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This page provides the progress outcome and teaching sequence for Phase 1 (Year 0-3) of the English learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum, the official document that sets the direction for teaching, learning, and assessment in all English medium state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand. In English, students study, use, and enjoy language and literature communicated orally, visually, or in writing. It comes into effect on 1 January 2025. Other parts of the learning area are provided on companion pages.

We have also provided the English Year 0-6 curriculum in PDF format. There are different versions available for printing (spreads), viewing online (single page), and to view by phase. You can access these using the icons below. Use your mouse and hover over each icon to see the document description.

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Te Mātaiaho | The New Zealand Curriculum

English: Phase 1 – Years 0‑3

Thriving in environments rich in literacy and maths
Te tupu pāhautea i te taiao ako e haumako ana i te reo matatini me te pāngarau

Progress outcome by the end of year 3 (Foundation)

The critical focus of phase 1 is for all students to thrive in environments rich in literacy and maths. Building on their learning in early childhood, students develop the knowledge and skills in oral language, reading, and writing that they need in all learning areas. As students learn to express themselves, they begin to understand the structure of language, and that it follows shared codes and conventions that enable them to understand what is communicated, written, and read. This learning supports reading comprehension and written expression, fostering a positive and enriching relationship with literacy.

Students also come to understand that texts – those we create, those we read, and those that are read to us – can be a source of joy and a basis for shared experience about who we are and what is special about Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider world. They begin to see that other people can interpret stories differently from the way they do. Phase 1 has a strong focus on written texts and on using a structured literacy approach to build and consolidate key knowledge and skills.

The phase 1 progress outcome describes the understanding, knowledge, and practices that students have multiple opportunities to develop over the phase.

The phase 1 progress outcome is found below in the following table.

Teaching sequence – Phase 1 (Years 0-3)

Thriving in environments rich in literacy and maths
Te tupu pāhautea i te taiao ako e haumako ana i te reo matatini me te pāngarau

This section describes how the components of a comprehensive English teaching and learning programme are used during the first phase of learning at school.

In phase 1, such a programme offers students teaching that inspires the enjoyment of language and texts and provides systematic, explicit teaching of oral language, reading, and writing.

Continuously monitor students’ learning and respond quickly to address any misconceptions. Be mindful of providing manageable learning experiences, building on students’ prior learning and leading to further challenge.

Oral language

-	During the first 6 months Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the first year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the second year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the third year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	Teaching considerations
Communicating ideas and information Verbal reasoning	describe themselves and their home context describe familiar events, objects, or actions give step-by-step instructions to others	describe photographs, illustrations, objects, and their own work / creations give multi-step instructions	describe familiar events, objects, or actions using extended details give detailed multi-step instructions	describe real or imaginary scenarios using extended details give detailed instructions and explanations of processes and concepts	Effective verbal reasoning skills are essential for learning, communication, and reading comprehension. These skills are ideally embedded in learning conversations across all curriculum areas through intentional planning and explicit instruction. Provide opportunities for students to use descriptive and narrative language with feedback / feedforward in all learning areas. Enable students to use more complex language by using scaffolds such as question prompts, sentence stems, and visual supports.
	recount details of personal and shared experiences, scaffolded as needed by visuals or props use play to explore and reenact familiar stories and scenarios	incorporate narrative elements and details when: recounting personal and shared experiences retelling familiar literary and cultural stories	incorporate narrative elements, descriptive details, and time connectives when: recounting experiences and events in sequence retelling and adapting familiar literary and cultural stories	incorporate narrative elements, sequential details, and causal relationships when: recounting experiences and events retelling and adapting familiar literary and cultural stories predicting and describing events and tasks that may take place in the future	Regular, deliberate practice with increasingly complex narrative language builds students’ confidence and fluency. Consider modelling and teaching students to use a consistent story-map structure or other visual support to help them organise their thoughts. Scaffolds for developing narrative language can include: physical objects such as puppets and props sequencing cards icons and written labels for narrative elements such as characters, setting, problem, and resolution, and for time connectives (e.g., first, after that, suddenly).
	understand and use the terms ‘different’ and ‘same’ describe how two real things are different from each other sort items by attributes	understand and use the terms ‘similar’, ‘alike’, and ‘matching’ describe some ways in which concrete items are similar and different, and classify items into given categories	compare concrete items, describing their similarities and differences identify and explain the category of a group of items that share similar attributes	compare concrete and abstract items, explaining their similarities and differences explain how items can be categorised, and give examples of items that belong in a given category	Explicitly teach the concepts and language of classification and comparison with techniques such as: classifying and comparing concrete materials and situations before moving to abstract items exploring attributes by asking questions such as “What does it do?”, “What is it made from?”, and “What does it have?” supporting students’ thinking and discussion with scaffolds such as question prompts, sentence stems, concrete materials, and visual supports (e.g., Venn diagrams or graphic organisers) to demonstrate relationships between items using think-alouds to explain your reasoning process, modelling how you identify attributes, differences, and similarities when classifying items providing guided practice to develop these skills, embedded in content-area learning – for example, by comparing sharks and dolphins, solids and liquids, or two different cultures; classifying living things by attributes (e.g., plants or animals).
Communicating ideas and information Presenting to others	together with others, recite items such as short texts or songs	independently recite items such as short texts or songs	prepare and present short recitations and oral presentations on a topic, using visual or written scaffolds	prepare and confidently present short recitations and oral presentations on a topic, using independently prepared prompts	Use techniques for teaching presenting to others, such as: breaking down the presentation process into manageable steps, such as planning, practising, and delivering providing regular opportunities for students to present to peers, adults, small groups, the whole class, and, where possible, to larger groups (e.g., at the syndicate or team hui) encouraging students to watch and learn from each other’s presentations, teaching them to provide and respond to feedback.
Communicating ideas and information Taking on roles	try to behave and speak as if they are someone or something else (e.g., an animal or familiar person)	take on the role of someone else (e.g., a character from a familiar story)	take on the role of someone else and interact with others	maintain a role and show understanding by responding in role	Teach students to take on roles with techniques such as: setting up familiar scenarios for dramatic play (e.g., a supermarket or a doctor’s office) modelling the use of new vocabulary, sentence structures, voices, and mannerisms in simple role play.
Interpersonal communication Non-verbal communication	begin to understand and use facial expressions and gestures that support meaning attempt appropriate, audible volume so they can be heard	begin to use body language to show active listening begin to use appropriate facial expression, gesture, body posture, and proximity to others to convey meaning begin to adjust volume and pace	continue to consolidate their understanding and use of non-verbal communication to convey meaning experiment with volume and pace to convey meaning	understand that body language may influence an audience consider their position and posture when addressing an audience experiment with volume and pace to convey meaning	Be mindful of cultural differences and unique neurodivergent preferences when teaching about non-verbal communication, as these can influence students’ interpretations, degree of familiarity, and comfort. Model, explain, and support students’ development of the various aspects of non-verbal communication in the context of learning experiences and conversations.
Interpersonal communication Listening and responding to others	actively listen to speakers initiate and join discussions and play engage in respectful greetings and farewells	actively listen to speakers participate in conversations, maintaining the topic and responding offer reasons for their opinions request assistance appropriately attempt to negotiate solutions through conversation	participate in extended conversations, taking turns, actively listening, and contributing ask clarifying questions use sentence stems to respectfully agree, disagree, and add on to ideas explain reasons for their opinions and ideas	participate in extended discussions, taking turns, actively listening, questioning, and contributing add or omit details based on listener / audience knowledge use sentence stems to reword, summarise, and build on others’ ideas respectfully change topics appropriately offer opinions and perspectives that aren’t their own	Explicitly teach communication skills and scaffold students’ learning through activities such as: modelling, think-alouds, and structured practice opportunities in pair and group discussions with prompts and supportive feedback demonstrations, visual supports, and prompts teaching sentence stems and useful phrases.
Vocabulary and grammar Vocabulary	use accurate nouns and verbs relating to themselves, their bodies, and everyday home and school life (e.g., sprint, shoulder, classroom, ruler)	use topic-specific nouns and verbs relating to the wider school and community environment (e.g., cafe, menu, vehicle, ambulance, rescue)	use appropriate and specific vocabulary to name and describe objects and actions choose suitable descriptive adjectives and nouns relevant to the audience and purpose use precise nouns, verbs, and adjectives relating to content-area learning (e.g., kahawai, gigantic, gallop, recipe)	use precise nouns, verbs, and adjectives relating to content-area learning (e.g., reproduce, aggressive, nocturnal) adapt vocabulary for the audience and purpose	Teaching vocabulary is an essential component of building knowledge; both knowledge of how language works and content knowledge across the curriculum. Students learn and retain new vocabulary most effectively within thematic units, sustained over time. Teach vocabulary explicitly by: teaching the correct pronunciation of a word using the word in the context of the learning situation and then in a related sentence supplying a student-friendly definition giving examples of correct and incorrect use making connections with other words and related knowledge through exploration of morphemes, synonyms, antonyms, categories, and attributes, and by drawing on students’ own knowledge illustrating learning by using visual features and graphic organisers teaching how to read and spell a word – knowing the word in print supports vocabulary learning providing spaced practice opportunities for students to hear, say, read, and write the words nurturing students’ curiosity about and appreciation of words teaching word-learning skills such as asking questions about words and discussing their meanings and connections modelling and explaining how to use print and digital sources to find out the meanings of unknown words.
Vocabulary and grammar Vocabulary	correctly use precise vocabulary, including adverbs of time and words for: colours basic shapes quantity sensory attributes physical sensations size space and position	correctly use precise vocabulary, including: words for emotions and shapes adverbs of manner (e.g., sadly, slowly)	correctly use precise vocabulary, including adverbs of frequency (e.g., daily) and place (e.g., outside), and words for: thinking, learning, and self-regulation texture and materials character traits and personal qualities social relationships and collaboration	define and use precise vocabulary, including words for indicating degree (e.g., completely)
Vocabulary and grammar Sentence structures and morphology	communicate in complete sentences with a subject and verb, correctly using: present-tense verbs (suffixes -ing, -s) regular plural nouns (suffix -s)	communicate in complete sentences, correctly using: regular past-tense verbs (suffix -ed) comparative and superlative adjectives (suffixes -er and -est) coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, for, so) sequencing connectives.	communicate in complete sentences, correctly using: common irregular plural nouns and past-tense verbs third-person singular present-tense verbs (suffix -s) adverbs (suffix -ly) subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, until, when) time connectives.	communicate in complete sentences, correctly using subject-verb agreement, conditional conjunctions (e.g., unless, whether), and a range of connectives to organise and sequence ideas	Teach sentence structure and morphological awareness explicitly through oral language in all curriculum areas. This helps students express their thoughts and ideas clearly and precisely, supporting learning across the curriculum. Morphological awareness supports vocabulary learning, comprehension, word-reading, and spelling. Teaching specific morphemes and sentence structures can be done both explicitly and incidentally, for example, by: modelling full, accurate responses, providing a clear example of effective language use teaching students how spoken words can be broken down into meaningful parts (morphemes) and recombined to develop their understanding of how the words work introducing new morphemes and sentence structures with topics familiar to students, embedding speaking and listening practice within learning throughout all curriculum areas, rather than in isolated grammar lessons using oral sentence-combining to practise new structural elements scaffolding learning by using visual supports, colour-coding, and manipulatives to indicate sentence parts providing sentence stems for the use of new structures (e.g., “Before they, ___ hatch.”).
Communication for learning Metacognition	request assistance appropriately to support their own learning	reflect on what they have learned identify what they have found easy or more difficult in their learning	reflect on what they have learned, and explain some steps in their learning process evaluate what they did well or need to improve on after completing a task	reflect on and explain their learning select and use taught strategies to improve their learning	Explicitly teach students age-appropriate metacognitive and self-regulation strategies such as: self-monitoring, self-evaluation, goal setting, and positive self-talk. Use modelling, think-alouds, and scaffolding techniques that support students to become aware of their own thinking processes and learn how to manage these processes to improve their learning.
Communication for learning Self-regulation	identify and communicate basic physical needs, opinions, and preferences understand the expected talk, behaviour, and routines of the classroom.	express their feelings, opinions, and preferences about their learning and experiences begin to differentiate between wants and needs.	use a growing vocabulary to describe their thoughts and feelings about their learning and experiences express needs and wants to a trusted or familiar adult.	talk through problems or challenges with teachers and peers to identify and explain causes and potential solutions.	Explicitly teach vocabulary for expressing feelings of challenge (e.g., hard, difficult, easy) and guide students in identifying the reasons behind these feelings. Encourage students to reflect on and justify their thinking, and to formulate their own questions about their learning. Teach students to use language and self-talk that foster perseverance, self-efficacy, and an understanding that success is linked to effort rather than luck.

