English / Year 5 / Language / Language variation and change

Curriculum content descriptions

Understand that the pronunciation, spelling and meanings of words have histories and change over time (ACELA1500)

Elaborations
  • recognising that a knowledge of word origins is not only interesting in its own right, but that it extends students’ knowledge of vocabulary and spelling
  • exploring examples of words in which pronunciation, writing and meaning has changed over time, including words from a range of cultures
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
ScOT terms

Language conventions,  Spelling variations,  Pronunciation

Online

Whose Country: exploring First Nations peoples languages map (7-13yrs)

Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages can help children build their understanding of land, water and people. This activity helps to assist the identification of the language group/s on which the school, youth group or home is situated. To understand local perspectives and support these activities, ...

Online

Digital citizenship

This is a unit for Year 5 from the Scope and sequence resources from the DT Hub. The topic of collaboration and protocols is organised into four key elements. Use this flow of activities to plan and assess students against the relevant achievement standards. Students create a blog, website or contribute to an online learning ...

Online

Welcome to Victoria

In this learning sequence, students undertake research in order to create tour packs for families visiting Victoria. Students use public transport and tourism websites to develop itineraries outlining ways in which families can visit at least two places of interest using public transport. The packs include: information ...

Online

Teaching Reading and Viewing - Comprehension Strategies and activities for Years 1-9

This resource developed by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority provides teachers with a collection of strategies and activities for developing students’ comprehension. It is a companion document to the series of guides on teaching reading and viewing. The strategies are listed alphabetically in the table ...

Online

Henry Lawson the Poet

Students study one poem by Henry Lawson in depth, investigating a range of language forms and features, before illustrating their poem to reflect the imagery portrayed in the words, and reciting their poem to the class. This activity is supported by resources (photographs, video and textual records) from the State Library ...

Online

How do you make a difference?

In this learning sequence, students determine improvements they would like to see in public transport. They research ways of suggesting improvements to public transport authorities and other decision makers, and prepare letters and emails for this purpose. They prioritise future improvements and develop arguments to support ...

Online

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Year 5 and Year 6 English

This unit of work focuses on the influences that impact on safe behaviours in and around tracks, platforms and trains. Guided activities build students' rail safety vocabulary including grammar and word building. Modelled writing activities support students to shape a research-based inquiry investigating factors that impact ...

Online

A comparison of the effectiveness of two strategy tutoring programs for children with persistent spelling difficulties

This teacher resource describes a small-scale research study into the capacity of two strategies of one-on-one tutoring (Look-Say-Cover-Write-Say-Check and Old Way/New Way - Mediational Learning) to help primary school students with persistent difficulties develop effective spelling strategies. It is presented in nine sections: ...

Online

Books in Homes Primary Programme

This teacher resource is about the Books in Homes Primary Programme, in which students in low socioeconomic status schools with limited access to books at home are provided with nine books of their choice per year. There are ten sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Measures; Results; Lessons learned; Next steps; ...

Online

Creating a reading culture in a school community

This teacher resource describes how Proserpine State School in Queensland successfully responded to the need to improve student outcomes, especially in the area of reading, by implementing a whole-school approach that encouraged students to read more, and more widely. The resource is presented in eight sections: Summary; ...

Online

Improving narrative and language skills in senior primary school students

This teacher resource describes a highly successful narrative strategy developed by Mahogany Rise Primary School in Victoria. The strategy enhanced acquisition of literacy skills by supporting students' oral language development. All years 5 and 6 students were involved in whole-class programs. Extended intervention in ...

Online

Improving reading in a community of schools

This teacher resource describes a highly successful strategy implemented by a network of four schools in Sydney to improve their students' reading in years 3 to 6. The Focus on Reading 3-6 professional learning program resulted in teachers developing and sharing their skills and experiences. There were also positive effects ...

Online

Linking school targets to classroom practice

This teacher resource describes a successful whole-school approach by Rosemeadow Public School in New South Wales to enhance the reading and comprehension skills of years 3-6 students. Assessment for learning was used to identify desired results, develop whole-school targets, devise a reading and comprehension rubric, adjust ...

Online

Literacy coaching - reading comprehension

This teacher resource describes a successful evidence-based strategy developed by Darlington Primary School in South Australia to improve the reading comprehension of students from Reception (Foundation) to year 7. The central focus of the strategy was a literacy coach supporting teachers' explicit instruction of higher-order ...

Online

Literacy is everyone's business: the South Australian Accelerated Literacy Program

This teacher resource describes the successful Accelerated Literacy strategy implemented by the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services to improve the literacy of Aboriginal students, students in low socioeconomic areas, and those whose first language is not English. The resource is organised in ...

Online

Seeking different results: the Accelerated Literacy program

This is a teacher resource describing the evidence-based Accelerated Literacy strategy successfully implemented by Mayfield East Public School. The strategy improved the literacy, especially reading skills and levels, of its students and the professional competencies of its teachers. The resource is organised in eight sections: ...

Online

A whole-school approach in literacy and numeracy

This teacher resource describes the successful whole-school strategies implemented by 147 New South Wales schools to improve the literacy and numeracy of students, particularly those not achieving national minimum standards. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; Next steps; Lessons ...

Online

Coaching Initiatives

This teacher resource describes the success and wider applicability of coaching strategies implemented in government primary and secondary schools in Victoria. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; Next steps; Lessons learned; Research base; Further reading and links; and Contacts, ...

Online

Creating change as a literacy coach

This teacher resource describes how a literacy coach made a substantial difference to students' literacy achievements, teachers' involvement in literacy strategies and whole-school culture at Allendale East Area School in South Australia. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; Lessons ...

Online

Evidence Based Observations and Coaching

This teacher resource describes an extended professional learning program implemented in 38 Victorian independent schools using evidence-based observations (EBO) as the basis for in-school teacher coaching to improve students' literacy and numeracy. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; ...