Language learning is sequential, which means that building a wide vocabulary and range of language patterns takes place in a logical, progressive order. Continuity of learning is also important to build fluency and to consolidate basic patterns. To this end it is expected that students continue with the language that has been studied in Year 8 and 9.
Outline of Course
In Year 10 Chinese, students will build upon the skills and knowledge gained in previous years to further develop their proficiency in the Chinese language. They will expand their ability to communicate effectively in spoken and written Chinese, while deepening their understanding of Chinese characters, sentence patterns, and grammatical structures. Through engaging topics, students will also explore the rich cultural heritage and modern life of China, enhancing their intercultural awareness and global perspective.
The course is designed to help students express themselves with greater fluency and accuracy, as well as to understand and interpret a variety of authentic Chinese texts. By the end of the year, students will be able to confidently participate in more complex conversations and write extended passages in Chinese.
The course consists of four units, each built around meaningful contexts to support language acquisition and cultural exploration:
Units of Study:
Unit 1 – 个人身份 (Personal Identity)
Students will learn to describe themselves and others, including personality traits, hobbies, and interests. They will also explore how personal identity is shaped by culture and traditions.
Unit 2 – 住房和日常生活 (Housing and Daily Life)
Students will explore housing styles in China and New Zealand, describing their homes and daily routines. They will also learn how to discuss chores, preferences, and living arrangements.
Unit 3 –买东西 (Shopping)
Students will develop language skills for shopping scenarios, such as asking for prices, bargaining, and describing products. They will explore Chinese markets and compare shopping habits between China and New Zealand.
Unit 4 –饮食文化 (Food and Dining Culture)
Students will discover regional Chinese cuisines and compare them with food culture in New Zealand. They will learn how to discuss meal preferences, etiquette, and dining experiences.
With a focus on authentic materials, interactive activities, and meaningful contexts, the Year 10 Chinese course prepares students to navigate real-world situations in Chinese and connect with the culture in meaningful ways.
Outline of Course
Year 10 French is a full year course which runs four periods per cycle. Year 10 students build on work covered in Year 9, and are able to communicate about a variety of familiar situations such as giving opinions on TV & internet habits, going on a virtual tour to Paris, discussing personality and relationships, describing home and local area, and participating in a talent show. The language acquired goes beyond formulaic expressions facilitating autonomy and spontaneity when communicating.
The four skill areas of listening, reading, writing and speaking continue to be emphasised as well as the French culture, and students are encouraged to speak individually, in pairs, groups and through role play situations. The development of good and accurate pronunciation continues to be important along with developing a range of vocabulary to enable students to cope with unfamiliar topics. French will be the predominant language used in class by the teacher in an effort to expose students to the target language.
A coursebook will be given at the start of the year as well as DioConnect access to materials including coursework references, tasks, feedback and grades.
The website Language Perfect is used to enable students to learn French interactively online.
Unit 1 – T’es branché ?: The students talk about the television programmes, films and books they like and dislike. In this unit, they also discuss their habits when it comes to their use of the Internet. And learn for the first time to use the past tense to communicate about what they did yesterday evening.
Unit 2 – Paris, je t’adore !: In this unit, the students will discover Paris, the French capital! They keep using the past tense to say what they did in Paris, when they did it and how they went there. They are also encouraged to ask questions about and share information and their opinions.
Unit 3 – Mon identité: The students learn to talk about their personality, their relationships (friendships and family). They deepen their vocabulary range by describing their taste in music, clothes and what they are fans of.
Unit 4 – Chez moi, Chez toi: In this unit, the students describe where they live (house/apartment), they talk about their meals and also about special events such as concerts, or (French) regional festivals.
Our French learners are encouraged to sit the French Government DELF exam in August (optional). The cost is $85.00 (exam fee)
Outline of Course
This year students will explore various topical themes. In addition, students will study recent articles on current affairs appropriate to their language level.
Various teaching strategies will include role plays, paired activities, power point presentations, vocabulary games and the like. There will be regular work to do on laptops, including listening to and making sound files, using language programmes such as Language Perfect and Linguascope, and doing cultural activities. Homework will be allocated regularly. German will be the predominant language used in class. Students will be encouraged to use German as often as possible which has a noticeable impact on their confidence when using the language.
Unit 1 – Urlaub (on holiday)
Unit 2 – Taschengeld und Einkaufen (pocket money and shopping)
Unit 3 – Gesundheit (fitness and healthy living)
Unit 4 – Tagesablauf (daily routine)
This course covers the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as the culture of German speaking countries and people concerned. Cooking a German meal in the kitchen of the languages department will be part of the cultural exposure.
Outline of Course
The Year 10 Japanese course carries on from the Year 9 theme of My Trip to Japan, and this year students will continue to learn how to act and converse in a number of real life situations that they may well encounter if they do go to Japan.
Students will be able to converse about latest fashion with their host sister and health problems with their host mother and doctor. They will learn how to act appropriately in a traditional house, understand the role of the family members and how the work-life balance impacts family life. They will discover the famous shopping areas of Tokyo and how to make a shopping transaction, as well as the language and etiquette surrounding gift giving customs. The acquisition of cultural understanding plays a major role in the course. In the middle of the year students will be introduced to the te-form (grammar) which enables them to broaden their repertoire of linguistic functions. There is an expectation that students can read and write both Hiragana and Katakana with relative ease from the beginning of the course.
