Teaching resources for structured literacy approaches and the English learning area

These guides support teachers to use the existing instructional series books with structured literacy approaches (SLA). Each guide provides an overview of the characteristics of the series and guidance on the elements of SLA that you could focus on with the series, for example, teaching morphology using the CHAPTERS series.

Select the links below to access the guides:

• Using structured literacy approaches with Ready to Read Colour Wheel
• Using structured literacy approaches with CHAPTERS
• Using structured literacy approaches with Junior Journals
• Using structured literacy approaches with School Journals

Teacher manuals are in development to support teachers to deliver structured literacy approaches for students in years 0-8.

There will be three SLA teacher manuals – years 0-3, 4-6, and 7-8. Each manual will give practical guidance on the delivery of SLA, including examples of planning, lessons, and activities. They will show how existing Ministry of Education resources can support structured literacy approaches and will align closely with the refreshed English learning area. The SLA teacher manuals will be published in terms 2 to 4 in 2025:

• Term 2: Years 0-3 
• Term 3: Years 4-6
• Term 4: Years 7-8

The guidance on accelerating progress supports teachers and leaders in effectively using the curriculum content and assessment to identify student progress, meet learning needs, and identify when targeted support is necessary.

There will be three guides:

• the leadership guidance offers strategies to help school leaders in years 0-8 to accelerate learner progress (see Accelerating progress – Leadership guidance)
•  the teacher guide for literacy and the guide for maths will provide targeted support and strategies to accelerate progress in literacy and mathematics (these will be available in term 2 2025).

The Ready to Read Phonics Plus series is the Ministry of Education series of phonically controlled books and supporting materials. The series helps teachers working in early years primary classrooms to use structured literacy approaches. It is the foundational instructional reading series the Ministry of Education provides for students in years 1-2.

The Ready to Read Phonics Plus books and the supporting materials provide opportunities for students to practice foundational literacy skills, such as decoding, through meaningful texts that are aligned to a structured, phonics-based scope and sequence.

For more information and to find the books and materials in the series, go to: Ready to Read Phonics Plus – Series introduction.

Teachers can use the Ready to Read Colour Wheel series of books to help students in years 1-2 develop language comprehension strategies and practise word recognition skills as they transition from decodable (phonically controlled) to less-controlled texts. Many of the books in the Ready to Read Colour Wheel series come with audio files and digital versions for flexible use with students. The quick guide for Ready to Read Colour Wheel gives information on how to use this series with structured literacy approaches.

To find Ready to Read Colour Wheel books, go to Literacy (inc. Instructional Series) and select the series filter on the left-hand side of your screen.

Teachers can use the CHAPTERS books to help students in year 3 build reading stamina and develop confidence and motivation for independent, personal reading. They support students’ transition from short texts to the longer format of chapter books. Books in the CHAPTERS series have audio files and digital versions for flexible use with students. The quick guide for CHAPTERS gives information on how to use this series with structured literacy approaches.

For more information and to find the CHAPTERS books, go to: CHAPTERS – Series introduction.

The Junior Journal series supports students in year 3 to transition from early instructional readers to the collection format of the School Journal. Texts in Junior Journal have fewer illustrations than early readers and denser text layouts to prepare students for reading longer texts. Junior Journals have digital versions and some items have audio for flexible use with students. The quick guide for Junior Journals gives information on using this series with structured literacy approaches.

In 2025, there will be one publication of Junior Journal in November.

For more information, go to: Junior Journal – Series introduction.

The School Journal supports literacy learning across the New Zealand Curriculum for students in years 4–8. The School Journal is published in a miscellany (collection) format, with each issue including a variety of genres of text such as articles, stories, poems, plays, and graphic novels.

The School Journal series is published in three levels. For many years, this has aligned to either level 2, 3 or 4 of the New Zealand Curriculum. From 2025, the three levels will change:

• Level 2 becomes Year 4, Phase 2. 
• Level 3 becomes Years 5-6, Phase 2.
• Level 4 becomes Years 7-8, Phase 3.

 School Journals published since 2014 have audio files and digital versions for flexible use with students. The quick guide for School Journals gives information on how to use this series with structured literacy approaches.

 In 2025, there will be one publication of each School Journal in November.

For more information, go to: School Journal – Series introduction.

New teacher support materials (TSM) for recent School Journals, Junior Journals, and CHAPTERS will be available from term 2. These teacher support materials will be closely aligned to structured literacy approaches and the refreshed English learning area and available on Tāhūrangi in terms 2 and 3.