The structure of the Curriculum Statement

The strands

The curriculum statement for English consists of three strands–oral language (listening and speaking); written language (reading and writing); and visual language (viewing and presenting).

The strands build on the knowledge and understanding outlined in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework for the essential learning area Language and Languages.

The ability to use spoken and written language effectively, to read and to listen, and to discern critically messages from television, film, the computer, and other visual media is fundamental both to learning and to effective participation in society and the work force....

....Throughout their schooling, students will be provided with frequent opportunities to observe, learn, and practise oral, written, and visual forms of language, to learn about the structures and use of language, and to access and use information.

The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, page 10

Although the strands of oral, written, and visual language are set out separately in this curriculum statement, in practice they will be interwoven. English programmes should ensure that students' experience of language is coherent and enriched through all three strands.

A more detailed description of each strand precedes the charts of achievement objectives on pages 26 to 41.

Achievement objectives

Each strand includes descriptions of achievement objectives which span eight levels of achievement. These objectives are of two types: language functions, and processes.

The language functions specify what students are expected to be able to do as they use and respond to English language. For example, the objectives for written language specify the ability to use language for expressive, poetic, and transactional purposes. Achievement objectives for the functions are expressed for each of the eight levels.

The processes underpin the language functions and are crucial for students' language development. For each strand, three processes are specified ø exploring language, thinking critically, and processing information. For example, through exploring spoken language, students will learn to adapt spoken language to their audience. The achievement objectives for the processes span eight levels in four sets of two-level bands.

These functions and processes are set out on pages 28 to 41.

The achievement objectives provide the basis for planning programmes and for assessing a student's language development at any one time. Learning is enhanced when students have clear concepts of their learning goals.

The achievement objectives are based on the recognition that language is a developmental process and that students within a single class will be operating at different levels of learning. The objectives are intended to be seen as cumulative, and express learning as progressively more complex language behaviours and skills.

They enable teachers to determine whether the language aims are being achieved, to establish what an individual student can do, and to decide what the next step should be.

The following diagram indicates approximate parallels between levels of achievement and class and age bands. It is not expected that all students of the same age will be achieving at the same level at the same time. The level statements assist teachers to identify a student's progressive development, and therefore to provide the most appropriate programmes.

Students will show progress through:

• their increased vocabulary, their use of increasingly elaborate and cohesive sentence structures, and their control over a variety of types of text;
• the range and variety of the contexts in which they use language;
• their continuing growth in independence and ability in using language for different purposes;
• their ability to select precise vocabulary and idiom for the purpose and situation;
• the movement from familiar, personal contexts to exploring new ideas and impersonal or abstract concepts;
• the range and complexity of their ideas and responses;
• their ability to apply language skills to new learning;
• their developing ability to interpret layers of meaning in complex texts.

Teaching and learning examples

Teaching and learning examples are provided as possible starting points and directions for teachers in their planning. Each example provides a specific focus for achieving one or more objectives within a broader context. In practice, the three language strands are often combined, and many of the examples indicate opportunities for teachers to plan an integrated approach to learning and teaching. At the same time, the objectives define, encourage, and recognise specific kinds of learning which, together, contribute to literacy development.

Assessment

The primary purpose of school-based assessment is to improve students' learning and the quality of learning programmes....

Assessment of individual students' progress is essentially diagnostic. Such assessment is integral to the learning and teaching programme. Its purpose is to improve teaching and learning by diagnosing learning strengths and weaknesses, measuring students' progress against the defined achievement objectives, and reviewing the effectiveness of teaching programmes.

The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, page 24

Teachers should use a range of formal and informal approaches to assessment to take account of students' varying learning needs and styles. These include:

• ongoing, continuous assessment which provides immediate feedback, enhancing the learning as it proceeds;
• self-assessment, which enables students to monitor their own progress against specific objectives and evidence from their own work;
• peer assessment, which helps to improve learning and to develop social and co-operative skills;
• teacher assessment, in which progress and strengths are recognised, difficulties diagnosed, and strategies to overcome them planned.

Effective assessment also assists teachers to monitor their teaching and modify programmes accordingly.

The suggested learning and teaching examples in the English curriculum statement are organised in two-level bands. Students within any one group will be achieving at different levels. Their levels of achievement will also vary across different strands. The examples, therefore, illustrate ways of assessing students' achievement against more than one level, and across the strands, with a single assessment task.

Each example demonstrates ways in which aspects of English language development might be assessed, and how this assessment can be integrated with learning and teaching. The assessment approaches cover a range of procedures which teachers have found to be effective, and are included as examples to build on. These procedures, however, should not be seen in isolation from the much broader teaching and learning context provided for each example.

When evaluating students' progress, teachers should reflect on the range of observations, records, and work that has been assembled, and determine which level for a particular strand is the "best fit" for each student in terms of consistent performance. Through this process, teachers will build a profile of each student's language development.

Within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework, standards for English will be developed that are based on the achievement objectives contained in this curriculum. Any external examination prescriptions will also be informed by this statement and its achievement objectives.