Reading

Working with year-level texts

The texts that students read become increasingly complex over time, supporting them to understand text in all learning areas at each year level. For this to occur, when the purpose of the reading is other than learning decoding or reading for pleasure, students need opportunities to engage with texts at or above the complexity described below for each year level. Although fluent readers may still work with simple texts, particularly to reduce cognitive load when new skills or concepts are being introduced, they will be working predominantly with texts that are at least at their year level. This does not mean you should prevent able readers from reading more complex texts; most texts will be at their year level or above. During phase 1, the focus will be on written texts. Many of these texts will also include visual elements such as pictures and illustrations.

Decodable (phonically controlled) texts are used primarily to practise phoneme-grapheme correspondences. Although comprehension opportunities will be less complex in these texts than in those you read aloud to students, you should include a focus on meaning making with every text students read.

The texts referred to further in this section have been designed for students in New Zealand.

Noticing, recognising, and responding to students’ strengths and needs

Except when they are specifically learning to decode text or reading for pleasure, students who are still consolidating their decoding skills need to access year-level texts to develop skills and knowledge (including vocabulary, comprehension, and content knowledge) alongside their peers. Help students do this by adapting the relevant supports and scaffolds, rather than by simplifying or modifying texts. An effective way to accelerate students’ learning is to explicitly teach them the features of year-level texts that carry meaning. This will enable them to make sense of texts that are above their traditional ‘instructional level’. Students who need to accelerate their decoding skills will continue to require frequent, intensive, and explicit teaching and practice in flexible small groups, targeting their decoding needs.

Students who reach decoding mastery at an accelerated rate of progress need opportunities for enrichment and extension in other literacy domains, such as vocabulary and comprehension, and ample opportunities to read increasingly challenging text.

