Learning Media - Te Pou Taki Kõrero

Choices

The Choices series is designed to engage and support reluctant readers in years 9 and 10. Each title is a richly illustrated, theme-based collection of high-interest reading material.

The series began as a resource to mativate underachieving readers in years 9 and 10 and support students to become independent and fluent readers. According to Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008–2012, disengagement from learning escalates in years 9 and 10. Evidence also shows that boys’ performance generally decreases at age 14 compared with age 12 for Māori and Pasifika boys. Choices aims to help break this pattern.

Learning Media works with years 9 and 10 students, teachers, and advisers to select a theme for each book. The themes are chosen to link a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, to reflect the diversity of the target group, and to widen students’ reading experience. Themes range from animals to wheels, the performing arts to survival. Captioned illustrations and audio versions of the texts provide scaffolding for students.

The teacher support materials model good teaching practice by describing the text features and suggesting relevant teaching strategies. This supports teachers to help the students activate prior knowledge and connect with vocabulary and text structure. The series supports teaching that relates specifically to students’ strengths and needs.

Above all, the series helps teachers to foster students’ enjoyment and success in reading so that these students can close the gap between their current reading level and where they need to be.