Find tutor 🔎
How much tutoring
does your child need?
Overview
Are you curious about what topics you will learn in the Australian curriculum year 5 maths? As you move up in the education system, you will be introduced to new concepts and skills that build upon your previous knowledge.
In this article, you will discover the range of topics you can expect to encounter in year 5 maths. From fractions to decimals, multiplication to division, geometry and statistics, this article will provide a brief overview of what you will learn. Keep reading to stay informed!
Year 5 Mathematics Syllabus
The maths syllabus for year 5 can be broadly classified into the following topics:
- Numbers and the Number System
- Multiplication and Division
- Patterns and Algebra
- Fractions and Decimals
- Percentages
- Measurement (including Time)
- Geometry
- Money and Financial Mathematics
- Statistics and Probability
- Word Problems
Let’s take a broad perspective on each of these topics.
Numbers and the Number System
As a year 5 student, you will dive into the fascinating world of decimal numbers.
Imagine you have the number 128.375. By understanding the place values, you know that the digit 1 is in the hundreds place, the digit 2 is in the tens place, and the digit 8 is in the ones place. But what about the decimal part?
The digit 3 is in the tenths place (3 parts out of 10), the digit 7 is in the hundredths place (7 parts out of 100), and the digit 5 is in the thousandths place (5 parts out of 1000). Each place value is ten times larger than the value to its right. Understanding this multiplicative relationship between consecutive places helps you read and write numbers in different forms, like standard or word forms.
In year 5, you will also learn how to plot decimal numbers on a number line and be able to compare and order them. Watch this video to know more.
Multiplication and Division
In year 5, you’ll discover what factors and multiples are, how to find all factor pairs of a number, and how to use divisibility rules for numbers like 2, 5, 10, 3, and 6. So what’s a ‘divisibility rule’? A divisibility rule quickly tells you if you get a remainder when a number is divided by another number without actually dividing! Let’s see an example.
Let’s say you want to find out if there is a remainder when 32,716 is divided by 3. All you need to do is add the digits in the dividend and check if that new number can be divided by 3 without leaving a remainder. As 3 + 2 + 7 + 1 + 6 = 19, and we get a remainder when 19 is divided by 3, we should also get a remainder when 32,716 is divided by 3. But remember, this is how you check if 3 can go into a number. Likewise, there are other rules for 2, 5, 10, etc.
In year 5, you will also learn some mental maths strategies related to multiplication and how to interpret (understand) quotients and remainders in word problems. You will notice that in some cases, you need to round up the answer to a division problem, and in some cases, you need to round down!
Patterns and Algebra
Algebra is like a puzzle where you have to find the missing piece! The missing piece is often depicted using a letter of the English alphabet, such as x, y, z, etc.
For example, if we said 5 \(times \) y = 40, then what’s the value of y?
Here, the ‘missing piece’ is the letter y, which stands for a number. And because you know that 5 \(times \) 8 = 40, y must equal 8. You just solved what we call an Algebraic equation! You can solve many of these equations using basic fact families.
Grade 5 maths will also familiarize you with the commutative and associative properties of multiplication and the distributive property. These are simple but powerful tools that enable you to calculate faster.
Fractions and Decimals
In middle school, you learn a lot about fractions and decimals. Each year builds on the concepts learnt during the previous year.
In year 4, you learnt about proper and improper fractions, mixed numbers and equivalent fractions. You also learnt a bit about decimal numbers. In year 5, you learn how to change or convert an improper fraction into a mixed number and vice-versa.
You also learn how to find missing numerators or denominators in equivalent fractions.
Addition and subtraction of fractions have their own rules. You add or subtract the numerators, but the denominator stays the same (if the fractions are on the same denominator). So, 710−310=410. Strange, right? :-)
There’s also something strange and funny about decimal numbers. Adding any amount of zeroes to the end of a decimal number doesn’t change its value. So, 0.5 = 0.50 = 0.500 = 0.5000 and so on! Once you learn how to turn these decimals into fractions, this will make sense.