-	During the first 6 months Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the first year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the second year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the third year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	Teaching considerations
Word recognition Phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge	orally identify the first, last, and middle phonemes in a three-phoneme word, and connect to print	discriminate between short- and long- vowel phonemes	-	-	Teach phonemes together with graphemes, as current research indicates that this leads to stronger reading outcomes than providing oral phonemic awareness activities without letters. Once learners are aware that spoken words are made up of phonemes, and that phonemes are represented by graphemes in written words, phonemic awareness is best developed in the context of learning to decode and spell words. Provide opportunities for students to develop phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge through activities and resources such as: Word chains – these are a good way to simultaneously develop phonemic awareness, phonics knowledge, and the skills of decoding and spelling. A word chain substitutes one phoneme at a time (e.g., changing map ➝ mop ➝ top ➝ stop). Sound and phonics cards – these support you to teach articulation of phonemes (taking into consideration students’ dialects and accents), grapheme-phoneme correspondences, blending, and segmenting. Ready to Read Phonics Plus sound and phonics cards are one example. A comprehensive, systematic, synthetic phonics scope and sequence provides a detailed sequence of grapheme-phoneme correspondences to guide your teaching. The Ready to Read Phonics Plus scope and sequence is one example. Be responsive to students’ strengths and needs. This includes the use of fingerspelling for students who use NZSL, or Braille for students who are blind. For emergent bilingual and multilingual learners, seek information about the phonemes present in their known language(s), as English phonemes that are not present in their other language(s) are likely to need careful teaching and practice.
	orally blend up to three phonemes to make words (e.g., bat, fun)	orally blend up to six phonemes to make words (e.g., sprint, picnic)	-	-
	name lower- and upper-case letters of the alphabet and match letters to consonant and short-vowel phonemes	pronounce the phoneme for all consonant digraphs (e.g., ch, sh) and some long-vowel patterns	pronounce the phoneme for common vowel teams (e.g., ai, igh), diphthongs (e.g., oy), and r-controlled vowels (e.g., ar, ir)	decode words with less-common graphemes, noting the phoneme-grapheme correspondences
Word recognition Decoding	decode consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words in isolation and in connected text, using their phonics knowledge	decode words with adjacent consonants, consonant digraphs, and some long-vowel patterns in connected text, using their phonics knowledge	decode common words with long-vowel patterns, diphthongs, and r-controlled vowels in connected text, using their phonics knowledge	decode words with less-common spellings, using their phonics knowledge	Develop students’ new phonic and morphological knowledge and skills by providing frequent, repeated, spaced, and varied opportunities for deliberate practice. Make sure that students develop accuracy and automaticity when they are decoding at word, sentence, and whole-text level. Give responsive feedback, and correct errors promptly and supportively. Ask students to write words that apply their new grapheme-phoneme correspondences learning. This will reinforce the connections between graphemes and phonemes. Explicitly teach students to decode words by using continuous blending. This involves sounding out words without stopping between phonemes (e.g., “mmmmaaaat”). Model this by sliding your finger under the word rather than pointing to each grapheme separately. Note that unstressed syllables have vowels that don’t make their typical sounds. Instead, they make sounds known as the schwa. The schwa often sounds like the short u sound or the short i sound, like the sound for ‘er’ in water, or the sound for ‘o’ in police. Teaching students about the schwa sound can be helpful when they begin to read multisyllabic words because it is the most common vowel sound in the English language. Teach students to apply their phonic and morphological knowledge when decoding words that they do not yet recognise automatically, and not context and picture cues. Context and picture cues can be used to support making meaning. Provide multiple opportunities for students to learn high-frequency words by mapping their grapheme-phoneme correspondences in the same way they would map other words. This will enable orthographic mapping, which is the process of connecting the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of a word in long-term memory for instant retrieval as a ‘sight’ word. Draw attention to any unknown or irregular grapheme-phoneme correspondence(s). You could further develop students’ phonic and morphological skills by using games that provide varied and fun ways for students to practise the skills you have already explicitly taught. For example, you could use Ready to Read Phonics Plus games. Use your chosen phonics scope and sequence responsively, adapting your teaching to meet the needs and strengths of your students: For students who need additional teaching to accelerate their decoding skills, continue to provide frequent, explicit practice of targeted knowledge and skills. The Phonics Checks after 20 weeks and 40 weeks at school will help identify students who would benefit from additional support. Use more detailed diagnostic skills assessments to find out what students already know and need to learn next. These will assist you to form flexible small groups around specific needs. Provide students who reach decoding mastery more quickly with opportunities for enrichment and extension in other literacy domains, such as vocabulary and comprehension, and give them ample opportunities to read increasingly challenging texts. Consider the best books to support students’ developing skills: Decodable texts support students to apply and practise taught grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Monitor when students can accurately decode text with most consonant spellings and have learned long-vowel patterns from early in the chosen phonics scope and sequence. Then continue to use decodable texts for new learning, and begin to use carefully selected, less-controlled texts in ways that align with structured literacy approaches. Engaging with less-controlled texts promotes the statistical learning required for reading proficiency. In the context of reading, statistical learning is the ability to recognise patterns and regularities in written language. It is a form of implicit learning and includes becoming aware of the probability that a particular grapheme will correspond to a particular phoneme.
	decode CVC words with the suffix -s, using their phonics and morpheme knowledge	decode words with the suffixes -ed and -ing, using their phonics and morpheme knowledge	decode words with a range of common prefixes (re-, un-) and suffixes (-er, -est, -ly), using their phonics and morpheme knowledge	decode words with a wide range of prefixes (in-, dis-) and suffixes (-less, -ful), using their phonics and morpheme knowledge
	-	decode two-syllable words with a closed-syllable pattern (e.g., rapid and picnic), using their phonics knowledge	decode two- and three-syllable words with all taught correspondences (e.g., costume and lightning), using their phonics and morpheme knowledge	decode multi-syllable words, including words with unstressed syllables, using their syllable, morpheme, and word knowledge
	read the most common high-frequency words in decodable texts at their year level	read the most common high-frequency words in decodable texts at their year level	read the most common high- frequency words in decodable texts at their year level	use their phonics and morpheme knowledge to read words that are not entirely regular, including high-frequency words
	self-correct their decoding attempts using taught grapheme-phoneme knowledge	self-correct their decoding attempts using grapheme-phoneme knowledge	adjust their decoding attempts by varying pronunciation, making use of different phonemes represented by the graphemes, and confirming with oral vocabulary	adjust their decoding attempts by applying the variety of phonemes that graphemes can represent, including the schwa sound in unstressed syllables, and confirming with oral vocabulary
Word recognition Conventions of print	match spoken words to written words while decoding (word-to-word matching), pointing to words if necessary		-	-	Discuss and demonstrate the use of print conventions during shared reading, small group reading, and modelled writing. If students are learning English as an additional language, consider any differences between the script (e.g., symbols or letters) and print conventions (e.g., direction of text) of English and those of their home and heritage languages.
	read from left to right and use a return sweep for the next line of text		-	-
	identify capital letters and full stops to explain where sentences begin and end	identify capital letters, full stops, and exclamation marks to explain where sentences begin and end, and basic punctuation such as speech marks	identify and explain the purpose of basic punctuation such as speech marks, commas, exclamation marks, and question marks	identify and explain the purpose of punctuation features such as speech marks, commas, exclamation marks, question marks, and parentheses, and print features such as bold print and italics
Word recognition Fluency	read words with learned grapheme-phoneme correspondences quickly, as blended units	read words with learned grapheme-phoneme correspondences accurately and automatically read decodable sentences and year 1 level text, with phrasing and growing automaticity	read year 2 level text, accurately, with expression, and at oral-reading fluency rates appropriate for year 2 students	read year 3 level text, accurately, with expression, and at appropriate oral-reading fluency rates for year 3 students	Fluent reading – with accuracy, appropriate rate, automaticity, and expression – is necessary for reading comprehension. Fluency will begin to develop once students reach proficiency in phonics knowledge and decoding skills. Use an Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) assessment to identify students who need more targeted teaching support, and to monitor their progress regularly over time. Time spent reading text is critical. Students need daily opportunities to practise reading in order to consolidate accurate decoding skills, develop automaticity and expression, and enable reading comprehension. Reading aloud provides more effective practice than silent reading until students have developed sufficient oral-reading fluency. Support students to develop their fluency through evidence-based strategies such as: modelling fluent reading through daily read-alouds, using phrasing and expression teaching students to respond to punctuation when reading aloud and to group words in phrases for expression, stress, and intonation encouraging students to make their reading sound like spoken language, to support their understanding of what they read using choral reading, echo reading, partner reading, and repeated reading encouraging continuous wide reading, where students read a variety of texts, which also builds vocabulary and background knowledge reading a number of slightly different texts on the same topic to improve both comprehension and fluency.
