Literacy

At Greenhithe School, we follow a Structured Literacy approach to teaching literacy, in alignment with the English strand of the refreshed New Zealand curriculum — Te Mātaiaho.  Structured Literacy involves explicit, systematic instruction in word identification and decoding strategies. 

At our kura, we use the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) programme to teach reading, and Liz Kane’s The Code to teach spelling. Learners in Years 3–6 participate in daily, explicit spelling lessons based on this structured approach, with each session lasting around 25 minutes. In Years 0–2, the focus is on phonics through the LLLL programme.

In the junior school, our reading programme prioritises building strong foundations in phonics, decoding, fluency, vocabulary and word recognition, helping ākonga develop into confident, fluent readers. In the classroom, ākonga focus on developing these key skills through a variety of learning experiences.

As ākonga move into the senior school and achieve reading fluency, the emphasis shifts to strengthening comprehension skills, expanding vocabulary, and exploring morphology (the study of word structure). Whenever possible, reading texts are linked to the termly inquiry themes.

In writing, our junior school programme focuses on handwriting, syntax, sentence structure, and grammar. We work closely with ākonga to ensure they can construct sentences accurately and use appropriate punctuation.

In the senior school, writing becomes more contextual and is often connected to inquiry themes. Ākonga are exposed to a range of genres, including explanatory, descriptive, procedural, and persuasive writing. They also learn to tailor their writing for different purposes and audiences.