English (Years 1-6)
A top-shelf English class is an environment where students are empowered to make connections between the content they learn and the world around them, especially for younger students who are just beginning to grasp the subject. This is exactly what our redeveloped English course for primary school students focuses on. Designed according to International Baccalaureate standards, it gives students the opportunity to learn and experience English through a variety of visual and written texts.
Through a deep engagement with the texts they study, our students will learn to read, write, and listen in a more meaningful way. This translates into both better written and oral assignments, and the cultivation of critical thinking in young minds.
Our curriculum ties into both New Zealand and Australian learning standards, while at the same time having a distinct international flavour. This experience develops inquiring and caring young people, who are motivated to create a better world through intercultural understanding and respect.
English (Years 7-10)
It’s commonplace in New Zealand schools to see students who are disengaged with their first external English course – whether this is through NCEA, Cambridge, or the IB.
Why is this? English is a fascinating subject, with so much scope for students to enjoy it.
Unfortunately, the fact is that many students do not feel adequately prepared for their first year of English within these curricula. The transition from their junior high school English courses can be challenging, and there’s a significant jump in both the difficulty of the content studied, and the quality of writing expected of students.
At EduExperts, we believe that everybody should have the chance to enjoy, and be prepared for, their high school English courses. We’ve designed our Senior English course for students from Year 7 through to Year 10, with a particular focus on preparing them for NCEA, Cambridge, and IB English in their later high school years. Our course material was collated following a meticulous analysis of each of these curricula, so that students are given all the skills they need for success at an early stage.
Our Senior English course is designed around the idea of conceptualised learning. In other words, what’s the “big idea” within a text? How does this idea transcend a particular origin or subject matter? Students will be mentored throughout the process of identifying and recognising these big ideas, inquiring into them, and finally responding to their findings in a variety of ways.
In addition to what would typically be found within a high school English course, we strive to apply current global contexts to the work our students learn. Currently, we have selected the following global contexts for our course:
• Identities and relationships
• Orientation in space and time
• Scientific and technological innovation
• Fairness and development
The texts we study will be examined within these contexts. As a result, students will develop an understanding of how great literary works from any era are truly timeless, and can be applied to our modern-day world.
Through studying a variety of texts from different perspectives, we aim to build responsible and conscionable global citizens, who are both well-versed in critical thinking and receptive to the diverse viewpoints of others around them.
If this sounds like a journey you want to be a part of, get in touch with your local centre today!