Kia ora, everyone.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to give us feedback on the sites via our online surveys. We were really pleased with the number of replies - in fact, the survey tool, which has a limit of 100 respondents, reached that limit late last Wednesday. Apologies to those who were unable to respond after that - and please contact us
at any time with thoughts, suggestions and feedback. A report covering all responses and comments has been passed to the Ministry (we didn't include names if supplied). Some small adjustments have recently been made to the home pages to help you find what you need.
This month's newsletter includes new resources, all the action on the forums and the wiki, and updates on NCEA. Do pass this on to colleagues who you think would like to subscribe.
Kind regards
Karen Melhuish
Team Leader: Online professional learning
In this issue
News from:
Literacy Online
English Online
ESOL Online
Literacy Online
Kia ora, and welcome from Cath Braddock
On the forum we have been talking about the amended timeline for the implementation of the National Standards. A press release from NZEI explains the changes. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
On the wiki, have a look at the School Improvement Clusters, where teachers are sharing their literacy ideas, dilemmas, resources and frustrations! The wiki has been set up as a space for schools to communicate and work collaboratively with others in their cluster.
Also on the wiki is a new resource to help students process knowledge gained from a text. See below for more details on this.
National standards timeline
If you haven't had the opportunity to read the changes to the timeline
for the implementation of the National Standards, you can read them here.
Breathing e-learning into the draft Literacy Learning Progressions
Just up on the ICT in English blog is a post from Rochelle Jensen who facilitated a productive e-learning session in Tauranga. It resulted in an online resource that aims to show teachers how they might use e-learning practices to help students build literacy skills.
Literature circles and e-learning
Have a look at http://room8owhata.wikispaces.com/ for some inspirational teaching and ideas. This wiki diaries and demonstrates Robyn Hurliman's e-Fellow project - using literature circles and blogging discussions to help students think critically. The wiki is also a goldmine of information on how literature circles can be used in the classroom.
Literacy resources
If you're looking for literacy resources, check out Sparkle Box - a site that includes many free resources. Search for material that suits the learning needs of your students.
Another resource that has recently been sent to schools is Better Letters - for teachers of year 4-6 students (Curriculum levels 2 and 3). The resource has been developed to open up the world of letter writing and mail to teachers and students and to take you behind the scenes of the New Zealand postal service. The activities have been aligned to achievement objectives in English, the arts and technology and can be used flexibly to meet the specific needs of their students.
Helping students to process information found in a text
This literacy strategy - think and design-a-question - can be used across the curriculum and is suitable for students from year 3. This strategy, as part of a balanced reading and literacy programme, will help students to reach the goals outlined in the draft National Standards.
Sounds and Words
Sounds and Words
is a draft online resource intended to support teachers of year 1 to 8 students as they provide instruction in spelling and phonological awareness (including phonemic awareness and phonics). The link to Sounds and Words also appears on our home page.
Literacy in science
The Applications series
, for students in years 9 to 11, presents scientific and technological information within the context of narratives that reflect real-life problems and experiences. The series is accompanied by online teachers’ notes that suggest reading approaches and classroom science and technology activities.
Literacy in the news
A new literacy project has been launched in Manurewa , which will involve 29 schools and kura extending their reading programmes in English and Māori.
Read about Paraki School's literacy scheme .
See what League Star, Manu Vatuvei says about the importance of learning to read here .
English Online
Kia ora, and welcome from Karen Melhuish
Bill Manhire's keynote, about 'found' poetry at the conference put me in mind of how important it is to keep looking around us for ideas and inspiration, rather than trying to dream up all the good ideas on our own.
And many of us have been looking to our online community for support.
On the forums , we have been sharing ideas around texts that work well at Level 1, with Mean Creek coming up as a popular choice. Don't forget, there are text lists on the wiki, too, if you are looking for ideas for your students. On the ICT in English forum, Brian and Susan have been discussing teaching creative writing online, and Fiona has been sharing free ICT resources for English teachers.
On the wiki , Liz Minogue has shared a huge number of Mean Creek resources (thanks, Liz!), and we have a new resource for HoDs to play with (if revising your department scheme of work can be called 'playing' ;-). See below for more details.
New Zealand Curriculum
The English Scheme: Don't invent the wheel on your own!
Revising the department scheme is often something we don't get around to looking at until we absolutely have to, but in an ideal world, the scheme doesn't just explain what we do, but why we do it. In light of the new curriculum, what is worth saving - and what opportunities are there to improve what we do for our students?
Thanks to Karl Mutch and his team (Team Solutions) we can work on this together. Check out the English department scheme on the wiki - and have a go at revising a page that you may have to revise anyway. It's not the process that's key here, it's the thinking behind it.
Unpacking the English learning area
Unsure what do 'connections between oral, written and visual mean' (Processes and strategies, Level 2)? What might student work look like if they are 'recognising that there may be more than one reading available' at level 6?
