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This topic is broken into 3 subtopics – click on a link to see the activities in each subtopic:
In each subtopic, students:
Topic objective
What you need
Monitoring and recording student progress
You can monitor and record student progress using the examples of good assessment practice in the English language learning progressions.
These resources promote a range of options for helping students living with dyslexia to learn in ways that work best for them. They will support dyslexic learners to be recognised and to access the curriculum through reasonable accommodations. Over time, further resources will be made available to support neurodiverse learners.
This resource is for teachers, learning support coordinators, literacy leaders and school leaders in primary and secondary schools with students who show signs of dyslexia. About Dyslexia supports the teaching and learning of literacy, and provides practical, strengths-based approaches for:
This update replaces the Ministry of Education’s 2008 About Dyslexia resource, with a greater emphasis on practical strategies and approaches for educators to respond effectively to learners with dyslexia.
All schools, Resource Teachers Literacy and Learning Support Co-coordinators (LSCs) have been sent a copy of About Dyslexia: Supporting Literacy in the Classroom to help support children and young people living with dyslexia, and ultimately lift their literacy outcomes.
This Ministry of Education page provides information on how parents and whānau can support their child at home and at school. It gives guidance for identifying the signs that a child might have dyslexia, practical tips for helping at home, how school can help; who they can talk to and seek support from, and how to actively take part in their child’s learning.
Tīpaopao – Kauwhata Reo
The Tīpaopao brochure is an introductory resource for supporting ākonga with dyslexia in Māori medium settings. It contains key ideas and strategies (including a learning support plan) that teachers, whānau, and support personnel can use to enhance learning conditions for children who may have specific literacy needs in Māori medium. It is supported by two videos outlining effective literacy teaching and support in Māori medium kura.
All kura and kohanga reo in Māori medium settings will receive the Tīpaopao resource. This useful resource has been designed to raise awareness and understanding of tīpaopao (dyslexia) for kaiako and whānau.
The New Zealand Dyslexia Handbook has been selected to be used as an interim tool for monitoring learners’ progress while further, more comprehensive resources to support all learners are developed. The handbook provides various assessments suitable to use in identifying dyslexic-type traits, as well as other underlying issues in literacy progress. All schools, Resource Teachers Literacy and Learning Support Co-coordinators (LSCs) have been sent a copy of the New Zealand Dyslexia Handbook.
There will be further work to develop:
A selection of non-Ministry resources that can be used to support ākonga with dyslexia are listed below. Please note that teacher input is necessary with all software as dyslexic children require responsive, sounds-based teaching that is delivered by someone who can listen to and respond to their errors and identify the reasons for their errors.
These resources were reviewed in 2022 against criteria that were developed in consultation with a range of dyslexia stakeholders. The kete will be periodically reviewed to ensure that the resources continue to meet the criteria.
This selection of resources is not exhaustive. We know there are many other high-quality resources that benefit learners with dyslexia in the market. You can use the review criteria to assess resources that have not been included in this selection.
Audience: Teachers
Years: 4–10
Description: A structured approach to literacy with decodable books for older students. Can be used with 1:1 interventions, small groups, or as a whole class activity. Organised into eight levels, each kit contains a teacher manual, decodable readers, and practical material for teaching activities. Learners progress through levels at their own pace. From the Agility with Sound website, access:
Wordchain is recommended for use in conjunction with Agility with Sound for practice and reinforcement.
Audience: Teachers, students
Years: 2–10
Description: Wordchain is a series of online learning games for reinforcing phonological skills through word building and phoneme manipulation. The games are designed for use with Agility with Sound but can be used as a standalone support within a literacy programme. Originally designed as a series of apps which run on iOS and Android devices, from February 2022, Wordchain for the Web enables users to access the games via a browser from any device and save progress. Wordchain for the Web uses a browser-based admin platform that allows educators or parents to monitor progress, set recommended levels and other preferences, and group students. Demonstration versions of all the Wordchains are on the website.
Audience: Classroom teachers, SENCOs, LSCs, school-based intervention teachers working with learners who have dyslexia, and parents
Years: 1–13
Description: Practical, researched approaches for teaching school-aged learners with dyslexia. A range of assessments are included to identify learning needs and monitor progress, along with lesson plans and printable resources. Accompanying videos that demystify dyslexia and illustrate practical classroom approaches for teachers are accessible from NZCER. The text aims to bridge the gap between research on dyslexia and school and community understanding.
