Primary Literacy NZ
Nau mai, haere mai! Talofa lava. Welcome to the new Primary Literacy package, EP’s first purpose-built Primary lessons created for Primary teachers by Primary teachers.
In this article
About NZ Primary Literacy on EP
EP has partnered with some of Aotearoa’s best writers to bring a range of diverse voices to your classrooms! These lessons include Samoan legends from NZ Book Award winner Tusiata Avia, poetry from Serie Barford, Apirana Taylor and Hone Tūwhare, and junior fiction from Steph Matuku and Fraser Smith.
The feedback from Primary teachers was loud and clear. You wanted lessons that were contextual, snappier, more interactive and less wordy - and we listened! You can expect 7 Modules containing 10 lessons each, covering the key areas of Narrative, Poetry, Persuasive Language, Information Reports and Explanation Writing.
Complementing the Contextual modules, we have produced 58 brand new Skills Lessons (and 25 Spelling Lists) spanning Punctuation, Spelling Strategies, Skimming & Scanning and Sentence Structure, so students can put into practise what they learn when they need it.
Curriculum Alignment
The Skills Lessons are designed for Curriculum Level 3 in Aotearoa. While we await the finalisation of the new English curriculum, the steer from the Ministry of Education (MoE) has been clear. Kaiako (teachers) can expect a renewed focus on the ‘mechanics’ of literacy and the inclusion of Māori and Pasifika voices in the texts we introduce our ākonga (students) to in the classroom.
Consequently, in these lessons your students can expect to encounter Samoan goddesses and Māori wizards while exploring cross-curricular links to Te Taiao with tuatara, Māui dolphins, the terrifying Hōkioi and the creation of pounamu.
Because of the upcoming changes to the curriculum, our content writers leaned heavily on the Literacy Progression Framework. The lessons also draw on the Ka Hikitia and Action Plan for Pacific Education initiatives from the MoE. The Contextual lessons are structured using the SOLO taxonomy, adding another level of differentiation within the lessons.
What is available?
Once you access EP and navigate to the English subject area, you will see a folder for NZC Level 3.
Click here to download a specific breakdown of our NZC Level 3 folder.
| Type | Lessons available | Contents |
| Narrative Module 1 (Samoan Legends) | 10 lessons | These lessons revolve around four Samoan legends from Tusiata Avia. The lessons focus on plot, setting, and character before leading students to creating their own. |
| Narrative Module 2 (Māori Novels) | 10 lessons | These lessons centre on excerpts from HUIA Publications’ novels, Awatea’s Treasure by Fraser Smith and Whetū Toa and the Magician by Steph Matuku. This module builds on Module 1 and looks at structure, the beginning and ending of narratives. |
| Poetry Module 1 (An Introduction) | 10 lessons | Introduce students to the building blocks of poetry and fun, basic forms, such as haiku, limericks and shape poems. Includes poetry from Serie Barford, Apirana Taylor, Hone Tūwhare. |
| Poetry Module 2 (Language Features) | 10 lessons | These lessons dig deeper into the language of poetry - metaphors, similes, hyperbole. This module leads students toward performing poetry as an oral text. Once again, we introduce your ākonga to Aotearoa NZ poets. |
| Information Reports | 10 lessons | These lessons lead students through the features of an information report through texts that focus on some of Aotearoa’s most beloved animals. Students will write their own report and learn how to evaluate their own and their peers’ work. |
| Explanation Texts | 10 lessons | These lessons guide students through exemplar texts and on to completing their own explanation text. |
| Persuasive Language (Advertising) | 10 lessons | Explore the persuasive language of advertising through the packaging of toys. Students will design their own packaging, evaluate their work, design an advertisement and present it! |
| Core Texts Library | The complete texts captured in their full glory! We also plan to have Tusiata Avia, Serie Barford and Apirana Taylor read some of the texts. | |
| Literacy Skills | 58 lessons | These engaging and interactive lessons target punctuation, reading skills, sentence structure and spelling strategies. (Includes 25 spelling lists). |
Using these lessons in the classroom
Contextual Lessons
While Primary teachers wanted Contextual modules or units of work, we realise that schools and students need to use EP in various ways. For example, poetry has often been considered a challenge to teach, so ākonga might work through all of Module 1, from Lessons 1 to 10. Another kaiako, however, might be more confident with poetry and choose to dip into the lesson on alliteration only.
The modules take students through the features of each text type and then lead them to create their own poems, narratives and explanation reports etc. Aside from the obvious Reading and Writing strands, you will also find opportunities for Presenting and Speaking.
Literacy Skills
The Literacy Skills are designed to complement the Contextual Lessons. If a student is struggling with punctuation as they work on their Information Report, the teacher can focus on this area and assign further practice on the use of capital letters etc. The Literacy Skills can more obviously stand on their own if the teacher requires.
Analytics
Analytics is a key feature of EP. They provide kaiako with invaluable data and insight through a mix of interactive multi-choice questions, drag and drop activities, longer answers and more. As mentioned above, the lessons are structured using the SOLO taxonomy, thereby providing an extra layer of differentiation.
Teachers might have students who struggle to get past the first Learning Objective (the unistructural) so they can target that group and offer more support. Other students will leap through the Learning Objectives, write their own poems and then be eager for more! Each lesson contains suggestions for extension at the end and the chance to input local contexts if teachers wish.
EP is also fully customisable. You can create and edit your own content for your local context and students. For example, you could assign an assessment on punctuation or word types from these lessons, swap out other poems, or adapt new lessons from the existing texts and content.
For any questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out!