ICONIC GAMESYEAR 5
TERM 4 · WEEK 1Gold Rush: Strike It Rich!

TERM 4 · WEEK 1

Gold Rush: Strike It Rich!

Young goldfield explorers panning for gold beside a mine and treasure vault at sunset.
FLAKES NUGGET COINS GOLD BAR JEWELLERY VAULT LEGEND

Dig it. Pan it. Weigh it. Spend it. Save it. Lock it in the vault.

0 / 7 missions complete

ENGLISH

The Word Mine

01 · Gold Mine

Let’s investigate the words for Gold Rush: Strike It Rich!. Look for what changes, then explain what you notice.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

I can use roots and word families to infer meaning.

YOUR MISSION

The root ‘valu’ in value, valuable and valuation relates to…

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Many academic and technical words share roots. Spotting a familiar root can unlock several related words and help with spelling.

  1. STEP 1Read or tap each word.
  2. STEP 2Look closely at the word part the mission is teaching.
  3. STEP 3Sort, build or compare the words.
  4. STEP 4Explain the pattern in your own words.
A young learner discovering glowing gold inside a timber-supported mine tunnel.
GOLD MINE · ENGLISH

Crack the word rocks

0 / 4
LEARN THE TRICK

A base word carries the main meaning. An ending can change the word. Sometimes a final e drops when an ending is added.

WE DO ONE: save + ing → saving.

⛏️TRADEChoose the ending that builds trading.
Crack the rock by choosing the right ending.
✦✦✦✦
A glowing treasure pouch filled with gold.
YEAR 5 DEEP DIVE · REQUIRED Complete this deeper Year 5 mahi as part of the mission — not as an optional extra.

Do the main mission first, then complete this section. It is deliberately more independent than Year 4 and is part of your weekly homework workload.

CHECK THE CORE IDEA

The root ‘valu’ in value, valuable and valuation relates to…

Complete this final Year 5 application when you are ready.

ENGLISH

From Gold Dust to Gold Bar

02 · Panning Creek

Read the Gold Rush: Strike It Rich! information first. Talk the idea through, then answer one small question at a time.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

I can identify how a text is organised and use its structure to find meaning.

YOUR MISSION

Which structure best describes the process section?

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Headings, paragraphs, diagrams, captions, sequence words and cause-and-effect structures help readers predict where information will appear.

  1. STEP 1Read once to understand what it is mostly about.
  2. STEP 2Read the question again and find the part that helps.
  3. STEP 3Say your answer aloud using because, then check it against the text.
  4. STEP 4Record a useful clue from the source.
  5. STEP 5Explain what that clue tells you.
A young learner panning for gold in a clear creek surrounded by a warm goldfield landscape.
PANNING CREEK · ENGLISH

From Gold Dust to Gold Bar

0 / 2

Gold can be found mixed with sand or rock. Panning and other separating methods help remove unwanted material.

Useful gold is sorted and weighed so its mass can be recorded. Gold may then be refined before it is shaped into jewellery, coins or bars, or stored securely.

Keeping an accurate record helps people know how much gold is being handled.

Three stages of gold panning: dirty gravel, partly washed sediment, then clean revealed gold.
NOW YOU TRY · Put the journey in order

Tap the step that happens first, then keep going.

123456
Start with what happens before anything can be separated or weighed.
YEAR 5 DEEP DIVE · REQUIRED Complete this deeper Year 5 mahi as part of the mission — not as an optional extra.

Do the main mission first, then complete this section. It is deliberately more independent than Year 4 and is part of your weekly homework workload.

READ FOR EVIDENCE

After gold-bearing material is collected, it may be washed to separate heavier particles. A sample can then be tested for purity before gold is weighed and valued. Historical goldfields also involved stores, transport, licences and many different kinds of work beyond mining itself.

Fluency check: read the source aloud once at a natural pace, pausing where the punctuation tells you to.

CHECK THE CORE IDEA

Which structure best describes the process section?

Complete this final Year 5 application when you are ready.

ENGLISH

The Treasure Journal

03 · Prospector's Camp

YOUR WRITING JOB: Write a journal entry from the viewpoint of someone working in a fictional gold town. Include a decision involving cost, risk or value.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

I can develop a narrative with purposeful structure, detail and viewpoint.

YOUR MISSION

Write a journal entry from the viewpoint of someone working in a fictional gold town. Include a decision involving cost, risk or value.

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Strong narratives establish a situation, develop events and create a satisfying change or resolution. Details should reveal character, setting or tension.

  1. STEP 1Introduce what you are writing about.
  2. STEP 2Give your first important idea.
  3. STEP 3Add another useful detail, reason or example.
  4. STEP 4Finish so the reader understands your message.
A cosy prospector camp with a journal, map, lantern and treasure pouch at golden hour.
PROSPECTOR'S CAMP · ENGLISH

Plan your Treasure Journal

STORY
STORY SHAPE

A strong short story needs a beginning, a problem and a resolution. Dialogue lets the reader hear a character speak.

WE DO ONE: “Look at this!” I shouted.

1 · DISCOVERY
2 · PROBLEM
3 · ENDING
MY STORY PLAN

Discovery: Choose one.

Problem: Choose one.

Ending: Choose one.

Choose your three story cards, then write your adventure.
YEAR 5 DEEP DIVE · REQUIRED Complete this deeper Year 5 mahi as part of the mission — not as an optional extra.

