The New Zealand Curriculum is a wonderful, enriching curriculum which covers English, Maths, Science, Arts, Learning Languages, Health & PE, Social Sciences and Technology. The Ministry of Education asks schools to report on reading, writing and mathematics; however, it is important to note that we aim to cover all areas of the curriculum each year. To support your child, the following ideas may help.
Reading
Phase 1 (years 1 to 3) learners are learning to read
Phase 2 and 3 (years 4 to 8) learners are reading to learn.
As a school, we encourage whanau to check out the classroom site, which covers the learning that your child is doing in class. Senior students (phase 2 and 3), which are years 4 to 8, have classroom sites that cover all curriculum areas, and you are able to see what they are doing in class.
Below, we also have a range of online sites that you can access, which may support your child.
We ask that your child do their reading each day. This can be a book provided by the teacher (phase 1), which is for years 1-3. There are books that can be accessed via a password with the LLLL site. Books have been allocated to each child.
You are also encouraged to enrich their literacy experience by talking to them about books and experiences. You can read to them and discuss the author's purpose, what they think might happen next, etc.
Literature is a range of text types, eg, poetry, recipe, newspaper item, novel, non-fiction, research, etc.
As your child moves through the school, they will be accessing a wider range of text types. It has been scientifically researched that novels are important to build comprehension, fluency, understanding of the deeper meaning of text and the author's purpose for phase 2 and 3 learners (year 4 to 8).
Writing
support can be created from any piece of text that you have either read or seen. Building on a range of deeper vocabulary, using a range of punctuation and being able to write fluently an important parts of learning.
Math
support that you can provide in the way of increasing fluency of essential facts is helpful. Students work through the curriculum to enable them to read, write and identify, notice and be inquisitive problem solvers. Maths is a fun way to engage your child.
Card games
Boardgames
Competitions of speed, fluency and solving number problems
Giving change from money transactions and banking for financial literacy
Estimating, guessing, thinking about "I wonder if..." problems
Below are some helpful sites.
Prodigy Maths
Fun Brain - Maths
Kiwi Kids News - Literacy
Free Children's Stories - Literacy
Free Rice - Literacy
Storynory - Literacy