Wāhanga Ako: Te Reo Pākehā

This learning area presents English language as a tool for communicating and expressing thought, social interaction, and academic learning.

This learning area supports the learning of Māori language as the primary language of instruction in Māori medium schools by strengthening and building on the linguistic competencies outlined in the Māori language learning area. In that way, this learning area supports an additive approach to language teaching and learning.

The Purpose of Learning Te Reo Pākehā

Our parents and tūpuna have long understood the benefits of learning English language as a means of accessing and contributing to the wider world. The well-known poem by Sir Āpirana Ngata illustrates that understanding by encouraging children and young people to retain their heritage (including te reo Māori), while also seeking to master the tools of the Pākehā world (including the English language).

These words are echoed by parents today and this learning area supports the aspiration for children in Māori medium settings to be bilingual in Māori and English.

The purpose of this learning area is to guide learners to develop proficiency in English language in order that they:

• can participate and contribute to the global world;
• are bilingual and bi-literate;
• achieve linguistic competence in English;
• achieve NCEA qualifications in English (if they wish);
• can pursue and achieve their aspirations in English.

The Structure of this Learning Area

English is not a foreign language for children in Māori medium schools. For some, English will be their first language. The vast majority of learners in Māori medium settings are proficient speakers of English. This learning area acknowledges that learners have prior language knowledge and seeks to build on that base in order to develop bilingual learners.

This learning area identifies two major aspects of language – using language in everyday settings and using language for academic purposes. Both aspects incorporate listening, reading & viewing and spelling, writing & presenting.

Learners will experience the functional, colloquial and idiomatic features of English language within the context of everyday settings. Functional language refers to the purposes for which we use language such as greeting, buying things, making appointments and asking for help. Multiple language functions are evident in everyday language use.

In order to achieve academically, learners need to be proficient in academic language. Through learning these aspects of English language learners will be equipped to reach their full potential at secondary school and tertiary level.

The language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing can be strengthened through the exploration of these two major aspects of te reo Pākehā.

Level 6

Listening, Reading, and Viewing

Processes and strategies

Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully and confidently to
identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Indicators:

• selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment;
• recognises, understands, and considers the connections between oral, written, and visual language;
• integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully and confidently to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts;
• selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence;
• thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence;
• monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.

By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will:

Purposes and audiences

Show a developed understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and
audiences.

Indicators:

• recognises, understands, and considers how texts are constructed for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations;
• identifies particular points of view within texts and recognises that texts can position a reader;
• evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts with confidence.

Ideas

Show a developed understanding of ideas, within, across, and beyond texts.

Indicators:

• makes meaning by understanding comprehensive ideas;
• makes connections by interpreting ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts;
• recognises that there may be more than one reading available within a text;
• makes and supports inferences from texts independently.

Level 6

Language features

Show a developed understanding of how language features are used for effect within and
across texts.

Indicators:

• identifies a range of oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects;
• uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning;
• understands and interprets how text conventions work together to create meaning and effect;
• understands that authors have different voices and styles and identifies and can explain these differences.

Structure

Show a developed understanding of a range of structures.

Indicator:

• identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and considers how they contribute to and affect text meaning.

Level 6

Speaking, Writing, Presenting

Processes and strategies

Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully and confidently to
identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Indicators:

• uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts;
• creates a range of increasingly varied and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies;
• seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect;
• is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.

By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will:

Purposes and audiences

Show a developed understanding of how to shape texts for different audiences and purposes.

Indicators:

• constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form;
• conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.

Ideas

Select, develop, and communicate connected ideas on a range of topics.

Indicators:

• develops and communicates comprehensive ideas, information, and understandings;
• works towards creating coherent, planned whole texts by adding details to ideas or making links to other ideas and details;
• ideas show an understanding and awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.

Level 6

Language features

Select and use a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.

Indicators:

• uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features with control to create meaning and effect and to sustain interest;
• uses an increasing vocabulary to communicate precise meaning;
• uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.

Structure

Organise texts, using a range of appropriate, effective structures.

Indicators:

• achieves a sense of coherence and wholeness when constructing texts;
• organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms.

Level 7

Listening, Reading, and Viewing

Processes and strategies

Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Indicators:

• selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment;
• recognises, understands, and appreciates the connections between oral, written, and visual language;
• integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully, confidently, and precisely to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts;
• selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence and discrimination;
• thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence;
• monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.

By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will:

Purposes and audiences

Show a discriminating understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.

Indicators:

• recognises, understands, and appreciates how texts are constructed for a range of intentions and situations;
• identifies particular points of view within texts and understands that texts can position a reader;
• evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts.

