PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

Reading PolicyReading is a fundamental part of the New Zealand curriculum. The curriculum for reading(pānui) is outlined in a substrand of written language in English in the New ZealandCurriculum and as a substrand of receptive language (Reo Torohu) in Te Reo Māori i rotoi te Marautanga o Aotearoa. 21 At primary school, reading typically has been taught as aseparate subject or more recently as part of a wider literacy program, while at secondaryschool it is taught as part of the broader English or Māori (language) curricula.The overarching objectives of the written language strand, for example, state thatstudents should be able to:• Engage with and enjoy written language in all its varieties; and• Understand, respond to, and use written language effectively in a range of contexts.Specifically, students at level 3 of the reading substrand, the level at which Year 5 studentsare typically working, “should discuss language, meanings, and ideas in a range of texts,relating their understanding to personal experiences and other texts.” 22While the curriculum’s objectives and goals are general, there is an expectation amongNew Zealand teachers that by the end of 4 years of formal schooling, children will be ableto read, comprehend, and respond to texts that are appropriate at their chronological age(i.e., Year 4 students are typically 9 years of age). Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1 to 4describes what students should be able to do after 4 years of literacy learning. 23Specifically for reading these are:PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia• Integrate meaning, structure, visual and grapho-phonic information, and priorknowledge when reading.• Select and use the processing strategies effectively and self-monitor.• Use word-identification strategies appropriately and automatically whenencountering unknown words.• Confidently share and discuss their thoughts about and responses to a range oftexts (fiction and nonfiction), print tests, and electronic texts.• Think critically about what is being read.• Use a range of comprehension strategies. Analyze and interpret what the author issaying, make inferences and justify them, and make connections.• Gather, process, and evaluate information from a variety of sources, includingmultimedia sources.• Read silently.• Read aloud with expression and fluency.• Demonstrate a developing understanding of text structure and author’s style whendiscussing texts.• Have a strong sense of what they like to read and locate such material.In New Zealand, teachers and schools are responsible for determining the mostappropriate approaches to teaching students and selecting instructional materials,New ZealandTIMSS & PIRLSInternational Study CenterLynch School of Education, Boston College 285