The Year 5 students at Windhoek International School will begin a new unit of inquiry on how cities change over time. They will explore why people migrate between rural and urban areas and how cities evolve through buildings, culture, and entertainment. Students will develop skills in social studies, writing, reading, math, French, Portuguese, ICT, music, and physical education as they inquire into cities around the world and how they reinvent themselves.

1. Windhoek International School ​Primary Years Programme Newsletter​ Unit 4
An International Community of Learners
Year 5 PYP NEWSLETTER
Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers of Year 5,
Reflection of previous Unit of Inquiry:
Thirsty! Our previous unit investigation looked at water as a limited natural resource under the theme of
Sharing the Planet. The students explored the different problems that some communities face when
trying to resource “clean” drinking water. Some also looked within their school community and found a
problem, the effect that it had and tried to find solutions towards fixing the problem.
New unit of inquiry
Our next Unit of Inquiry, falls under the Transdisciplinary theme of, “Where we are in Place and Time.”
We will be investigating cities and their slow and rapid change over a period of time. The students will
explore the reasons to move or leave a city, as well as how cities re­invent themselves through
buildings, culture and entertainment.
The Central idea is​: ​Cities change over time
The children will inquire into:
● Cities around the world share certain characteristics
● People migrate between rural and urban areas for different reasons
● Cities evolve and are transformed over time
Students will discuss and select the ​Learner Profile and Attitudes ​that they feel best suit the inquiry.
During this investigation students will explore and expand their skills further in the following areas:
Social Skills:​ Planning and group decision making
Communication:​ Writing to inform and persuade
Self­management skills:​ Organization (personal)
Research and Planning:​ Collecting and understanding data
Windhoek International School, Private bag 16007, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel. 061 241 783 Fax 061 243 127 website: www.wis.edu.na

2. Windhoek International School ​Primary Years Programme Newsletter​ Unit 4
An International Community of Learners
Language skills will include:
Listening & Speaking:
Student will explore the following:
● Listen appreciatively an responsively, presenting their own point of view and respecting the
views of others.
● Understand that ideas and opinions can be generated,developed and presented through talk;
they work in pairs and groups to develop opinions.
Writing​:
Students will continue to develop skills in the following areas:
● Write independently and with confidence, demonstrating a personal voice as a writer.
● Write for a range of purposes, both creative and informative, using different types of structures
and styles according to the purpose of the writing.
Spelling:
Students will be issued with their spelling words from a differentiated list to support, develop strategies
and skills for their spelling.
Reading​:
Students will continue to receive their independent readers on a weekly basis. They will assist the
younger readers of the primary years on a weekly basis to support their learning.
Windhoek International School, Private bag 16007, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel. 061 241 783 Fax 061 243 127 website: www.wis.edu.na

3. Windhoek International School ​Primary Years Programme Newsletter​ Unit 4
An International Community of Learners
Math skills will include:
Number:
● Continue developing skills and developing strategies for all the number operations (addition,
subtraction, division and multiplication).
● Developing mental maths strategies.
● Fractions: Developing an understanding for the language used, sorting fractions to find the
equivalent and using fractions in real life situations.
Social Studies strands:​ ​ ​Continuity and change through time;
​Related Concepts: ​ ​Migration, Innovation
Personal, social and physical education (PSPE)
IDENTITY​: Developing qualities and a greater understanding towards the Learner Profile and Attitudes.
ACTIVE LIVING:​ ​Inspiration and innovation.
INTERACTION:​ ​People are interdependent with, and have a custodial responsibility towards, the
environment in which they live.
Windhoek International School, Private bag 16007, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel. 061 241 783 Fax 061 243 127 website: www.wis.edu.na

4. Windhoek International School ​Primary Years Programme Newsletter​ Unit 4
An International Community of Learners
In specialist subjects your child will be learning
French:​ (Ms Catherine Mousseau)
During this unit, we will talk about what we eat and what we drink for breakfast. We will revise the
vocabulary for food items and beverage and we will learn how to order in a restaurant. At the end of this
topic, students will participate in a role play, acting as waiter/customer in a French café in Paris.
In connection with the Unit of Inquiry they are working on in their homeroom, we will also explore the
topic of the changes happening to a city over time. We will more specifically work on the example of
Paris, with the website​ ​www.parisavant.com​.
Students will compare pictures from the beginning of the XXi​eth
century with pictures from nowadays.
We will learn how to describe using “il y a / il n’y a pas”, the basic vocabulary for a town and the
different type of transport used: “cheval, voiture, moto…”
Portuguese: ​(Mr. Naftal Chivure)
During this unit we will explore the topic of food and drinks. The Year 5 students will learn the
vocabulary about food and drinks through different activities:
❖ Each student will prepare a list, in PowerPoint, of things to eat and to drink in Portuguese and
will
present to the colleagues;
❖ In different groups, the students will experience role­play in a restaurant with one child playing
the waiter and one playing the customer. The customer will have to ask for food and drink and
the waiter has to provide it. During this role­play students will take the opportunity to use
vocabulary to greet. This role­play will be recorded with iPad by the students.
In connection with the Unit of Inquiry the students are exploring in their homeroom, we will explore the
topic of the changes happening to a city over time. Students will present two or three cities that already
visited then they will show the differences between old photos and recent photos. They will also learn
how to describe using “Aqui há / Aqui não há…”, the basic vocabulary for a town “predios, ruas” and the
different type of transport used: “cavalo, carro, moto…”
Windhoek International School, Private bag 16007, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel. 061 241 783 Fax 061 243 127 website: www.wis.edu.na

5. Windhoek International School ​Primary Years Programme Newsletter​ Unit 4
An International Community of Learners
ICT:​ (Mr. Danai Maramba)
During this unit, we will speaking about Good Digital Citizenship and how to conduct ourselves and stay
safe online. We will create Google Documents together and see how Google Docs allows us to share
and collaborate on documents.
CREATIVE WHEEL: (Ms. Michelle)
During our next unit learners will continue on their recorders. We will focus on recorder duets (2 players)
and trios (3 players) playing in an ensemble and explore with melody and harmony. Learners will also
have the opportunity to create their own song to describe their City​, ​making use of instruments in class
or their own choice of instrument.
Physical Education:​ (Mr. Fernando Beukes)
In this unit, learners will inquire into the effectiveness of working together as a group, rather than a set
of individuals. This unit will also prepare them for sports day, which includes team based activities.
Library:​ (Ms Astrid zu Bentheim)
During this term, the students will do research about different authors.
Windhoek International School, Private bag 16007, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel. 061 241 783 Fax 061 243 127 website: www.wis.edu.na