Ideas

Show a discriminating understanding of ideas, within, across, and beyond texts.

Indicators:

• makes meaning by understanding increasingly sophisticated ideas;
• makes connections by analysing ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts;
• understands that there may be multiple readings available within a text;
• makes and supports inferences from texts independently.

Level 7

Language features

Show a discriminating understanding of how language features are used for effect within and
across texts.

Indicators:

• identifies a range of increasingly sophisticated oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects;
• uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning;
• understands and analyses how text conventions work together to create meaning and effect;
• understands that authors have different voices and styles and appreciates these differences.

Structure

Show a discriminating understanding of a range of structures.

Indicator:

• identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and appreciates how they contribute to and affect text meaning.

Level 7

Speaking, Writing, Presenting

Processes and strategies

Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Indicators:

• uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts;
• creates a range of increasingly coherent, varied, and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies;
• seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect;
• is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.

By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will:

Purposes and audiences

Show a discriminating understanding of how to shape texts for different audiences and purposes.

Indicators:

• constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form;
• conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate.

Ideas

Select, develop, and communicate sustained ideas on a range of topics.

Indicators:

• develops, communicates, and sustains increasingly sophisticated ideas, information, and understandings;
• creates coherent, planned whole texts by adding details to ideas or making links to other ideas and details;
• ideas show depth of thought and awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.

Level 7

Language features

Select and integrate a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.

Indicators:

• uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features fluently and with control to create meaning and effect and to sustain interest;
• uses an increasing vocabulary to communicate precise meaning;
• uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.

Structure

Organise texts, using a range of appropriate, coherent, and effective structures.

Indicator:

• organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms with control.

Level 8

Listening, Reading, and Viewing

Processes and strategies

Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and
precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Indicators:

• selects and reads texts for enjoyment and personal fulfilment;
• recognises, understands, and appreciates the connections between oral, written, and visual language;
• integrates sources of information and prior knowledge purposefully, confidently, and precisely to make sense of increasingly varied and complex texts;
• selects and uses appropriate processing and comprehension strategies with confidence and discrimination;
• thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence;
• monitors, self-evaluates, and describes progress, articulating learning with confidence.

By using these processes and strategies when listening, reading, or viewing, students will:

Purposes and audiences

Show a discriminating understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and
audiences.

Indicators:

• recognises, understands and appreciates how texts are constructed for a range of intentions and situations;
• identifies particular points of view within texts and understands that texts can position a reader;
• evaluates the reliability and usefulness of texts.

Ideas

Show a discriminating and insightful understanding of ideas within, across, and beyond texts.
Indicators:

• makes meaning by perceptively understanding sophisticated ideas;
• makes connections by analysing, evaluating, and synthesising ideas within and between texts from a range of contexts;
• understands that there may be multiple readings available within a text;
• makes and supports inferences from texts independently.

Level 8

Language features

Show a discriminating and insightful understanding of how language features are used for effect
within and across texts.

Indicators:

• identifies a range of sophisticated oral, written, and visual language features and understands their effects;
• uses an increasing vocabulary to make meaning;
• understands, analyses, and evaluates how text conventions work together to create meaning and effect;
• understands that authors have different voices and styles and appreciates these differences.

Structure

Show a discriminating understanding of a range of structures.

Indicator:

• identifies and understands the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms and appreciates how they contribute to and affect text meaning.

Level 8

Speaking, Writing, Presenting

Processes and strategies

Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and
precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.

Indicators:

• uses an increasing understanding of the connections between oral, written, and visual language when creating texts;
• creates a range of increasingly coherent, varied, and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies;
• seeks feedback and makes changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect;
• is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress, articulating learning with confidence.

By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing, or presenting, students will:

Purposes and audiences

Show a discriminating understanding of how to shape texts for different purposes and audiences.

Indicators:

• constructs a range of texts that demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of purpose and audience through deliberate choice of content, language, and text form;
• conveys and sustains personal voice, where appropriate.

Ideas

Select, develop, and communicate sustained and insightful ideas on a range of topics.

Indicators:

• develops, communicates, and sustains sophisticated ideas, information, and understandings;
• creates coherent, planned whole texts by adding details to ideas or making links to other ideas and details;
• ideas show perception, depth of thought, and awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.

Level 8

Language features

Select, integrate, and sustain the use of a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.

Indicators:

• uses a wide range of oral, written, and visual language features coherently, fluently, and with control to create meaning and command attention;
• uses an increasing vocabulary to communicate precise meaning;
• uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.

Structures

Organise texts, using a range of appropriate, coherent, and effective structures.

Indicator:

• organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms with control.