Kia ora,
There are fewer than two months until the end of another school year — a year in which we have seen a lot of change. The New Zealand Curriculum and the National Standards are firmly in our sights for 2010, the new Literacy Learning Progressions will be published in February 2010, and NCEA is being reviewed and revised.
And it's all change on the sites, too. As you will know, Learning Media has had the contract to manage the content on the Literacy, English and ESOL Online websites since December 2007. The contract came up for review in August and it has been awarded to Cognition Education Ltd.
The sites have been in a 'maintenance only' phase since 1 July 2009. As a result, Learning Media has been unable to act on your feedback immediately or make meaningful improvements to the sites. We would like to assure you all, however, that all your feedback about navigation, forums, and functionality has been extremely valuable. It has been forwarded to the ministry and it is informing future developments across the sites.
While we are understandably disappointed, we are sure that the sites will remain in safe hands and that future developments will enhance the way the sites support you in your work. We will work with the new managers to ensure a smooth handover process.
On a personal note, Margaret, Cath, and I have enjoyed working with you all, in online and face-to-face situations. You all believe passionately in your own learning and that of your colleagues. While developing the three new sites has been technically challenging, and at times frustrating for us all, we all continue to share a common goal: working towards enhancing our students' achievement.
Thank you for your continued support.
Arohanui,
Karen
In this issue
News from:
Literacy Online
English Online
ESOL Online
Literacy Online
As we near the end of another school year, it is a time in which we tend to reflect on our teaching and learning. Have our students got to where we wanted them to be? How will we do things differently next year? What do we need to know and do to improve learning outcomes for our students? I hope that the Literacy Online site and this month's newsletter are able to head you off in the right direction!
Ka kite ano,
Catherine Braddock
Literacy Online Facilitator
National Standards
National Standards come into effect in English-medium schools with pupils in years 1 to 8 in 2010. The standards set clear expectations that students need to meet in reading, writing, and mathematics in the first eight years at school. The English-medium National Standards packs are being distributed to schools from 30 October 2009. These packs will initially be distributed to all English-medium schools, based on the following:
- boards of trustees in schools with students in years 1 to 8 (three copies per board)
- primary and secondary principals (one copy each)
- year 1 to 8 teachers (one copy each)
- year 9 teachers (one reference copy each)
- primary and secondary schools (two reference copies per school).
Additional packs are free to order at Down the Back of the Chair . For further enquiries, phone the Down the Back of the Chair team on 0800 660 662. The standards are also available online on The New Zealand Curriculum Online's National Standards page . For further information on the National Standards, see the Ministry of Education website .
Community
On the forum:
- We've been talking with eFellow, Robyn Hurliman about her project. She has been using literacy circles and blogging with her year 4 class to create deeper understandings with what the children are reading in response to what others say. It is a fascinating read and I encourage you to have a look.
- The revised timeline for the implementation of the National Standards .
Elsie Locke Writing Prize
Elsie Locke, born in 1912, was the author of many books for children and wrote more than 30 stories for the School Journal. The 2010 Elsie Locke Writing Prize (PDF 208KB) commemorates her life, both as a writer and as a person who was concerned about peace, the environment, women’s issues, and being a citizen of New Zealand.
Websites to support literacy – Boys and Books
The following websites may give you some inspiration in engaging reluctant readers (especially boys!) with texts. The sites could be accessed by the students, or by teachers to help in resource brainstorming.
- John Marsden
- Paul Jennings
- Anthony Horowitz
- Charlie Higson
English Online
Dear all,
I have thoroughly enjoyed being the English Online facilitator for the past year, and will continue to work with you as part of our community. What will our subject look like as we move into the new NZC? Let's think big and take the best and most visionary approach to helping our students read, study and, most of all, enjoy language and literature in all its forms.
Best wishes to your students who are about to sit exams — and to all the wonderful teachers who have supported them this year.