Audience: Classroom teachers, SENCOs, LSCs, and school-based intervention teachers
Years: 0–8
Description: This online teaching and learning platform provides educators with the knowledge, appropriate assessments, reporting systems, and multisensory resources to explicitly teach foundation literacy skills using a systematic and cumulative evidence-based approach. It is for use in both mainstream classes and intervention settings.
Audience: Parents, classroom teachers
Description: These 12 freely accessible videos describe “bite sized” and practical foundational literacy skills and activities based on the Building Blocks of Reading Success. They were developed to support learning at home. It is recommended that the videos are viewed in the progressive order that they are listed. Each video has supporting resources available through the Learning Matters website.
Description: Taking a phonological approach, the book is set out in the form of lesson plans for teaching phonics skills sequentially. It begins with the basic alphabet sounds through to blends, digraphs, syllable breaking, and decoding Latin and Greek words. Each lesson is followed by a worksheet for students.
Diagnostic assessments of phoneme awareness, basic decoding skills, word reading, spelling, writing, and attitudes to learning are included. Teachers can use these assessments to establish learner needs and evaluate whether teaching has been successful at the end of the programme.
Additional teaching strategies are given to reinforce spelling and assist reading comprehension. Strategies for students experiencing learning difficulties and information on reporting to parents are included, incorporating research on effective tutoring methods.
Years: 5–13
Description: Use Sort Out Your Syllables for teaching ākonga how to decode, pronounce, and spell multisyllabic words using their knowledge of phonemes and the alphabetic code. The resource consists of a teacher manual, a student practice book, and a desktop card/poster of English vowel patterns.
The programme starts with two short assessments that identify the gaps in skills for reading and spelling unfamiliar multisyllabic words, followed by a series of 10-minute lessons that have been designed to close the gaps. The strategies are designed to make it easier for ākonga to read and write multisyllabic words, which in turn promotes growth in reading and writing.
Years: 0–13+
Description: A sound wall supports learners to connect speech with print, helping them make sense of the alphabetic code they are working in. This resource supports the teaching and learning of NZ English and te reo Māori speech sounds (phonemes), and the letters (graphemes) used to represent them in writing.
The teacher manual explains how to use sound walls effectively to:
The resource can be used for classroom teaching and tier 2 and tier 3 interventions.
Audience: Classroom teachers, school-based intervention teachers, parents
Years: 0–13/Adult
Description: StepsWeb is an online programme designed to support literacy learning. It can be used with the whole class, groups, or individuals with specific learning needs, such as dyslexia. A support site provides information and guidance for using StepsWeb and some specific information about supporting dyslexic learners using StepsWeb.
Diagnostic assessments and screening tests are provided for identifying learner needs, where to begin in StepsWeb scope and sequence, and to measure progress.
StepsWeb has its own detailed scope and sequence.
StepsWeb is customisable – individual activities and resources can be used to reinforce any research-based literacy approach. Teachers can create and customise their own chosen literacy progression and schools are able to build entire banks of resources specifically for their school.
The StepsWeb programme includes individual workbooks and printable resources and games. It is strongly recommended that Foundation Level learners and older learners who are struggling with literacy are on the workbooks as well as the online activities. Boxed sets of supporting games are available for group teaching with higher-need learners.
Audience: Classroom teachers, SENCOs, LSCs, RTLits, RTLBs, and school-based intervention teachers
Years: 1–8
Description: The Code provides a systematic and cumulative literacy approach for teaching spelling. It includes:
Learning about my students' needsWhat is important (and therefore worth spending time on), given where my students are at? This focusing inquiry establishes a baseline and a direction. The teacher uses all available information to determine what their students have already learned and what they need to learn next.
What is important (and therefore worth spending time on), given where my students are at? This focusing inquiry establishes a baseline and a direction. The teacher uses all available information to determine what their students have already learned and what they need to learn next.
In years 9 and 10 the values, key competencies and learning areas lay the foundation for living and further learning. For senior students, schools need to enable access to future school programmes, the workplace, and tertiary courses.
What literacy knowledge and skills do my students have in Science?
Use multiple sources of information to determine the focus of your inquiry – student voice, assessment information, diagnostic tasks.
Some of the resources have a specific literacy focus. For example:
What literacy knowledge and skills need to be developed?
This page contains a number of resources suitable for librarians (and teachers) under the following headings.
