9 Literacy

Year 9  Literacy (9LIT) Kaupapa

This semester option course is for students who need to consolidate their reading and writing skills so that they can access learning across all curriculum areas more readily and manage the increased complexity of learning at secondary level more comfortably. The course is designed to increase students’ confidence by providing them with frequent opportunities to experience success so that they become more agentic. Learning competencies are interwoven into course delivery to support the development of a variety of literacy skills. The NZQA Secondary School Curriculum’s five learning competencies are identified as: Managing Self, Thinking, Relating to Others, Using Language, Symbols, and Texts, Participating and Contributing. Students are selected for the programme by teachers and Deans, and parents are notified.

The teaching and learning of this course focuses on:

Reading Strategies - using texts from a range of curriculum areas to encourage students, to be curious, to empathise with others viewpoints and consider challenging ideas.

Vocabulary extension - subject specific and common words are interwoven into study units so that students can develop their ability to identify, describe and create effects with language.

Writing skills - planning, idea development, structure, grammar, an awareness of audience and purpose.

Speaking and listening skills - building confidence with own ideas, presentation skills.

Organisational strategies - breaking cross curricular tasks into doable chunks of learning.

Thinking skills - activities that  focus on students being aware of the different kinds of thinking they do and how shifts in their thinking are caused.

Participation skills - Lots of fun hands-on learning games to encourage creativity and collaboration.