Comprehension Vocabulary	notice and ask questions about new or unfamiliar words as they arise in texts that are read to them	ask questions about unfamiliar words, and use context clues from the text to identify the meaning of those words, when text is being read to them	use context clues and knowledge of syntax to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in texts that are read to them	use knowledge of context clues, prefixes, and root words to understand new vocabulary in texts that are read to them	Vocabulary knowledge is vital for developing comprehension skills. Explicitly teach vocabulary that is at students’ age-appropriate, oral-language level, rather than at their decoding level. Encourage them to proactively ask questions about unfamiliar words. In the first year or two of this phase, vocabulary teaching will usually take place during interactive read-alouds, when you are reading to students. It is best to do this by quickly supplying student-friendly definitions, rather than by canvassing the class for guesses about the word’s meaning. This ensures that the flow of the story is not lost and that students do not remember the incorrect meanings. Context clues should only be used to work out the meaning of words, not to work out what the word is. They may sometimes, however, alert the reader to a decoding error when the meaning of a sentence has been lost. When teaching students how to use context clues for meaning, deliberately point out clues in the surrounding sentences. For example, say, “Let’s look at the other words around it to figure out the meaning.” Use think-alouds to model how you use context clues. For some students, new vocabulary learning will centre on less-common words and words that express abstract concepts. In addition, English language learners and students with language-related learning challenges will benefit from explicit teaching and incidental support for some common, everyday vocabulary.
Comprehension Vocabulary	-	-	use knowledge from other year 2 learning areas and topics to determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text	use knowledge from other year 3 learning areas and topics to determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text
Comprehension Sentence structure	read and comprehend simple sentences	read and comprehend both extended simple and compound sentences follow the subject in consecutive sentences, even when a pronoun, synonym, or noun phrase is used	read complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions, holding the meaning across the whole sentence follow the subject in consecutive sentences, even when a pronoun, synonym, or noun phrase is used	read and hold meaning across longer sentences and between sentences	Making sense of a range of sentence structures is fundamental for reading comprehension, and using that knowledge helps students to write clearly. Demonstrate how to clarify the meaning of a sentence by breaking it down and paraphrasing what it means. To develop understanding of sentence structures, you could find and explore a range of sentence structures during shared reading and interactive read-alouds.
Comprehension Text forms and genre	distinguish between texts that entertain and texts that inform	distinguish between different types of text that entertain (e.g., poems or stories)	identify and discuss the purpose, and some of the characteristics, of different types of texts that entertain and texts that inform identify and discuss the purpose and some of the characteristics of texts from their own or others’ cultures	identify the audience and purpose of texts that entertain, inform, and persuade identify the audience and purpose of texts from their own and others’ cultures	To comprehend a whole text, students need both general knowledge and vocabulary knowledge. Throughout the school day, students should have opportunities to widen their knowledge and engage with a range of texts that support learning across curriculum learning areas. Most of the texts used for teaching comprehension will be read to students in this phase, particularly in the first two years of schooling. When you are reading to students, select texts that introduce them to a range of text forms, purposes, and genres, including poetry, picture books, and informational texts. Point out that some texts can meet more than one purpose, such as being both informative and entertaining. Explicitly teach students to recognise and understand the features and structures of texts (e.g., through the use of exemplar texts). Explicitly teaching text structures during reading supports better comprehension, as it enables students to focus on key information and make sense of the content. It also supports students to apply that knowledge in their writing. Ensure that the complexity of the text is appropriate for students. For students to know that there are stories and ideas from New Zealand, pay particular attention to texts valuing te ao Māori and Māori perspectives. To further build students’ understanding of what it means to live in the Pacific, explore texts by Pacific authors and others who have made New Zealand their home. Selecting texts because they are fun, or because they speak to the interests, identities, languages, and cultures of students, helps to demonstrate that stories are a source of joy and nourishment. Although you cannot ensure that students grow to love reading, you can put in place the right conditions to make it more likely. Success in reading usually helps to build students’ engagement. You can also build their engagement with reading by encouraging them to choose and talk about favourite texts (some of which you may have introduced to them in read-alouds).
Comprehension Text structure, style, and features	recognise basic features of texts that entertain, such as chronological order in stories or sound patterns in poetry (e.g., rhyme)	notice and discuss the features of texts including setting, character, and main events in stories and the use of sound in poetry (e.g., alliteration and rhyme)	identify and discuss text features and their purpose (e.g., titles, headings, images, table of contents), the use of story grammar, and how the author uses language purposefully identify and discuss text features and their purpose, the use of story grammar, and how language is used purposefully in texts from their own or others’ cultures	explore how texts are structured (problem-solution, compare-contrast), the use of text features (visual elements, headings, glossaries, chapters, scenes) and how language is used (tense, figurative and topic-specific language) explore how texts are structured, the use of text features, and how language is used in texts from their own and others’ cultures
Comprehension Comprehension monitoring	use their prior knowledge of a topic or concept, along with their knowledge of words, to respond to questions (e.g., how or why) about texts	respond to questions (e.g., how or why) and open-ended prompts about texts monitor their own understanding of texts by checking that each sentence they have read makes sense use rereading as a strategy to find where and why meaning broke down	monitor their understanding of texts and attempt to repair meaning by rereading, drawing on their prior knowledge and knowledge of words, and asking questions (e.g., what, how, or why)	monitor their understanding of a range of texts and repair meaning by adjusting reading speed to accommodate complexity, rereading, visualising, checking, decoding, and asking and answering questions of the text	Students can practise applying comprehension skills both when reading texts and when listening to texts. All texts, including decodable texts, provide opportunities for using comprehension skills to make meaning, Model your own thought processes by thinking aloud to show students what to do when they find problems in texts. These problems could include unknown words, conflicts with prior knowledge, and inconsistencies. Demonstrate what they can do to solve these problems. For example, during and after reading or listening to the text, ask questions such as “Does that make sense?”, “Why did …?”, “How does that connect with …?”, or “How does this information fit with what I already know about this topic?”
Comprehension Summarising and drawing conclusions	identify the main event in texts that entertain and the main topic or idea in texts that inform	retell the key details from a text in response to prompting questions (e.g., who or what)	identify the key message or idea in a text, and retell the key details of the text in response to sequence questions (e.g., what happened? when did it happen? who did it happen to? what happened next?)	identify the central message or main idea in a text, and provide the key details in sequence, beginning to use paragraphs as a structural guide to identify the main ideas	Summarising and drawing conclusions are powerful skills because they improve students’ memory of what they have read. They can also be used as a comprehension check. Explicitly teach summarising skills when reading to and with students. Encourage them to also use these skills when they are reading texts for themselves. These skills can be modelled and practised several times during the day with a variety of texts. Explicitly teach students to summarise text by using think-alouds. Model how to find the main ideas, crucial details, keywords, and phrases, and to identify irrelevant details that can be ignored. You could then teach students how to combine these ideas into a single, informative sentence, called a gist statement.
Comprehension Inferring using evidence	use prior knowledge to predict what might happen next in a text	use what has happened in a text, along with their prior knowledge, to predict what might happen next	use what is stated in a text, along with their prior knowledge, to predict what might happen next draw inferences, using visual images in the text to check and support those inferences	make use of stated and implied information or ideas in a text to make connections with their own knowledge, to draw inferences, and to make meaning	Explicitly teach students to infer meaning from texts by modelling and using think-alouds. Teach students to use clues in the text and their prior knowledge to make predictions and inferences. Younger students could practise inferring information using illustrations. Use questions to guide students about what they know and what they still need to find out to make inferences about the text.
Critical analysis Identifying perspectives	-	discuss how words in a text can make the reader feel a certain way about a character or event	discuss how text creators choose words, symbols, images, and other text features to communicate their intended meaning or perspective	share what they notice is included and missing from texts (e.g., perspectives shown or not shown) and explain the effect of this discuss how language, text features, and visual images are used to influence feelings, thoughts, and actions	Carefully select texts that provide opportunities to see into different places, times, and cultures, going beyond the actual experiences of students. They might include stories, news reports, information texts, and letters. Explicitly teach and model: recognising opinions in a text and acknowledging that it is OK for others to have different opinions from their own how to respond to others who have different points of view from their own how to back up their opinions with evidence from the text how to make connections between their own experiences and the text the specific language that they might need to use (e.g., stereotype, included, excluded). Ask students questions such as: How are your experiences or views similar to or different from those in the text? Who was the author thinking about? Whose voice is included and whose is missing. What is the effect of this?
Critical analysis Connecting and responding	make personal connections to texts by sharing their feelings and thoughts, drawn from their experiences, about the characters or ideas in texts.	respond to, share opinions about, and make connections to texts by drawing on their knowledge of topics, their experiences, and their knowledge of the world.	identify connections between the ideas expressed in texts and their own knowledge of topics and other texts, their experiences, and their knowledge of the world respond to texts by sharing opinions and personal feelings about the ideas in texts.	make connections within and between texts and their own knowledge of topics, their experiences, and their knowledge of the world discuss differences and similarities in how texts are interpreted or viewed respond to texts by sharing opinions and personal thoughts and feelings about the ideas in texts.	The different kinds of knowledge that students bring to text, including topic, disciplinary, cultural, and general knowledge, all contribute to their understanding of texts. Explicitly teach students not only to use their existing knowledge, but also to refine it by seeking new information. Classroom environments need to be safe places where students feel comfortable sharing their knowledge so that different perspectives can be heard and understood. Early in this phase, teach students what it means to have and express opinions. Make sure they understand that their opinion might differ from other people’s and that different opinions are OK. Deliberately build students’ depth and breadth of knowledge by introducing them to rich, complex texts, experiences, and discussions, Use questioning before, during, and after reading. This allows you to check the knowledge that students already have and are developing as they read.

