Mātaiaho: English
Purpose Statement for English
Ko te reo tōku tuakiri, ko te reo tōku ahurei, ko te reo te ora | Language is my identity; language is my uniqueness; language is life
In the English learning area, students study, use, and enjoy language and
literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes
and audiences, and in a variety of text forms. Learning about language and
literature from Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world enables students
to build literacy, walk in different worlds, access the thoughts and perspectives
of others, and make linguistic and cultural connections. Engaging with
mātauranga Māori through the creation and interpretation of texts provides
opportunities to strengthen knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori and
Māori perspectives, and to play a part in giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The learning area has been designed to support the vision of Mātaitipu and
provides personal value, participatory value, pathways value, and planetary
value. The tools and literacy practices that students develop in the learning
area build on their existing ways of interpreting and expressing meaning. As
they bring their linguistic and cultural resources to their learning, students
strengthen their identities, experiencing success in who they are and carrying
a strong sense of self wherever they go. Through the learning area, they
understand, enjoy, and celebrate the beauty and richness of stories (fiction and
non-fiction) from Aotearoa New Zealand, from Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, and from
around the world.
As they develop essential communication skills, students can better understand
others and make themselves understood. As text critics, students come to
understand how language and texts work, giving them the power to interpret
and challenge texts and to create their own powerful texts. As text creators,
they take part in literary communities and conversations, contributing their own
stories and their interpretations of others’ stories.
The English learning area opens up pathways that enable every student to
make the most of their life opportunities and to enhance their employability,
by becoming effective oral, written, and visual communicators with the
capacity to think critically and in depth. Learning literacy in the context of
language and literature is a key component of English, complementing the
disciplinary literacies students develop in other learning areas in order to
navigate knowledge.
As they apply the tools of the English learning area and make links through
stories, students are able to connect with experiences and issues of global
significance. They use their insights to advocate articulately and persuasively
for equity and sustainability and to contribute to resolving collective global
challenges.
There are three elements in the curriculum content for English: Understand,
Know, and Do. Students develop their understanding of big ideas as they
employ the practices of English to interpret and create texts. In doing so, they
both draw upon and further develop their knowledge. Much of the learning
in English is iterative and recursive; throughout the schooling pathway, all
students continue to build on the knowledge and practices that they develop in
the early phases of the curriculum. This means that it is important for teachers
to refer to earlier progress outcomes when designing learning experiences and
to provide students with opportunities to revisit learning over time. (The Learning Areas of Mātaiaho: English, Page 2, 2023)
In late 2023 the staff from across Albany Primary School explored the Overview for English section of The learning areas of Mātaiaho: English refreshed curriculum. Within this learning, the teachers unpacked the overview statements and organised their thinking into four key areas:
Summary Statements
Current Albany Priumary School teaching practices and pedagogical approaches that meet these
Teaching practices and pedagogical approaches that need further development
An overview of next steps for development and change
Below are the summaries created. Please note that each summary links to the master document that is still live and in the latter stages of editing. These will be finalised as the refreshed English Curriculum moves from draft to ratified document.
Understand: Big Ideas
Know: Contexts
Do: Practices