Karen
English Online
Community
Welcome to the 100+ who have joined the English Online community this month:-)
On the English forums this month, we have been talking about:
- Halfmen of O resources
- Once Were Warriors resources
- coping with the admin in your first year of teaching
- Level 3 film terms
- Communications standard 1273
- Flight of the Conchords web resource from Conference
New additions to the English Online wiki include:
- Resources for level 3 US 12431 and 12432 (moving and static images)
Thanks to all who have shared and contributed this month.
New Zealand Curriculum
What does it look like when implementation is going well? Have a look at this The New Zealand Curriculum Online update on implementation successes for some ideas.
It's New-vember! New resources, new thinking ...
What does the New Zealand Curriculum/English look like in real English departments? Share an example of your planning and thinking on our wiki (anonymously if you like;-). If every school shares one new/revised NZC resource during November, we'll have a huge bank to draw on. A lesson, a unit, a plan, a policy — all welcome.
National Standards
These are now launched and live. Refer to our National Standards page for full details.
NCEA
-
Update on the alignment process is now up on TKI on the NCEA page
. It includes the revised English Level 1 standards and the current timeline.
- English exams: level 1 (Tuesday 17 November, am), level 3 (Wednesday 18 November, am), level 2 and scholarship (Thursday 19 November, am). Find the full exam timetable on the NZQA site.
- Shakespeare 2010 (AS 90722): Othello, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear and The Tempest.
New resources
Animals on show (years 12-13)
Animals & Us have just sent secondary schools a new resource book, Animals on show. It includes three lesson plans developed specifically for English NCEA levels 1 and 2, and a variety of written and visual texts that relate to these lessons (although teachers can use these independently if they want to). These materials are particularly useful for exploring different values and conflicting arguments on the issue of animal rights.
Assessment for Learning toolkit
Download this Powerpoint that describes 70 strategies that can help teachers gather information on how their students are learning at any given time. It has been produced by Mike Gershon and featured in the TES Online .
Download AFL toolkit: _Assessment For Learning Activities (PowerPoint 4MB)
e-Fellows in English
Many of you will have been to the ULearn 09 Conference . This year's e-Fellows presented their findings — and you can find out how they used e-learning to enhance their students' reading and writing skills. Go to the e-Fellows site for more information.
The Lit Bit
Roxborogh reviews: Tania Roxborogh shares her thoughts on the following titles:
- The Crossing (book one in the Blood of the Lamb trilogy) by Mandy Hager (Random House, pb)
'Mandy Hager’s The Crossing should come with a warning: be prepared to face some potentially disturbing truths about the future of our world. I found the novel utterly compelling and very scary/disturbing in places...'
- Real Life (the final to the Thieves trilogy by Ella West, Longacre Press, pb)
'No sooner had Real Life arrived at our house than the eldest teen nabbed it before I had a chance to read even the back cover...'
- Set in Stone and Tribal Ash (Books 2 and 3 of The Chronicles of Stone trilogy) by Vince Ford (Scholastic NZ, pb)
'Typically, Ford’s narrative is sparse and fast and children, boys and girls, will love the authentic adventure set during the ice age. Get the first one and then use the next two as carrots...'
- Lacy and the Drama Queens and Slide the Corner revised and updated editions: both by Fleur Beale (Scholastic, pb)
'Lots of sub-plots and funny moments make this a highly recommended gift for the tween in your family...'
Download the full set of Tania's reviews: October Book Reviews (Word 24KB)
BNZ Katherine Mansfield awards
'It was the summer I thought I was a composer. I had a bunch of flatmates from the music school, and they were all practicing madly – in a flutter of fingers, a slap of the metronome, a burst of brass – and I was writing pieces for them to play...'
So begins The Windmill by Alice Millar, the premier winner of the awards. You can read the winning stories and the judges' reports on the BNZ competition page .
Booklists and online reading communities
The National Literacy Trust has compiled some useful booklists and sites to help teachers and young people to choose books, talk to others about books, or get some ideas to motivate others to read. They also have a great list of general children's literature resources .