Percentages
Per cent means per 100 or out of every 100. If you score 40 out of 50 on a test, then you can say you scored 80 per cent (written as 80%), meaning if the test were out of 100, you would have scored 80. Likewise, if 2 out of 10 apples in a box are green, then 20% of the apples in the box are green, as 210=20100.
Here’s another example. Let’s say you want to buy a new toy that costs $20, but there’s a 30% discount banner hanging up – that means you only have to pay $14. This is because, 30100=620. Therefore, the discount (or less) amount is $6.
By now, it must be obvious to you that percentages and fractions are related; and because fractions and decimals are related, it turns out that all three are related! You can always convert from one form to the other.
Measurement (including Time)
We need to measure length, mass, capacity and time in our everyday lives. For example, we measure the size of a room, the mass of fruit, the capacity of a bottle, or the time it takes us to commute from home to school.
There are different units – big and small – for each physical quantity we can measure. The choice of the unit depends on the quantity we are trying to measure. For example, we measure the distance between two places in kilometres, but we measure the length of a room in metres.
The metric system of units is a system of measurement used in most countries worldwide. It is based on the idea that each unit is ten times larger than the previous smaller unit. The metric system uses prefixes such as kilo, centi, and milli to measure length, mass, and capacity. As an example, for length, we have kilometre (km), metre (m), centimetre (cm), and millimetre (mm).
The perimeter of a shape is the length around the shape, and its area is the space inside it. They are calculated in different ways and have different units, too.
Time can be expressed in the 12-hour (AM or PM) or 24-hour format. In year 5, you learn how to convert from one format to the other.
Geometry
In year 4, you learnt about the different types of angles, and in year 5, you will learn how to measure an angle. Just as you use a ruler to measure length, you use a protractor to measure angles. Here’s how it looks.
You also learn about nets in year 5 Geometry. Nets are like flat patterns that can be folded up to create 3D shapes, just like how a cardboard box is made.
The coordinate grid is like a map with numbers. It helps you find a location using two numbers: one for the horizontal line and one for the vertical line. For example, if you wanted to find a point that is 3 spaces to the right and 5 spaces up, you would write (3,5). Note that (3,5) is not the same as (5,3). The order matters!
In year 5, you also learn about basic transformations. They are like moving, turning, or flipping a shape without changing its size or shape. Imagine sliding a drawing to a new spot (translation), turning your head (rotation), or looking in a mirror (reflection).
Money and Financial Mathematics
Understanding money is super important – not just in school but in life, too!
In situations involving money, you don’t always need an exact number. For example, if you have $10 with you and you want to buy two pens that cost $2.95 each, you don’t need to add the amounts up to find out if you have enough money to buy the pens. Even if each pen were $3.00, you could still buy them, as 3 x 2 = 6.
In the example above, you rounded up $2.95 to $3.00 to make the calculation easier for you. In the same way, you can also round a money amount down. Can you think of a situation where you will need to round down a money amount?
In the year 5 maths curriculum, you will also learn how to make a financial plan or a budget. These are crucial skills that you will need in life as well.
Statistics and Probability
Statistics is about making sense of numbers and making informed decisions. Probability is the chance of something (called an event) happening. In the Australian curriculum year 5 maths, you will learn about the basics of these topics.
You will understand the different types of data – such as ordinal, categorical, and numerical data. You will learn about mode – the data that appears the maximum number of times in a given set. You will also learn about graphs – line graphs in particular.
In year 4, you learnt about likely and unlikely events. In year 5, you actually get to calculate the chance or the probability of an event. Examples include tossing a coin, throwing a die, and randomly choosing a coloured ball or a marble from a bag. As you grow up, you build on these concepts.
Word Problems
Word problems are everywhere around us. All the maths you will do in real life are word problems! Word problems require critical thinking, logic, and problem-solving skills. By solving word problems, you can develop analytical and reasoning abilities that will be useful throughout your life.
In year 5 maths, you solve word problems involving whole numbers and fractions, money (decimals), perimeter and area, and so on.
Conclusion
Year 5 is crucial, as it marks your entry into middle school. The topics covered are essential building blocks for further education. We encourage you to practice regularly, ask questions, and seek help when needed to ensure you have a strong foundation in maths. You may also contact us for more practice with year 5 maths problems.