Learning at BPS
Maths
At BPS, along with the three other Primary Schools in our Kahui Ako, we have aligned our Maths expectations with the refreshed NZ curriculum - Te Mātaiaho.
You can access the 'additive thinking' overview through this link. This is the first part of the refreshed Maths curriculum. As we develop other parts of the curriculum these will be accessible through this page.
Structured Literacy
Across the school, we apply a Structured Literacy approach to the teaching of reading and spelling (writing). This approach is differentiated to suit the needs of our learners while allowing for the extension of vocabulary knowledge and understanding and aligns with the English strand of the refreshed NZ curriculum - Te Mātaiaho.
A Structured Literacy approach explicitly teaches systematic word identification and decoding strategies, which benefit most learners but are essential for those with dyslexia or specific literacy difficulties.
As a school, we use the Learning Matters iDeaL programme to teach spelling and reading. All learners across the school take part in daily spelling sessions, which focus on the explicit teaching of spelling concepts (rules), irregular words (these are words that do not follow a rule) and vocabulary. Learners generally learn one concept per week and receive spelling lists to practise at home, which align with what is being taught in class. Over the course of a learner's time at BPS, they will revisit the concepts regularly; however, the complexity of the words they learn will increase. Below is a general guide to what a week's worth of lessons looks like. This, of course, can be adapted to suit the needs of the learners.
Reading is also taught following this approach, and our younger learners will all bring home decodable texts once a week to read with their whānau. Over the course of the week, teachers focus on teaching the concept (or rule) that applies to the book, with emphasis placed on both decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) keywords from the text. Irregular words are taught, along with comprehension and fluency. Some of our older learners may also bring home decodable texts, regularly or from time to time, which align with the curriculum and are essential for ensuring they have the skills to decode more complex words.
To learn more about Structured Literacy, you can access a parent's page on the Learning Matters website. https://www.learningmatters.co.nz/parents/