Writing

-	During the first 6 months Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the first year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the second year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	During the third year Informed by prior learning, teach students to:	Teaching considerations
Transcription skills Handwriting	form most lower-case letters and numerals correctly and legibly, with each letter or numeral on the line	form most lower- and upper-case letters and numerals correctly and legibly, with each letter or numeral on the line, and attending to size and spacing	form all letters and numerals correctly and legibly, attending to size, placement, and spacing	print all letters and numerals correctly and legibly, attending to size, placement, spacing, and slope with ease and automaticity	Explicitly teach handwriting every day for at least 10 minutes using a consistent, school-wide approach. As you introduce new graphemes in the phonics scope and sequence, teach students lower-case and upper-case letter formations. During handwriting instruction, teach and provide practice with groups of letters that are formed with similar motor patterns: rounded ‘c’ shape: c, a, d, g, q, o, e curve start: s, f straight down start: l, t, i, j, r, n, m, p, h, b, k, y, u slants: v, w, x, z. Teach the correct starting points, stroke direction, pencil lifts, stopping points, shape, size, and slope. Use consistent verbal instructions for how to form each letter and numeral. Model letter and numeral formation and watch closely as students practise. If you see an error or confusion developing, re-model for the student and support them to practise correctly. Support students with their handwriting during writing time also, to avoid errors and confusions being practised.
Transcription skills Handwriting	sit comfortably, apply a comfortable amount of pressure, and use a functional pencil grip, with support	sit comfortably, apply a comfortable amount of pressure, and use a functional pencil grip, independently	consistently practise good posture and a comfortable grip when writing	consistently practise good posture and a comfortable grip when writing across the curriculum
Transcription skills Spelling	orally segment phonemes in a single-syllable, CVC word	orally segment phonemes in a single-syllable, CCVC or CVCC word	orally segment two-syllable words into syllables, then segment syllables into phonemes for spelling	orally segment multi-syllable words into syllables, then segment syllables into phonemes for spelling	Students will develop these skills and build this knowledge in the contexts of learning to write and learning to read. Teach spelling every day and provide multiple opportunities for practice and review. Explicitly teach students: to identify syllables within words to segment words or syllables into phonemes to spell irregular, high-frequency words, closely analysing how the graphemes represent the phonemes of the word, which parts are spelt regularly, and which parts need careful attention to remember spelling patterns and spelling conventions. In the early stages of this phase, the phoneme-grapheme correspondences needed for spelling and reading are often taught together. Practise decoding and spelling words that share the same phoneme-grapheme correspondences and/or morphemes, in isolation and in sentences.
	map graphemes to phonemes for the five short vowels and some single-letter consonants to spell some CVC words	map graphemes to phonemes for the five short vowels, all single-letter consonants, and some consonant digraphs apply phoneme-to-grapheme knowledge to spell single-syllable CVC words, words with consonant digraphs (e.g., sh, th, ng), and words with two adjacent consonants (CVCC, CCVC)	map graphemes to phonemes for all short-vowel and consonant phonemes, including double consonants (e.g., ff, ss), consonant digraphs and trigraphs (e.g.,-dge, -tch), and up to three adjacent consonants (CCCVC, CCCVCC)	-
	-	-	spell words with the vowel patterns: <a_e>, <ai>, <ay> representing /long a/ <e_e> representing /long e/ <i_e> representing /long i/ <o_e> representing /long o/ <u_e> representing /long u/	spell words with the vowel patterns: <oo> as in ‘good’ <oy> and <oi> as in ‘coin’ and ‘toy’ <ee>, <ea> representing /long e/ <oa>, <ow> representing /long o/	Symbols used in the sequence: the content within <> is the grapheme and within // is the phoneme.
	spell 5 or more words that are high frequency in their oral vocabulary and contain irregular or currently untaught phoneme-grapheme correspondences (e.g., I, the, a, my, to)	spell 10 or more words that are high frequency in their oral vocabulary and contain irregular or currently untaught phoneme-grapheme correspondences (e.g., was, of, said, is, what)	spell 20 or more words that are high frequency in their oral vocabulary and contain irregular or currently untaught phoneme-grapheme correspondences (e.g., brother, who, two, put, some, could)	spell most commonly used irregular words containing less typical phoneme-grapheme correspondences
	-	-	add common suffixes (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing)	add less-common suffixes (-er, -ly) and apply simple spelling conventions (e.g., taking away e from a split-vowel digraph before adding a vowel suffix (hope ➝ hoping)
	-	-	spell easier contractions for two-word phrases (e.g., those ending with am, is, and are – I’m, she’s, he’s, it’s, we’re)	spell contractions for two-word phrases ending with has, had, not, will (e.g., he’s, I’d, don’t, she’ll)
	-	-	spell words with: <ou>, <ow> representing /ow/	spell words with r-controlled vowels represented by <ar>, <or>, <er>, <ir>, and <ur>
Composition Audience, purpose, and task	suggest an intended audience and purpose while constructing a text in shared writing lessons	discuss who the audience will be for a text and what the purpose will be, then plan and write with the purpose and audience in mind	identify the audience and purpose for a text, then plan and write for the intended audience and purpose	identify the audience and purpose for a text, then plan and write for the intended audience and purpose choose an appropriate language register, such as formal or informal language	Select model texts that demonstrate a writer’s effective choices of words and language features. Discuss and analyse these with the students during shared reading or writing times. Explicitly teach students: the different purposes and features of text forms and genres the different vocabulary used for specific text purposes (e.g., imperative verbs for instructions). Provide opportunities for students to share their writing with different audiences.
Composition Sentence structures and punctuation	demonstrate understanding that a sentence is a group of words used to communicate an idea	demonstrate understanding that a simple sentence communicates an idea and includes a subject and a verb	demonstrate understanding that a compound sentence consists of two clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction	demonstrate understanding that a complex sentence consists of two clauses joined by a subordinating conjunction	Explicitly teach students what a sentence is. Make sure they realise that written sentences often have a different structure (or syntax) than spoken sentences. Teach students to identify complete sentences and fragments and explain the difference. This enables them to identify errors in their writing and understand how to correct them. Students will benefit from co-constructing sentences and discussing sentence structure and punctuation. It is often helpful to record orally constructed sentences, highlighting punctuation to show how it is used to form sentences. Oral sentence-combining helps to teach grammar, and the difference between simple, compound, and complex sentences. It also provides opportunities for students to practise forming these types of sentences. Sentence-expanding teaches students to add detail about what, when, where, who, why, and how to their sentences. Added details can be single words or phrases. Some students will benefit from scaffolding and supports such as colour coding, graphics, and manipulatives to identify the different parts of a sentence.
	repeat simple sentences, modelled by the teacher	orally form a simple sentence, with a subject-verb clause	combine two simple sentences, orally, using a coordinating conjunction, to form a compound sentence	combine two simple sentences orally, using a subordinating conjunction, to form a complex sentence
	-	use simple sentences in writing	use compound sentences using coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, so) in writing	use complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions (e.g., although, because, though) in writing