Young critics review books for The Guardian Children's Fiction prize
Participants in The Guardian's competition for children demonstrated a taste for gritty and life-changing reads. (Read more ... )
Events
VC conversations: 'WordSpace: the sky is the limit when you read' (Years 7-10)
When: Thursday 5 November at 2pm
Who: Leading children’s fiction writers Melanie Drewery, Joy Watson and Brian Falkner.
Book your place by contacting Ken Pullar, OtagoNet: ken@otagonet.school.nz
ESOL Online
Kia ora,
This will be another busy time for those of you in the primary sector who will have your attention on new government initiatives in literacy and numeracy (I acknowledge that a focus on the special language of each curriculum area has been central to your teaching for a long time and is clearly a core element in delivering the 2007 curriculum), while in the secondary sector the literacy issues concern university entrance and the new literacy standards being written for level 1 NCEA. Underpinning our practice is an understanding of the latest research findings around literacy initiatives and the needs of English language learners. You may want to consider accepting the MoE's generous offer of TESSOL scholarships to find out more about how to cater for English language learners in the mainstream. See below for further information.
Naku noa na
Margaret
(ESOL Online / esolonline@learningmedia.co.nz
)
The forums
As the ESOL Online forum facilitator for the last six months I have loved being back in touch with you through the forum and have enjoyed continuing the discussions when I have met you outside the forum.
This month in the ESOL Forum :
- A new secondary school resource, Course planning: Steps, model approaches, and template , has been highlighted. Developed by Jenni Bedford and Breda Matthews, the resource includes customisable model course approaches and planning template, as well as opportunities for differentiated levels of support. The materials can be used in all ESOL course planning. It includes links to the New Zealand Curriculum, ELLP and ELIP, as well as to the requirements for NZQA Course Approval and Accreditation for ESOL courses for international students. The planner is appropriate for: Foundation ESOL, Junior ESOL Transition, Senior NCEA ESOL, EAP Literacy, and short term ESOL for International students.
- In the primary forum, teachers have been discussing the challenging issue of how to cater for small numbers of English language learners in a school. Your suggestions are welcome.
News
Apply now for the TESSOL (Teaching English in Schools to Speakers of Other Languages) tuition fees scholarships for study towards a TESSOL qualification. The scholarships are offered by the Ministry of Education to teachers of new migrant, Pasifika, and International students in state-funded primary, intermediate, and secondary schools.
Scholarships are available to teachers in three categories:
- Migrant initiative — for schools with new migrant students and those from a refugee background
- Pasifika initiative — for schools with Pasifika English language learners
- International initiative — for schools with International fee-paying students.
Details are available from the ministry website
or contact Richard von Sturmer
.
Please note that the Principal must nominate teachers and provide supporting information for the application. The closing date for all applications is 30 October 2009, although this date may be extended.
Tsunami
Our hearts go out to all those affected by tsunami in the Pacific region. At times like this we see how close the links are between the people of Samoa and Aotearoa New Zealand. For the first time The New Zealand Herald updated news from Samoa about the tsunami in both Samoan and English on its website. Also, we remember people in the Philippines who have similarly faced the destructive power of a tsunami.
Why we need a language policy
The Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, recently outlined the reasons why we need a national languages policy. Read the speech he gave at Massey University.
Korean soap opera on Triangle and Stratos TV
Have look at this popular and engaging soap opera, Jewel in the Palace , on Tuesday and Sunday evenings at 9 pm. Set 500 years ago, the programme centres on intrigue in a palace of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. English subtitles.
Resources
ESOL teaching skills taskbook
This taskbook contains 40 stand-alone tasks suitable for English language teachers in a variety of contexts. It is also a professional development resource focusing on different aspects of teaching English to speakers of other languages. It was produced by teacher trainers at Language International in Auckland, New Zealand.