Previously titled 'Enhancing the English Curriculum', the examples (and key literacy content that explains them) are now on the English NZ Curriculum page , currently at levels 2, 4, 6 and 8.
NCEA: Exemplars for Levels 1-3
Exemplars for all three levels, from the 2008 English externals, are now online. Download and explore them, alongside the assessment schedules, to inform your marking before the practice exam round begins.
NCEA Level 2 English: exam changes
Improvements to the external assessments at Level 2 have been circulated to schools. Key alterations include genre-specific questions and questions focused on non-fiction. Read the Assessment Matters circular (A2009/022 - 03 August 2009) for the full details.
The Differentiator
We know we have to consider our students' needs when we are planning, which may mean setting up multiple groups with specific tasks. Stuck for a way through the planning? Have a look at this simple tool. Thanks to the English Teacher blog for this link to the Differentiator tool.
Supporting our high achievers
Each quarter, the NZATE journal, English in Aotearoa includes a section, 'virtually.together', dedicated to how English Online can support particular learners. Download the article from the July edition that explores how the sites can help you plan for gifted and talented achievers: Journal article_July 09 (Word 110KB) (Word)
Blogging in the classroom
This post, from the English Teacher blog , explores the tension between giving students free reign to express their ideas, and the need to help them improve their accuracy and style. Have a look at the post, Blogging in the classroom , then pop into the ICT in English forum to have to have your say.
Video conferencing for teachers
Stranded in the middle of nowhere but keen for your students to take advantage of the expertise and enthusiasm of the NZ Book Council writers ? You may be keen to use the Book Council's video conferencing services to bring you all together. They also welcome your suggestions for themes or writers that would sit your students. For more information, contact Ken Pullar at OtagoNet.
NZCER Student engagement conference
(Wellington and Auckland, 9 and 11 September 2009)
This one-day conference brings together New Zealand and international experts in engaging students.
'Improving learning involves engaging the minds, hearts and imaginations of young people. It requires us to have faith in our students and to show them respect. It means building on what they already know and believe, what they care about now, and what they hope for in the future, so that they become active and committed life long learners. This mix of behaviour, emotion and cognition is known as student engagement.'
Write On magazine for young writers (years 4-13)
Published twice a year, Write On magazine is devoted to showcasing quality work by writers in years 4 to 13. Published by the Christchurch-based School for Young Writers , it is a non-profit venture supported by minimal amounts of advertising and low-level subscription fees. The published stories, poems and scripts are written by students from the School for Young Writers and from subscribing schools and individuals. The magazine is an excellent classroom resource to stimulate reading as well as writing and provides entertainment and inspiration for budding writers.
2009 NZATE short story competition (years 9-10)
What springs to mind when you read, 'The boy scans his reflection'?
If your school is a member of NZATE , here's a great writing opportunity. Students in years 9-10 submit a story (200 word limit) to slangley@paradise.net.nz before Thursday 10 September 2009. Include the story as a Word document, as well as the title, author's initials and year level.
New ARBs resources
Two new English resources at Level 4
have recently been published. Both of these are resources about vocabulary, and focus on student ability to use contextual clues to infer the meaning of a word. They are:
- WL2519, Playing with Words: "memorable"
- WL2521, Playing with Words: "implode"
Both resources are based on the Part 4 School Journal article, 'Playing with words'.
Events
The Wanganui Literary Festival
18-20 September 2009
A writers and readers festival with a lifestyle theme. Enjoy a wide range of talks, discussions, readings and live performances by a selection of New Zealand's best writers.
New Zealand Law and Literature Symposium
3 September 2009
Dr Grant Morris (Senior Lecturer in Law, Victoria University) has constructed a database of legal references in New Zealand fictional literature and visual media. The website launch includes a one-day symposium, which will feature presentations by writers and academics, including Charlotte Grimshaw and Damien Wilkins. This event will be of interest to academics, students, lawyers, writers and members of the general public with a passion for fiction and/or law. For more information, contact Dr Grant Morris
.
Venue: Lecture Theatre 3, Law Faculty, Victoria University of Wellington
The KM Birthplace Book Club - Dr Alice Te Punga Somerville
2 September 2009
This lunchtime lecture by Dr Alice Te Punga Somerville is the fifth in a series on controversial books run by the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society. September's lecture looks at the novel Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff.
Venue: Wellington Bridge Club, 17 Tinakori Rd, Thorndon, Wellington.
The Lit Bit
Roxborogh reviews: Tania Roxborogh shares her thoughts on the following titles:
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
'In a nutshell, it is a story that says that there is a "place"; a physical landscape in which only certain people can enter. A place which is acrid and infertile but rich in dreams – dreams which inspire, dreams which delight, dreams which can be seen as a bit raunchy but also dreams which terrify...'
Circle of Flight by John Marsden
'the only reason I persevered was because I have been hooked into the character and the situation that I couldn’t help but keep reading...'
