Official+languages

Curriculum Learning areas

=Official Languages: Te Reo Maori, New Zealand Sign Language, English=

Te reo Maori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) are official languages of New Zealand. English, the medium for teaching and learning in most schools, is a de facto official language by virtue of its widespread use. For these reasons, these three languages have special mention in The New Zealand Curriculum. All three may be studied as first or additional languages. They may also be the medium of instruction across all learning areas. Requirements for the teaching of English are outlined on page 18, The New Zealand Curriculum. Guidelines specific to the learning of te reo Maori and NZSL (published separately) provide detailed information for schools that choose to offer them.

=Te Reo Maori= Ko te reo te manawa pou o te Maori, Ko te ihi te waimanawa o te tangata, Ko te roimata, ko te hupe te waiaroha. Ko toku nui, toku wehi, toku whakatiketike, toku reo. Te reo Maori is indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a taonga recognised under the Treaty of Waitangi, a primary source of our nation’s self-knowledge and identity, and an official language. By understanding and using te reo Maori, New Zealanders become more aware of the role played by the indigenous language and culture in defining and asserting our point of difference in the wider world. Ko te reo Maori te kakahu o te whakaaro, te huarahi i te ao turoa. By learning te reo and becoming increasingly familiar with tikanga, Maori students strengthen their identities, while non-Maori journey towards shared cultural understandings. All who learn te reo Maori help to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language. As they learn, they come to appreciate that diversity is a key to unity. Te reo Maori underpins Maori cultural development and supports Maori social and economic development in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Understanding te reo Maori stretches learners cognitively, enabling them to think in different ways and preparing them for leadership. By learning te reo Maori, students are able to: • participate with understanding and confidence in situations where te reo and tikanga Maori predominate and to integrate language and cultural understandings into their lives; • strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand’s identity in the world; • broaden their entrepreneurial and employment options to include work in an ever-increasing range of social, legal, educational, business, and professional settings. Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nona te ngahere. Ko te manu e kai ana i te matauranga, nona te ao. Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Maori.

=New Zealand Sign Language= Unique to New Zealand, NZSL is a complete visualgestural language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. Like other signed languages, it uses the hands, the body, and facial expressions (including lip patterns) to express meaning and the eyes to perceive meaning. Like any language, it is capable of communicating an infinite number of ideas. Face-to-face interaction is particularly important in NZSL because it has no written form. There are, however, notation systems that are used for recording signs on paper. NZSL is primarily used by members of New Zealand’s Deaf community and those affiliated in some way with this community, for example, hearing people who have Deaf relatives or people (such as interpreters) who work with Deaf people. For many Deaf people, NZSL is essential for effective daily communication and interactions. New Zealand needs more people who are fluent users of the language and who have an appreciation of Deaf culture. By learning NZSL, hearing students are able to communicate with their Deaf peers and participate in the Deaf community. Skilled communicators may find career opportunities that involve working with Deaf people. As Deaf people come to have a wider circle to converse with, our society becomes more inclusive. Learning NZSL can be a positive and enriching experience for both deaf and hearing people of any age. By learning NZSL, Deaf children and hearing children of Deaf parents gain a sense of belonging in the Deaf community. For hearing students who wish to learn a second or subsequent language, NZSL may be offered as another option alongside the spoken languages offered by their school. In such cases, schools need to consult with their Deaf communities and ensure that, wherever possible, students have access to Deaf role models with NZSL as their first language. Learners need to have opportunities for sustained conversations with other users of NZSL, and they need to be exposed to language role models in a variety of situations.

1 The Maori Language Act 1987 and the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006 PAGE 14 THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM

=English= Ko te reo te tuakiri Ko te reo toku ahurei Ko te reo te ora.

What is English about?
English is the study, use, and enjoyment of the English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes and audiences and in a variety of text forms. Learning English encompasses learning the language, learning through the language, and learning about the language. Understanding, using, and creating oral, written, and visual texts of increasing complexity is at the heart of English teaching and learning. By engaging with textbased activities, students become increasingly skilled and sophisticated speakers and listeners, writers and readers, presenters and viewers.

Why study English?
Literacy in English gives students access to the understanding, knowledge, and skills they need to participate fully in the social, cultural, political, and economic life of New Zealand and the wider world. To be successful participants, they need to be effective oral, written, and visual communicators who are able to think critically and in depth. By understanding how language works, students are equipped to make appropriate language choices and apply them in a range of contexts. Students learn to deconstruct and critically interrogate texts in order to understand the power of language to enrich and shape their own and others’ lives. Students appreciate and enjoy texts in all their forms. The study of New Zealand and world literature contributes to students’ developing sense of identity, their awareness of New Zealand’s bicultural heritage, and their understanding of the world. Success in English is fundamental to success across the curriculum. All learning areas (with the possible exception of languages) require students to receive, process, and present ideas or information using the English language as a medium. English can be studied both as a heritage language and as an additional language. English presents students with opportunities to engage with and develop the key competencies in diverse contexts.

How is the learning area structured?
English is structured around two interconnected strands, each encompassing the oral, written, and visual forms of the language. The strands differentiate between the modes in which students are primarily: • making meaning of ideas or information they receive (**Listening, Reading, and Viewing**); • creating meaning for themselves or others (**Speaking, Writing, and Presenting**). The achievement objectives within each strand suggest progressions through which most students move as they become more effective oral, written, and visual communicators. Using a set of underpinning processes and strategies, students develop knowledge, skills, and understandings related to: • text purposes and audiences; • ideas within language contexts; • language features that enhance texts; • the structure and organisation of texts. Students need to practise making meaning and creating meaning at each level of the curriculum. This need is reflected in the way that the achievement objectives are structured. As they progress, students use their skills to engage with tasks and texts that are increasingly sophisticated and challenging, and they do this in increasing depth. PAGE 18 THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM