in teams;
• manage and resolve conflicts;
• manage their own learning by setting goals and managing resources to achieve them;
• explain some of the myths and facts surrounding the use of alcohol;
• describe some strategies for responding to encouragement or pressure to drink;
• describe some of the physical, social and legal consequences of alcohol use;
• describe some strategies to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol on themselves and others.

History

The Year 5 curriculum provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students look at the founding of British colonies and the development of a colony. They learn what life was like for different groups of people.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• demonstrate knowledge about how the organisation and lifestyle of non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal communities have changed over time;
• explain the reasons for the establishment of British colonies in Australia after 1800;
• explain significant events and people in Australia's history from the 19th century to the present day;
• explain the impact that the discovery of gold had on Victoria;
• investigate colonial life to discover what life was like at that time for different inhabitants;
• understand the fundamental principles of economics — scarcity, needs/wants and distribution of resources.

Science

Science covers the areas of Science Knowledge and Understanding and Science at Work. Through investigation, students learn about the important features of science experiments and explore the concepts or relationships and cause and effect. They are encouraged to form questions to guide investigations and to identify the type of evidence that would be needed to answer particular scientific questions.

By the end of the year students are expected to:

• explain how particular adaptations help the survival of living things;
• describe and list adaptations of living things suited for particular Australian environments;
• explore general adaptations for particular environments such as adaptations that aid water conservation in deserts.