Units for Engaging with the NZ Curriculum
Music Units
The following Ministry of Education units of work support the implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum, 2007.
Into Music 1 - Classroom Music in Years 1 - 3
This Ministry of Education music resource is an adaptation of the original book and CD Into Music 1, Classroom Music in Years 1 - 3, Learning Media (2001). In this downloadable resource, teaching and assessment approaches are detailed, with sound files, resources and links to materials that reflect the New Zealand Curriculum (2007). It is a cross-curricular resource written for all teachers of children in years 1 to 3 and may also be useful to adapt for other age groups.
Pussycat Pussycat
This new curriculum (2007) level 1, unit written by Maria Winder, uses Digistore resources and focuses on creative and practical responses to nursery rhymes as students listen, sing, accompany themselves on ukulele, and act character parts of songs from England, Tonga and Samoa.
Rock It Man
This level 1 NCEA unit, written by Chris Archer, was prepared using the Arts Online NCEA interactive unit planner. It aims to foster the ability of students to inquire and reflect on their own and others' values and appreciate artistic diversity through the analysis of a selection of New Zealand contemporary rock and popular music from a range of styles and genres.
Symbol 2 Sound - Sound 2 Symbol
This NCEA (levels 2 & 3), unit written by Chris Archer, is designed to develop students' abilities to explore and use visual symbols as a source of motivation in which to create, structure and represent musical instrumentations/arrangements and compositions, and express imaginative thinking and personal understandings. The unit uses images from Digistore to provide examples of visual artistic works that express unique identities. These images reflect New Zealand's cultural diversity and illustrate how artists value histories and traditions. The unit also explores ways in which students can develop competencies in working effectively together and independently.
Looking Ahead for Our Native Animals
These new curriculum (2007) level 3 units, written by Maria Winder and Julie Cadzow, use Digistore resources and focus on the sustainability of threatened native animals in New Zealand. The units enable students to express their knowledge, ideas and feelings towards the endangerment, extinction, or future survival of New Zealand animals through music and/or dance practices and knowledge bases.
Voices of Tāwhirimatea
This level 2/3 music unit, written by Maria Winder, focuses on traditional Māori musical instruments that carry sounds (pūoro) connected to the natural world e.g. earth, sky, wind, rain, rain, plants and animals. The voices of Tāwhirimatea, the God of winds, are represented by Māori wind instruments such as kōauau, putorino and nguru. Through a variety of learning experiences, students explore the use of traditional Māori instruments, sing and accompany songs, and create a digital soundtrack using hand-made taonga puoro. Digistore photos are included.