	recognise and use a full stop at the end of the sentence	correctly use full stops and capital letters, with some support	use full stops and capital letters correctly and independently	use capital letters, full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks correctly use commas for lists
Composition Writing to entertain	narrate a single event orally, pictorially, or through teacher scribing	write one or more sentences that narrate a single event or several loosely linked events in the order in which they occurred	write short narratives about two or more sequenced events, including some details regarding what happened and where, and provide some sense of closure	write a narrative in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, including details to describe setting, actions, thoughts, and feelings, and provide a sense of closure	Students’ awareness of text structures begins with reading. Explicitly teach them how to recognise text structures as they read. This supports their reading comprehension as well as their writing composition. Teach them to identify the features of different text types (e.g., titles, headings, diagrams, illustrations, tenses, order of events, and the language used). Encourage students to use specific text-type planning templates to ensure essential elements of the text type are included (e.g., a letter would use a different planning template than a narrative).
Composition Writing to inform	retell learned information about a topic	write one or more sentences sharing learned information about a topic	write a series of sentences about a topic, including a main idea and some related details	write a paragraph about a topic that includes a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence
Composition Writing to persuade	orally state an opinion or preference about a topic	write a sentence stating an opinion, feeling, or preference about a topic	write a series of sentences in which they state their opinion about a topic, followed by a reason for the opinion	write a paragraph that states an opinion about a topic, give some supporting reasons for their opinion, and provide a concluding statement
Writing craft Word choice	suggest words and phrases related to the topic or concept when participating in shared writing	use words and phrases that show simple relationships and verbs that correctly show different tenses	select and use words and phrases, including adjectives and adverbs, that give clear details about an object or action correctly use the past tense for irregular verbs	select and use words and phrases, including adjectives and adverbs, that are increasingly precise in expressing the intended meaning	When teaching word choice: build word knowledge through shared reading of texts and class discussions explicitly teach and record words that students could use in their writing, including topic-specific words or descriptive words model using these words in the planning, drafting, and revising stages of writing model choosing the best word to convey meaning introduce ‘shades of meaning’ (e.g., freezing, frosty, chilly, or cool) use model texts to show how an author has chosen words for different purposes. Poetry is a rich source of vivid and imaginative word choice. Reading and writing poetry gives students the chance to encounter a rich store of words and use them in innovative and creative ways.
Writing craft Language features and devices	notice simple language features during shared reading (e.g., onomatopoeia, alliteration, and repetition)	identify and discuss the use of simple language features such as onomatopoeia, rhyme, and alliteration in texts that entertain	identify and use rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and simile to enhance effect in writing that entertains and engages the reader	identify and use language features to enhance effects in writing, and describe how they can communicate meaning figuratively	Explicitly teach students to recognise and use language features that will enhance their writing. This is best done in the context of purposeful writing, rather than in isolated activities. For example, when writing a narrative, similes or metaphors might help to create a vivid image of the setting. Teach students about language features and devices, for example, by: analysing model texts to notice and recognise taught language features discussing how these features enhance the text. After discussing and analysing model texts, make the examples of language features accessible for students to refer back to when they are writing.
Writing processes Planning	plan their writing by saying a sentence to the teacher	plan their writing through talk, determining the precise wording of each sentence before writing it	plan a short series of sentences through talk, thinking carefully about each sentence before writing it	use simple organisers (e.g., graphic organisers or mnemonics) to plan single-paragraph texts	Students should be writing daily as soon as they have enough transcription knowledge and skills to make readable spellings. The writing process is recursive. Effective writers continually repeat and revisit the stages in the process as they write. Students must have enough knowledge about a topic to plan and write about it. Build students’ knowledge about a topic by reading to and with them, facilitating relevant experiences and discussions, and providing opportunities for them to read independently. Explicitly teach note-taking skills to ensure that students are recording key words and phrases in their own words. Revising and editing is done at the planning stage and at sentence and whole-text levels. Encourage students to develop increasing independence in setting and monitoring their own progress towards their writing goals. Writing goals may relate to aspects of transcription, composition, craft, and managing the writing process. As you teach writing processes, focus on the following aspects: Planning should ideally be done orally at first. Demonstrate notetaking by modelling how to take notes on a topic. Prompt students to read and check each sentence as they write it. Use think-alouds to demonstrate how to plan a sentence, write it, and then check that it makes sense and has the necessary punctuation. Make sure students are writing correct sentences. If students have begun writing longer texts, you may be able to introduce teaching points from subsequent year levels. Encourage students to work on improving word choices and sentence structure. Where appropriate, demonstrate how to improve sentence structure by combining and expanding sentences. Model how to identify errors and make corrections. Practise writing skills collaboratively by using shared exemplars and templates.
	-	-	-	use simple note-taking in their planning
	-	identify and work towards a specific writing goal, with close support	identify and work towards a specific writing goal, with support	identify and work towards a specific writing goal based on revisions and edits made to previous writing
Writing processes Drafting	write the sentence that they have planned orally (with close support)	write one or more sentences each day, after planning each sentence orally	write a short series of related sentences each day that follow from their planning	write single-paragraph texts that follow from their planning
Writing processes Drafting	begin at the margin and leave spaces between words	begin at the margin and leave spaces between words	begin at the margin and leave appropriately sized spaces between words	begin at the margin and leave appropriately sized spaces between words
Writing processes Revising	reread to check the sentence (with close support)	reread to check each sentence as they write	reread to check each sentence and make corrections when something does not make sense	reread to check each sentence and make corrections when something does not make sense or is ungrammatical
	-	-	add or delete words to clarify meaning, using feedback from teachers	add, delete, or substitute words to clarify meaning
	-	-	-	improve sentence construction by separating run-on sentences and/or combining consecutive sentences
Writing processes Editing	check each sentence and add any missing capital letters and full stops, with close support.	check each sentence for known spelling patterns, capital letters, and full stops, with feedback and support.	make simple edits to draft sentences, using known spelling patterns, capital letters, and punctuation to indicate the end of a sentence.	make simple edits to draft sentences using known spelling patterns and punctuation.