The Transformation of Minna Hargreves by Fleur Beale
'I once heard Fleur tell a group of students that the best thing an author could do was get their character, put them in the worse place they would want to be and then sit back and watch them try to get out of that situation. Heh, heh. This is exactly what happens to Minna ...'
Download Tania's reviews in full here: Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox (Word 29KB) (Word)
The winners of the LIANZA Children's Book Awards 2009 are:
- Esther Glen Award - Juno of Taris, Fleur Beale
- Russell Clark Award - Herbert: The Brave Sea Dog, Robyn Belton
- Te Kura Pounamu Award - Mihiroa, Peti Nohotima
- Elsie Locke Award - Atoms, Dinosaurs & DNA, Veronika Meduna and Rebecca Priestly
And, finally ...
In memory of the late Alistair Te Ariki Campbell
A Poem in Negatives
Are you dead,
or are you alive?
You will never read this poem,
nevertheless it's for you.
Who but you
could understand this poem?
Who but a woman
who doesn't read poems
could make sense of it?
It says nothing, and yet
it says everything,
and what it doesn't say
is what it means to say.
Only you could understand
what I'm trying not to say.
If you are still alive,
think of me as a poet
you could never know
and whose poems only you
could understand,
even though you will never
read a single poem of mine.
If you are dead
it doesn't matter anyway.
© Alistair Te Ariki Campbell
[Source: Headworx ]
ESOL Online
Kia ora, and welcome from Margaret Kitchen
We have had some requests for a discussion space dedicated to primary school teachers. So here is a new forum, Primary , for all who support English language learners in primary schools (and others). Other teachers may want to peep into the forum - after all primary teachers are so skilled at knowing their students' language and learning needs and teaching with multi-levelled groups.
You will have issues you want to raise. Here are some you could respond to:
- What resources are you finding useful in your classrooms?
- What Language Across the Curriculum initiatives are happening in your schools?
On the ESOL Online forum
secondary school ESOL teachers have been considering the TESOLANZ letter to NZQA asking for improved programme and pathway coherence for English language learners (ELLs) in the current alignment of NCEA to the New Zealand Curriculum.
Thinking about how language works
The NZCER resource, Thinking about how language works
, provides teachers with additional information about language that will help with analysing students' written text. It has information about language structure and how to connect and track ideas in text.
Vocabulary and reading comprehension
This short article on vocabulary and reading comprehension has suggestions for how upper primary school students can be assisted to bridge the gap between decoding and comprehension.
Promoting literacy in multilingual contexts
(A monograph from the Research into Practice series, Ontario Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.)
Short, easy-to-read article contexts that encourages us to get to know our English language learners well - the more we know them, the more they are likely to learn from us. The article suggests we reflect on the extent to which we ask our English language learners to engage cognitively and to invest their identities in learning.
Download the article here: Cummins (PDF 811KB)
Literacy for al…most all, but not quite
Working paper by Russell Cross presented at the AARE International Educational Research Conference 2008
Cross takes stock of ESL education in Australia over the last 10 years since the introduction of Literacy for All. He outlines the problems encountered when literacy is connected with assessment and the stages of English language development for L2 students are assumed to be the same as for L1 students. Particularly interesting are Cross's practical suggestions for the ways monolingual teachers can work with L2 students to extend their linguistic repertoire of skills into a complex communication system.
Download the article here: cro08711_a (PDF 272KB)
News and events
Korean poet and essayist Kim Seon Wu will take up the first writer in residence post at The New Zealand Centre for Literary Translation at Wellington's Victoria University in September and October this year. Ms Kim's books of poetry include If My Tongue Refuses to Stay Locked Inside My Mouth (2000), I Fall Asleep Under the Peach Blossoms (2003) and Who Sleeps Inside Me (2007). She has received the Contemporary Literature Prize and the Chun Sang-byung Poetry Prize.
The Applied Linguistics Associations of New Zealand and Australia (ALANZ and ALAA)
2-4 December 2009
Earlybird registration rates apply until 16 October 2009.
The theme of the first combined conference is Participation and acquisition: Exploring these metaphors in Applied Linguistics. For more information, visit the conference website.
Venue: AUT University, Auckland
CAB Language Link has moved to new Auckland location
The CAB Language Link is a branch of the New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureau. It provides free, confidential information, support, advice, advocacy and interpreting services for migrants and refugees in 26 languages.
CANTESOL Expo and TESOLANZ AGM
These two annual events come together in Christchurch this year on Saturday, October 10
Venue: University of Canterbury, College of Education, Dovedale campus, Wheki building 302
Time: Registration 8.30am
Keynote speaker at 9am is Dr Stuart Middleton, Director of External Relations at Manukau Institute of Technology. In addition to the guest speaker and the TESOLANZ AGM, there will be workshops and networking opportunities. All welcome.