Unit 1 – Identity and Well-being
Unit 2 –Housing and Daily Routine
Unit 3 –Shopping
Unit 4 –Family life (Work and gift-giving)
Outline of Course
In Year 10, students work their way through the Year 10 Latin Workbook, continuing to follow Quintus and his family, who live in Ancient Rome. Students consolidate what was learnt in Year 9 and the course then aims to build on this knowledge throughout the year by learning new grammar, such as new verb tenses and noun case uses, meaning that students are able to understand increasingly more complex language. Students also continue to be enriched with the wide variety of English derivations from Latin encountered in medicine, law, science, philosophy and everyday language.
The course encompasses four units:
Unit 1 – Verbs: We go further in depth on the topic of verbs, exploring multiple verb tenses, including the future, pluperfect and future perfect tenses, as well as conditional clauses. This is set within the context of cultural topics explored, such as The Titans and Clothes in Ancient Rome.
Unit 2 – Nouns: We go more in depth with the concept of nouns, learning further uses of noun cases in addition to what we learned in Year 9. We’ll also learn about neuter nouns, as well as the fourth and fifth declension. We will read Latin stories using our new knowledge, which are set within the context of cultural topics explored, such as Roman Medical Practices and Roman Banquets.
Unit 3 – Adjectives / Participles: We explore how adjectives work in Latin, revising and building on previous knowledge. We will also learn about comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, as well as introduce the concept of participles and how they work in Latin. We’ll read Latin stories using our new knowledge, which are set within the context of cultural topics explored, such as Roman Dress, Roman Currency and Prices in Ancient Rome, and Roman Musical Instruments.
Unit 4 – Roman Culture and Literature: We will start to read some real Roman literature written by Martial, approximately 2,000 years ago. In his Epigrams (which are short, witty poems), Martial humorously insults some well-known Roman citizens. We also look at Roman life and culture as well as making links between Latin and English words across many areas, as 50% of all English words come from Latin.
Throughout the year, students will learn through many types of activity, including: online games, whiteboard and buzzer quizzes, performing plays, creating stories and comics in Latin, cooking authentic Roman food and cultural presentations. In addition, DioConnect, an online learning tool, will be used both for class activities and homework, and for giving feedback to students (and parents) electronically.
In Year 10 and up, students are able to sit the American Classical League National Latin Exam. This exam tests students’ knowledge of Latin language, Roman culture and history, and is sat by approximately 100,000 students from around the world. This is a valuable way to connect to the worldwide Latin-learning community and gives students the opportunity to win medals and scholarships.
As students progress through the school, they will also have the opportunity to go on a trip to Rome and Pompeii to experience in person the places, culture and history that they have learned about in class.
Outline of Course
The overarching theme for this year’s programme is “OUT AND ABOUT” Across the FIVE units you will explore the language for arranging an outing, discussing what to wear, eating out, talking about past events and comparing and contrasting aspects of Hispanic culture(s) with those of New Zealand. You will use the language across a range of listening, speaking, reading and writing tasks.
Unit 1 –¿Quieres salir? Do you want to go out? In this unit, you will learn how to issue, accept and decline invitations. You will talk about existing plans and negotiate around these successfully to arrange an outing.
Unit 2 –¿Qué vas a llevar? What are you going to wear? In this unit, you will explore the concepts of “urban tribes” and fast fashion. You will explore examples of Hispanic companies who design and make sustainable clothing.
Unit 3 –¡Vamos a cenar!: Let’s go for dinner! In this unit, you will explore food preferences, particularly those relating to international cuisines. We will learn about “Tapas” and create a “restaurant” in class. You will also compare and contrast cultural norms relating to food and consider the concept of a healthy diet
Unit 4 –¿Qué hiciste durante las vacaciones? What did you do during the holidays? In this unit. You will research a Hispanic city of your choice and imagine a trip there. You will learn how to describe different aspects of the city and compare and contrast these with your own culture(s). You will learn how to talk about past events and activities relating to holidays and revise how to talk about future events.
Outline of Course
The aims of the course are to continue to develop students' speaking, reading, writing and listening skills in Te Reo Māori. Students will extend their ability to communicate personal information, as well as information about whānau and tikanga.
Students will use familiar language with some flexibility and pick up some new language in different contexts. Students will use and respond to language, including directions and requests, that is likely to occur in familiar Māori settings.
Furthermore, students will gain a deeper understanding of cultural concepts, manaakitanga, tuakana-teina, rangatiratanga and mana motuhake, and understand the relevance of cultural concepts in a contemporary context.
Unit 1: Ngā wāhi o tōku ao
In this unit, students will be able to describe a variety of locations and give reasons for going to these places, using appropriate language for past, present, and future contexts as well as negation.
Unit 2: Ngā momo waka
In this unit, students will be able to describe and compare different modes of transport, using plural pronouns to talk about shared experiences. They will also continue to develop negation, enabling them to communicate a wider range of ideas in everyday and cultural contexts.
Unit 3: Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho - Kai
Students will be able to identify and describe a variety of foods, using appropriate language to express what they like or dislike. They will also develop the ability to discuss food in cultural contexts, explaining its significance and sharing personal preferences in everyday situations.
Unit 4: Ngā Mahi a Rēhia
In this unit students will expand their knowledge of the world of traditional Māori performing arts and games, known as Ngā Mahi a Rēhia. Through practical workshops and reflective inquiry, students will focus on various forms of Māori performing arts and past times. This unit aims to deepen students’ understanding of how performing arts are used to communicate to an audience while preserving cultural heritage.