English, ESOL & Media Studies

English

The broad aims of the English Curriculum are:

To engage with and enjoy the English language and its literature in all its varieties
To develop the necessary skills needed to respond to and understand oral, written and visual language.

The key strands of oral, written and visual language form the basis for study. These strands will be developed at each level as students progress through the school.

The focus for study and skill development at all year levels includes:

Reading– including sustained silent reading and personal responses to texts
Writing – formal and poetic (including a writing folio)
Research – process and presentation
Readingand creating texts using information and communications technology (including activities such as using ICT for writing and recording information, newspaper production and the internet as a research tool).
Static Image - production and analysis
Oral language activities (including speaking to small and large groups, dramatic monologues and speeches)
Viewing – a wide range of visual texts will be analysed.

Media Studies

How much time does the average person spend watching movies or television, playing video games, listening to the radio, “surfing the web”, or reading the newspaper each day? We are constantly surrounded by the media in our modern society and for this reason it is important to examine the influence that they exert on us. The Media Studies courses offered at years 12 and 13 develop the media literacy of students by critically analysing the construction of film and print media. The specialised creative and practical skills associated with media production are taught and assessed in these courses.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Students from diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds study ESOL in 10 different courses from the foundation level to advanced academic English. Staff are dedicated to their students’ learning and welfare. They discuss and use teaching approaches which not only develop their students’ confidence in studying in a new culture using a language which is not their mother tongue, but they also encourage them to engage in higher-order thinking and associated skills, as part of the incorporation of significant aspects of the new curriculum into units or work.

Our programmes are quite easily adaptable to the new National Curriculum, for many of the key competencies and values are inherent within the teaching and learning processes and experiences.

Teacher Aides

Teacher aides and bilingual tutors play an important role in supporting our Foundation programme teachers, by taking reading groups, interpreting into and from Somali, Arabic, Farsi, Pashto and Chinese to ensure that beginners understand, assisting with the development of resources and providing a vital link between school and home.

Homework Centre

The homework centre for English Language Learners is provided weekly to any ELLs (English Language Leaner or ESOL student). ESOL staff are particularly grateful to teachers and senior students who volunteer their time to help. A career advisory service and guidance for students from refugee backgrounds is also provided. This is a process which assists them to plan individual pathways to further training, education and careers.

Culture

Many of our students enjoy and present a wide range of cultural activities during the Cultural Festival and contribute their time cooking up delights from 30 or more different cuisines. Some are also either members or leaders of the many ethnic and cultural clubs which enrich the lives of both the students from those cultures and Kiwi students who choose to broaden their horizons and join in with them.

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