Do the main mission first, then complete this section. It is deliberately more independent than Year 4 and is part of your weekly homework workload.

YOU TRY

Write a journal entry from the viewpoint of someone working in a fictional gold town. Include a decision involving cost, risk or value.

Minimum guide: 120 words. Quality matters: make the reasoning, evidence or design decision clear.
□ answers the exact task□ uses specific detail□ ideas are connected□ reread and improved
Complete this final Year 5 application when you are ready.

MATHS

The Assay Office

04 · Assay Office

Work through one maths question at a time. Your answers will be checked before the next mission unlocks.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

I can solve money problems involving totals, change, budgets and best-value decisions.

YOUR MISSION

1) $248.75 + $96.40 2) 25% of $200

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Keep decimal points aligned, estimate before calculating, and compare both price and quantity when judging value.

  1. STEP 1Read the question and decide what you need to find.
  2. STEP 2Notice the important numbers and units.
  3. STEP 3Choose a strategy and work it out.
  4. STEP 4Type the answer, then check that it makes sense.
Young learners weighing and counting gold with scales at a sunset assay station.
ASSAY OFFICE · MATHS

Weigh it. Count it. Stack it. Save it.

JOB 1 / 4
ONE JOB AT A TIME

Read the job, choose a strategy, calculate, then check. A wrong answer is useful — you can try again safely.

Gold flakes and nuggets ready to be weighed.
JOB 1

WEIGH IT

Two gold samples are 12 g and 9 g. What is their combined mass?

Work it out, then check your answer.
WEIGHCOINSBARSSAVE
YEAR 5 DEEP DIVE · REQUIRED Complete this deeper Year 5 mahi as part of the mission — not as an optional extra.

Do the main mission first, then complete this section. It is deliberately more independent than Year 4 and is part of your weekly homework workload.

CORE YEAR 5 QUESTIONS

Complete this final Year 5 application when you are ready.

MATHS

The Jeweller's Workshop

05 · Jeweller's Workshop

This is your real-world Gold Rush: Strike It Rich! challenge. Work out what the problem asks you to find or make.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

I can compare options using more than one criterion and justify a decision.

YOUR MISSION

Choose between two jewellery designs with different costs and materials. Compare price, purpose and one design constraint before deciding.

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Real decisions often involve trade-offs. Compare the same criteria for each option, then explain which matters most for the purpose.

  1. STEP 1Read the whole challenge once.
  2. STEP 2Find the numbers, facts or rules you need.
  3. STEP 3Choose a useful strategy.
  4. STEP 4Show your solution clearly enough that someone else could follow it.
A young jeweller designing gold jewellery in a magical workshop.
JEWELLER'S WORKSHOP · MATHS

Spend, shape or save?

$50 BUDGET
THE RULE

You have $50. Design one gold piece, keep the total at or below $50, then put whatever is left into your vault.

1 · CHOOSE A GOLD PIECE
2 · CHOOSE A DETAIL
Choose a gold piece

Gold piece$0

Detail$0

Box$0

TOTAL SPENT$0

TO THE VAULT$50

Choose a gold piece and a detail. Watch your $50 budget as you build.
YEAR 5 DEEP DIVE · REQUIRED Complete this deeper Year 5 mahi as part of the mission — not as an optional extra.

Do the main mission first, then complete this section. It is deliberately more independent than Year 4 and is part of your weekly homework workload.

YOU TRY

Choose between two jewellery designs with different costs and materials. Compare price, purpose and one design constraint before deciding.

Minimum guide: 90 words. Quality matters: make the reasoning, evidence or design decision clear.
□ answers the exact task□ uses specific detail□ ideas are connected□ reread and improved
Complete this final Year 5 application when you are ready.

MATHS

Gold Vault Rush

06 · Great Vault
GREAT VAULT BRIEFING

Crack the rock face, pan the find, read the assay tags, then open the Great Vault. Wrong choices are safe — use what you discover and try again until your treasure is stored.

GAME BREAK · GREAT VAULT

Gold Vault Rush

Dig it. Pan it. Check it. Lock it in the vault.

DIGPANASSAYVAULT
PHASE 1 · DIG

Crack the rock face

Choose a rock. Some are only stone. One hides the nugget you need.

Pick a rock and start digging.
YEAR 5 DEEP DIVE · REQUIRED Finish the game, then prove the learning in the final rounds.

Do the main mission first, then complete this section. It is deliberately more independent than Year 4 and is part of your weekly homework workload.

YEAR 5 GAME CHECK

Finish the game first, then use the learning from this week to clear these three final rounds.

25% of $200?
$248.75+$96.40?
valuation relates to…
Complete this final Year 5 application when you are ready.

Campfire Check In

07 · Campfire

This part is about your own learning. There are no right or wrong feelings.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Reflect on independence, challenge level and the next useful Year 5 practice step.

YOUR MISSION

How did you decide what counted as good value rather than just low price?

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Choose what feels true for you, then write one thing you understand better now.

  1. STEP 1Choose how the week felt.
  2. STEP 2Write one thing you understand better now.

How did this week feel?

There are no right or wrong answers. Choose what feels true for you.

YEAR 5 HOMEWORK CLUB

Your Year 5 progress

Your work saves on this device.

Continue Term 1, Week 1 →