CONTENTSOn this page
Oral language#
Ideas to support oral language at home
With your child, you could:
- make regular time to talk and reflect on feelings together, perhaps during everyday activities like cooking or walking
- talk about conversations they've had with friends that went off track, and think about ways to keep these kinds of kōrero positive
- discuss a local leader they admire and how their words inspire and motivate others
- write a speech for a whānau event, such as a birthday, with a creative beginning, structured ideas in the middle, and a strong ending
- practise their speech and encourage them to try different voices.
The teacher will focus on supporting your child to ask and answer open questions that help them think more deeply by testing their assumptions and considering possible consequences.
Reading#
Ideas to support reading at home
With your child, you could:
- read together, choosing from a wide range of stories, poems, and non-fiction texts (ask your child’s teacher and local library for suggestions)
- help them break words into parts when they’re unsure how to read them or understand their meaning
- encourage them to read out loud using different voices, pauses, and tones, and talk about how these changes affect the meaning
- look up the meanings of unfamiliar words
- encourage them to think about the characters and ideas in what they read, and ask them to explain how these have shaped their thinking
- encourage them to find out more about a topic of interest by reading information in books and online and to share with you what they have learned.
The teacher will focus on supporting your child to:
- read a wide range of print and digital texts, such as novels, poems, and non-fiction, to build vocabulary knowledge and read longer texts on their own
- explore how texts from New Zealand reflect our culture, history, and values
- adjust their reading expression and tone to suit the purpose and type of text they are reading – for example, poems, plays, narratives, and non-fiction texts
- explore why a text was written and how it is structured to present people, places and ideas
- identify how writers use creative techniques, such as hyperbole (exaggeration) and repetition, in their work.
By the end of the year your child will be able to, for example:
- read accurately by self-correcting mistakes as they go
- understand the meaning of the text
- know how to summarise ideas in writing using evidence from the text
- identify key features of visual texts, such as colour and layout, and explain how they help create meaning for the audience – for example, posters, advertisements or films
- understand that their personal response to a text is shaped by their own experiences and may be different from that of others.
Writing#
Ideas to support writing at home
With your child, you could:
- write a persuasive letter or email to a friend or whānau member asking for something, and discuss the choice of words and tone needed to achieve your goal
- create entertaining writing based on their experiences, using genres like poetry
- proofread a sample of your writing or theirs – encourage them to ask about any words they’re unsure of and to share ideas on how to improve the language and structure
- practise their handwriting skills by writing a thank-you card or letter to a friend or family member
- edit a piece of their writing by choosing different words and changing sentence structures
- practise keyboard skills by typing and publishing their work on a computer at home or in the library.
The teacher will focus on supporting your child to:
- spell challenging words and use complex punctuation
- use a range of sentence types in their writing to create interest and impact for the reader
- know the techniques used in different types of writing: to inform, entertain, or persuade
- know the importance of each part of the writing process: planning, drafting, revising and editing.
By the end of the year your child will be able to, for example:
- choose vocabulary that matches the tone and purpose of their writing
- clearly link ideas in their writing
- know how to use specific words, details, and the senses to describe events and experiences
- write conclusions that are structured according to the writing style.