Libraries | Library resources | Reference resources | Book-related sites
Planning for my students' needs What strategies (evidence-based) are most likely to help my students learn this? In this teaching inquiry, the teacher uses evidence from research and from their own past practice and that of colleagues to plan teaching and learning opportunities aimed at achieving the outcomes prioritised in the focusing inquiry.
What strategies (evidence-based) are most likely to help my students learn this? In this teaching inquiry, the teacher uses evidence from research and from their own past practice and that of colleagues to plan teaching and learning opportunities aimed at achieving the outcomes prioritised in the focusing inquiry.
The key purpose of assessment is to enhance student learning and the quality of teaching and learning programmes. Assessment also enables the provision of feedback to both parents and learners about learning progress. Assessment is linked to qualifications at secondary school. Assessment should:
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NCEA Standards:
Other Resources:
Mastery of literacy in a second language is supported by literacy in the student's first language. Language and literacy knowledge in one language can serve as the foundation for a new language. Dual language books, high interest readers, and in class or withdrawal remediation, can all add to success for literacy learning for ESOL students. Also important is the contribution of whānau and the wider school community, who in many cases are the primary knowledge holders of literacy in a students first language. Social literacies may develop before academic, where language is more formal, restrained, and requires strong subject-specific and technical knowledge.
The following features of effective early literacy programs are recommended:
1. Oral language and literacy development is supported by the student's first language.
2. Literacy learning in English is an on-going process that requires time and appropriate support.
3. Instruction and materials are culturally and developmentally appropriate.
4. Literacy programs are meaning-based and balanced.
5. Assessment is reliable, valid, and ongoing.
6. Professional preparation and development is continually provided for educators regarding linguistic and cultural diversity.
from Position Paper on Language and Literacy Development for Young English Language Learners (ages 3-8), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2010
Making Language and Learning Work DVD 3 – Visual Arts, Year 5/6.Using differentiated texts is when a teacher uses different texts with different groups of students rather than the same text with the whole class, while still maintaining the same curriculum learning outcomes. The text choice is based upon the student’s level of English or their first language. Effective differentiation is only possible with good assessment knowledge. Some of the texts used may be bilingual texts in order to support the student’s first language. The use of bilingual texts helps students to make connections to their own prior learning and experience, as well as supporting their first language.
Supporting ESOL students to read independentlySchool librarian, Kim Bizo explains how the Lexile reading programme supports ESOL students to read independently with comprehension. Parent meetings are provided to explain the programme and provides a useful tool for parents to engage with their child's learning.
Bilingual digital storiesPrimary school teacher Bridget Harrison talks about using digital stories to support students with English as a second language.
Resources
English Language Learning ProgressionsThe English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) explain what ESOL specialists and mainstream teachers need to know about English language learners. They will help teachers to choose content, vocabulary, and tasks that are appropriate to each learner's age, stage, and language-learning needs. This may include learners for whom English is a first language but who would benefit from additional language support.
Working with ESOL learners with basic literacy needsAn article that examines who ESOL literacy learners are, what skills they may have, and practical ways to help them learn in the classroom.
Bilingual Assessment Service InformationThis service enables state and state-integrated schools to access a targeted group of trained Resource Teachers (Learning and Behaviour, RTLBs) to administer bilingual assessments of the learning needs of students from language backgrounds other than English. A bilingual assessment can distinguish between language learning needs, additional special learning needs, and social/emotional needs, through dual assessment in their first language and English.
Migrant and refugee background students with special education needs, including those who receive ESOL funding, are entitled to special education services available in New Zealand schools. They would need to meet the eligibility criteria for that particular service (for example, RTLB and RT Lit support, speech language therapy, ORS funding, Supplementary Learning Support). International fee-paying students are not eligible for these services.
The same applies for ESOL funding. A student who has any kind of special education funding is still eligible for ESOL funding as well, provided they meet the ESOL funding criteria.
What literacy knowledge and skills do my students have in English?
The Government have confirmed the final change package for NCEA, following a comprehensive review of NCEA and announcement of seven changes in May 2019.
There are two changes to the original proposed package and they relate to strengthening NCEA’s literacy and numeracy requirements:
Although no changes to NCEA will be implemented in 2020, the Ministry has started work to progress the changes. We’ll be working alongside teachers and other experts from the education sector, through subject expert groups, to develop the new achievement standards and resources across all NCEA subjects – starting with Level 1.
The full NCEA change package is available online.
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