English Learning Area Years 0–6 glossary

Abstract nouns	Nouns that represent ideas, qualities, or states rather than concrete objects. For example, ‘love’, ‘freedom’, ‘happiness’.
Accountable talk	A way of speaking and interacting that allows all students to participate in meaningful discussions. It supports students to: share their ideas, respond to the ideas of others respectfully, support their opinions with evidence and engage in sophisticated conversations.
Adverbial clause (adverbial phrase)	A group of words that function as an adverb, modifying a verb, adjective, or another adverb. For example, “She sings because she loves music.”
Alphabetic principle	The idea or understanding that letters of the alphabet represent specific sounds in speech.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)	Refers to various methods used to help individuals with speech or language difficulties communicate effectively. AAC includes both augmentative communication, which supplements existing speech, and alternative communication, which replaces speech when it is not possible.
Automaticity	The automatic processing of information as, for example, when a reader or writer does not need to pause to work out words as they read or write. The outcome is being a fluent reader, writer and communicator.
Chameleon prefixes	Prefixes meaning the same things that can sound or be spelled differently, depending on the first letter of the root word. For example, the prefix ad- (meaning to/toward) changes to ac- when used in the word ‘accept’, or at- in the word ‘attract’.
Choral reading	The teacher and the students read the same passage at the same time.
Clause	A group of words that includes a subject and a verb. For example, in the sentence, “The baby cries when it is hungry”, “The baby cries” and “when it is hungry” are both clauses. The first one could stand alone as a sentence, so it’s an independent clause. The second one couldn’t stand alone, so it’s a dependent clause.
Code	An agreed upon system of signs or symbols used to create meaning within a mode. For example, the code of written language and facial expressions or body language in the gestural mode.
Complex sentences	Complex sentences contain one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. Dependent clauses often begin with subordinating conjunctions like ‘because’, ‘since’, ‘if’, ‘when’, or ‘although’. For example: “I stayed home because it was raining.” Independent clause: “I stayed home.” Dependent clause: “because it was raining.”
Compound sentences	Created when two or more independent clauses are joined using a conjunction (such as ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘for’, ‘so’, or ‘yet’) or a punctuation mark (a semi-colon) to show a connection between two more ideas. Each independent clause in a compound sentence can stand alone as a complete sentence. For example: “I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.” Independent clause one: “I wanted to go for a walk.” Independent clause two: “It started to rain.” Coordinating conjunction: “but”
Compound-complex sentence	These are the most complicated type of sentences. They consist of: at least two independent clauses (which can each stand alone as a complete sentence) and at least one dependent clause (which cannot stand alone as a complete sentence). These sentences enable us to articulate more elaborate and detailed thoughts, making them excellent tools for explaining complex ideas or describing extended sequences of events.
Comprehension monitoring	Occurs when the reader (or listener) actively monitors and confirms their understanding. They use their prior knowledge of a topic or concept, along with their knowledge of vocabulary, to monitor their understanding of what they are reading or listening to. There are a range of strategies that are used to support meaning making. Students do this from an early age.
Connective	Words or phrases that join sentences, clauses, or words together. Connectives can be conjunctions, prepositions, or adverbs. They help to show the relationship between different parts of a sentence or between sentences, helping to make text and spoken language more coherent. There are many connectives to learn about which enhance comprehension and expression of spoken and written language. For example: Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or Subordinating conjunctions: because, since Time & order connectives: first, after that, previously, suddenly, subsequently, finally, in previous years Addition: also, in addition, furthermore Illustration: for example, for instance, such as Contrast: but, however, alternatively, on the other hand, in contrast
Consonant letters	Words are written using letters which are either vowels or consonants. English consonant letters are B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y (sometimes), Z.
Consonant phonemes	A phoneme (speech sound) in which the breath is at least partly obstructed. Consonants are produced by blocking or restricting airflow using the vocal cords and parts of the mouth such as the tongue, lips, or teeth. For example, /s/, /p/, /ch/, and /m/. Aotearoa New Zealand English has 24 consonant phonemes, and te reo Māori has 10 consonant phonemes. Consonant phonemes may be voiced, or voiceless. Consonants need vowels to make up syllables and words.
Consonant digraph	A grapheme written with two or more consonant letters that, together, represent one phoneme. For example, ch- as in ‘chair’ or ph- as in ‘phone’.
Constrained knowledge and skills	“Constrained knowledge and skills consist of a limited number of items, such as learning the letters of the alphabet, thus can be mastered through systematic teaching within a relatively short time frame.” - Scott P. (2005). Reinterpreting the Development of Reading Skills. Reading Research Quarterly, 40/2, 184 -2022
Convention	A rule followed by a particular type or mode of language (e.g., for volume when speaking) or a particular type of text (e.g., detective fiction).
Decodable texts	Specially designed reading materials used in early literacy instruction. These texts are composed of words that align with the phonics skills students have been taught, allowing them to practice decoding words using their knowledge of letter-sound relationships.
Decoding strategies	Strategies used by readers to work out (decode) unfamiliar words. For example, looking for known chunks, using knowledge of grapheme–phoneme relationships. These strategies are essential for developing reading fluency and comprehension.
Digraph	Two letters representing one phoneme. This sound is different from the individual sounds of the letters when they are pronounced separately. Digraphs can be composed of either consonants or vowels. For example, -er in ‘her’, -ch in ‘chips’.
Diphthong	A sound made by combining two vowels, specifically when it starts as one vowel sound and goes to another, like the ‘oy’ sound in oil. Diphthongs are sometimes called ‘gliding vowels’.
Echo reading	First, the teacher reads aloud while students follow along silently. Then students read aloud the same part of the text back to the teacher, echoing the fluency, expression and tone the teacher used. Echo reading can be used for phrases, sentences and paragraphs.
Emergent bilingual/multilingual	Students who are developing proficiency in English while continuing to develop their home language(s).
Explanatory text	A type of non-fiction writing that explains how or why something happens. It provides a detailed description of a process, event, or concept, often answering questions like “How does this work?” or “Why does this happen?”
Fluency	Refers to the ability to express oneself easily and articulately. The ability to speak, read, or write rapidly and accurately, focusing on meaning and phrasing and without having to give attention to individual words or common forms and sequences of language. Fluency is essential in communication as it allows for clear and effective expression, whether in speaking, writing, and reading.
Fragment	A fragment is a collection of words that doesn’t form a grammatically complete sentence. Typically, it is missing a subject, a verb, or both, or it is a dependent clause that is not linked to an independent clause.
Gerunds	Verb forms ending in -ing that function as nouns. For example, “Swimming is fun.”
Gist statement	Summarises the main idea or ‘gist’ of a section of text.
Global coherence inferences	Inferences that make the text form a consistent and meaningful whole, so that we can build a mental picture. Common global coherence inferences include ones that suggest the setting of a text or a character’s emotion or goals from key words.
Grapheme	The smallest unit of a written language, each usually represents one phoneme. In English, graphemes have one, two, three or four letters. For example, ‘f’, ‘th’, ‘o’, ‘ee’. ‘X’ is an exception, as it represents two phonemes /k//s/.
High-frequency words	Words that appear frequently in written and spoken language and include at least one grapheme-phoneme correspondence that students haven’t been explicitly taught yet or that is so unusual that it is considered irregular.
Indirect objects	The recipient of the direct object. For example, “He gave her a gift.”
Inference	Inference when reading a text is the process of drawing conclusions or making educated guesses based on the information provided in the text, combined with the reader’s own knowledge and experiences. This process, often described as “reading between the lines” helps readers understand implied meanings, predict outcomes, and grasp deeper insights that are not explicitly stated.
Interpretation	The process of assigning meaning or significance to elements within a text based on a student’s understanding, analysis, and personal insights. It involves making connections between various aspects such as characters, events, dialogue, and symbolism to uncover deeper meanings and themes.
Language features	Specific techniques used in writing and speech to create or support meaning. These features help convey ideas, evoke emotions, and enhance the overall effectiveness of communication. For example, figurative language and imagery.
Literacy	Literacy knowledge and skills underpin and contribute to developing the complex language needed for advanced interpretation and expression of meaning across an increasingly diverse range of oral, visual, written and digital texts. There are literacy skills and knowledge necessary for each curriculum learning area. This includes the technical and specialist language of those areas, as well as the different approaches and ways of using language across learning areas. Literacy skills include the ability to critically interpret, manage and create meaning through a range of digital communication channels.
Literary texts	Written works that are valued for their artistic and aesthetic qualities. These texts often explore complex themes, emotions, and human experiences through creative language and storytelling. Literary texts can include various genres, such as: Novels: Extended fictional works that explore characters, plots, and settings in depth. Short Stories: Brief fictional narratives that focus on a single event or character. Poetry: Verses and poems that use rhythm, rhyme, and imagery to evoke emotions and ideas. Plays: Dramatic works intended for performance on stage, exploring dialogue and action. Essays: Prose works that reflect the author’s personal views on a particular subject.
Local or lexical inference	The reader understands the meaning of words and phrases by connecting them to other words and phrases in the text. This is called a lexical inference because it relies on links between lexical items (i.e. words) and is a type of local cohesion inference.
Meaning making	Using personal and cultural knowledge, experiences, strategies, and awareness to derive or convey meaning when listening, speaking, reading, writing or viewing; this requires language comprehension, background knowledge, an understanding of the forms and purposes of different text types and an awareness that texts are intended for an audience.
Metacognition	Involves being aware of and understanding their own thought processes, which helps them plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning strategies. Linked to the science of learning, this self-awareness enhances their ability to retain information and solve problems.
Mode	A system of signs and symbols with agreed upon meanings. Refers to the various forms and methods through which literacy is expressed and communicated. They are essential for developing comprehensive literacy skills, enabling individuals to effectively communicate and understand information in various contexts. Modes of meaning include: Oral Language: live or recorded speech Written Language: writing, reading Visual Mode: still or moving image, sculpture Audio Mode: music, ambient sounds, noises Gestural Mode: movements of the hands and arms, facial expressions, eye movements and gaze, dance Spatial Mode: proximity, spacing, layout, interpersonal distance
Morphological knowledge	An understanding of morphemes, the smallest units of meaning in a language, which can be prefixes, suffixes, or root words. This knowledge is crucial for reading, spelling, and vocabulary development.
Multimodal text	Multimodal texts combine two or more modes of communication to convey a message. These modes can include oral language, written language, audio, gestural, spatial and visual modes. Examples of multimodal texts include picture books, websites, performance poetry, films, news reports, infographics, videos, and digital presentations.
Narrative text	A type of writing that tells a story or describes a sequence of events. The primary purpose of narrative texts is to entertain or inform the reader by presenting a coherent and engaging story. Organised around events and literary elements such as setting, characters, and a problem and solution. For example, diary, biography, autobiography, personal narrative, fable, myth, legend, fairytale, poem, play.
Orthographic mapping	The cognitive process through which a word is permanently stored in memory for instant and effortless recall. Orthographic mapping is crucial for developing fluent reading skills. It enables readers to recognise words automatically without needing to sound them out each time, which frees up cognitive resources for comprehension and higher-order thinking. Key aspects of orthographic mapping include: Letter-sound connections: Readers map the sounds they hear in a word to the letters they see. Pronunciation and spelling: The pronunciation of a word is linked to its spelling, allowing for quick recognition. Meaning: The meaning of the word is also stored, making it easier to understand and use in context.
Participles	Verb forms used as adjectives. Present participles end in -ing, and past participles often end in -ed or -en. For example: Present participle: “the running water” Past participle: “the broken vase”
Partner reading	One student reads to another, and then they swap roles. Students are taught a simple routine to coach each other through reading errors.
Phoneme	The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another. When combined with other sounds, they form a meaningful unit. For example, the sounds represented by the letters, ‘p’ ‘b’ ‘d’ and ‘t’ are phonemes because they differentiate words like ‘pad,’ ‘bad’ and ‘bat’.
Phoneme-grapheme correspondence	The relationships between spoken sound units and the written symbols that represent them. Refers to the relationship between phonemes (the smallest units of sound in a language) and graphemes (the letters or groups of letters that represent those phonemes in written form). This concept (the alphabetic principle) is fundamental in phonics, developing students’ ability to identify and manipulate phonemes and link them to their corresponding graphemes to read and spell words.
Phonemic awareness	The ability to hear, differentiate, and attend to the individual sounds within words. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a spoken word. For example, ‘frog’ has four sounds as does the word ‘box’.
Phonics	An approach to teaching reading that focuses on the sounds represented by letters in words (see also decoding skills).
Phonological awareness	An overall understanding of the sound systems of a language. For example, an awareness that words are made up of combinations of sounds.
Phrase	A small group of words within a sentence. It does not make sense on its own. This is because it does not contain a complete verb or a subject.
Predicate	The predicate is the part of a sentence (or clause) that states what the subject does or is. For example, in the sentence “Native short-tailed pekapeka hunt insects on the forest floor,” the predicate is “hunt insects on the forest floor”.
Predicate adjectives	An adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject. For example, “The sky looks blue.”
Predicate nouns	A noun that follows a linking verb and renames the subject. For example, “She is a teacher.”
R-controlled vowel pattern	Graphemes which represent the phonemes /ar/, /er/, /or/, /eer/, /air/, and /ure/. Note: in the general Aotearoa New Zealand English accent, /eer/ and /air/ are now pronounced as the same phoneme by many speakers over recent decades. For example, ‘hear’ and ‘hair’ are pronounced the same.
Repeated reading	Students re-read texts multiple times, focusing on improving accuracy and expression.
Schwa	The schwa is the vowel sound in an unstressed syllable. It can be represented by many different letters and often sounds like the short ‘u’ sound ‘uh’ or the short ‘i' sound ‘ih’, like the sound for ‘er’ in letter, or the sound for ‘o’ in police.
Scope and sequence	‘Scope’ refers to the concepts or skills that need to be taught. ‘Sequence’ refers to the order in which the concepts and skills are introduced. This ensures that foundational knowledge is built before introducing more complex concepts. This structured approach helps students make connections, facilitating deeper understanding and retention of information.
Simple sentence	A simple sentence must: contain a subject (noun or noun phrase) and a predicate (verb and any elements telling what the subject does or is) make complete sense or represent a complete thought on its own. Simple sentences are the building blocks of more complex sentence structures and are essential for clear and concise communication. Sentences not containing a subject or predicate are ‘incomplete sentences’ or ‘fragments’.
Self-regulation	The ability to understand and manage behaviour, emotions, and reactions to various situations. This skill helps children focus on tasks, control impulses, and interact positively with others, all of which are essential for learning and social development.
Sentence combining	Sentence combining is an evidence-based instructional technique which is effective for teaching syntax and grammar to children, and improves sentence quality, complexity and variety.
Split digraph	A vowel digraph which has been split up by a consonant letter between the two vowel letters. For example: a-e as in ‘cake’ i-e as in ‘five’ o-e as in ‘code’ e-e as in ‘sphere’ u-e as in ‘rule’
Statistical learning	In the context of reading, statistical learning is the ability to recognise patterns and regularities in written language. It is a form of implicit learning and includes becoming aware of the probability that a particular grapheme will correspond to a particular phoneme.
Subject	The person or thing (noun, pronoun, or noun phrase) that a sentence or clause is about. For example, “braided rivers” is the subject in the sentence “braided rivers form many channels”.
Summarising texts	Involves condensing the main ideas and key points of a longer text into a shorter version, using your own words. This process helps to provide a clear and concise overview of the original content without including unnecessary details.
Syllable	A single, unbroken vowel sound within a spoken word. They typically contain a vowel sound and perhaps one or more accompanying consonants. All words contain at least one syllable. Syllables are sometimes referred to as the 'beats' of a word that form its rhythm, and breaking a word into syllables can help learners with phonetic spelling.
Syntax	The rules followed to arrange words and phrases to create logical and grammatically correct clauses, and sentences. It involves the rules that govern the structure of sentences, including word order, sentence structure, and the relationship between words.
Systematic synthetic phonics	A method of teaching reading that emphasises the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in a structured and sequential manner. The term ‘synthetic’ comes from the synthesising or blending of sounds to make a word and enable children to read.
Taonga tuku iho	Something handed down, a cultural property or heritage.
Text	Texts are constructed from one or more of the modes of meaning (oral language, written language, audio, gestural, spatial and visual modes). They are a language event that we require language skills to understand. Creators construct texts to convey meaning to an audience. For example, a speech, poem, poster, video clip, advertisement.
Text type	A particular kind of text with features and conventions linked to its purpose. For example, oral texts are spoken forms of communication, like speeches and conversations, while written texts are conveyed through writing, such as books and articles. Digital texts, created and accessed using technology, often include interactive elements like audio and video.
Text creator	An individual or group who creates texts in any mode and using any technology.
Think-alouds	A teaching strategy where teachers verbalise their thought processes.
Transcription	Describes the act of converting spoken language into written form on the page or screen.
Trigraph	A cluster of three letters that collectively produce a specific single sound. It can be composed entirely of consonants or vowels, or it can be a mix of both. For example, sigh, catch
Unconstrained knowledge and skills	“Unconstrained meaning-making knowledge and skills are learned across a lifetime and are broad in scope.” - Scott P. (2005). Reinterpreting the Development of Reading Skills. Reading Research Quarterly, 40/2, 184-202
Unstressed syllable	The part of the word that doesn't receive emphasis or stress.
Vowel	Words are built from letters which are either vowels or consonants. Vowels are A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. All syllables include vowels.
Vowel team	A spelling pattern where two or more letters are used to represent a single vowel sound. This includes vowel digraphs but also combinations of two or more letters (e.g., -igh for /ī/). For example, the -ea- in ‘teach’ or the -ai- in ‘rain’
Worked examples	A teaching strategy that provides students with step-by-step demonstrations or examples of how to solve a problem or complete a task.

NZC - English (Phase 1)

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Progress outcome by the end of year 3 (Foundation)

Understand

Know

Do

Teaching sequence – Phase 1 (Years 0-3)

Explicit teaching

Structured literacy approaches

Inclusive teaching and learning

Developing positive identities as communicators, readers, and writers

Working with texts

Oral language

Reading

Working with year-level texts

Noticing, recognising, and responding to students’ strengths and needs

Texts for the first six months at school

Texts for the second half of the first year at school

Texts for the second year at school

Texts for the third year at school

Writing