Books for NCEA wide reading

I loved books when I was at high school but I hated being forced to read a book I had no interest in. As a 14 year old I had no interest in reading A Clockwork Orange, no matter how much of a ‘classic’ it was. I hated having to read a book that had specific messages that I had to get out of it. For me, that’s not how books worked. I read them because I wanted a good story that would keep me hooked. The year that stood out for me was Year 12 when I could finally choose which books I wanted to read and how I wanted to respond to them. I still vividly remember the feeling I had reading Witi Ihimaera’s Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies. It was the books I read during this year of high school that really opened my mind to the variety of stories that books could hold.

Now students studying for NCEA English have a wide range of reading options available and are able to choose books that interest them, as long as they fit within one of the wide reading themes. Luckily there is plenty of help at hand, with lots of great resources to help you find some great, and hopefully memorable, books to read.

Christchurch City Libraries’ Pulse website contains information about studying for NCEA English, including booklists. Here you’ll find links to quality online dictionaries and databases, study guides, information about authors and eBook and audio book sites.

• The Golden Bay High School Wiki lists titles within Level 1-3 categories, Year 11-13 groups, Short Stories and Themes.
• The School Library Association of New Zealand (SLANZA) has an extensive page of booklists divided by wide reading themes.
• Dunedin Public Libraries’ Independent Reading pages lists titles under headings such as Cultural Perspectives, Biographies, and Dysfunctional Families. So, there’s no need to panic next time a student asks for an award winning book.

These sites are great guides to where students could start to find suitable books for wide reading, but they should always check with teachers before making a final selection.

I’m sure that having this option of choosing their own reading material makes reading for study slightly more appealing for students than being forced to read a ‘classic’. I only wish I had had this option when I was at school.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA French

Put on your beret, munch on a pain au chocolat and let the library be your French tutor.

• Borrow a French language multimedia set from one of our community libraries now open so you can practice anywhere;
• We also have French dictionaries (including one you can access online from home!) and books about France;
• One of the best ways to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it – read books and magazine articles written in French, watch French films, and listen to French music;
• Find articles about places in France, as well as French history and culture, at Student Resource Center;
• Food is at the heart of French culture. We have lots of information about French cooking.
• Learn about notable French people and more at WorldBook Online InfoFinder;
• Explore travel and tourism websites – we’ve brought all the best ones together in one place to make it easy for you;
• Earn an excellence in NCEA French with help from NZQA;
• The BBC makes learning French easy;
• Make learning French fun – play games at Digital Dialects;
• Keen to visit or live in France for a while? Win yourself a student-exchange scholarship;
• GoAbroad.com and Youth For Understanding also offer travel opportunities for high school students;
• Get travel tips from Lonely Planet;
• Let the French Government Tourist Office be your tour guide.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Accounting

Love the idea of getting rich by helping others manage their money? Use these great resources to your advantage in NCEA Accounting.

• Have a look at our collection of best sites for finance and investment;
• Learn the secrets to managing your own money so you can better advise other people, with help from the budgeting and money page on our website;
• Figure out what that $1 coin you found in between the couch cushions is worth in dinars using an online currency converter tool;
• Borrow a study guide from one of our community libraries now open;
• Credo Reference can teach you how to talk like the people on Wall Street – you’ll need your library card and PIN;
• Check out the New York Times’ glossary of financial and business terms;
• Learn all about accounting terms, principles, rules, and procedures with the Money Instructor;
• Consumer can help you get financially literate;
• Get all the information you need so you can be fully prepared for your exams.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Drama

Prepare for your NCEA Drama assessments by making the most of these resources, and you will earn yourself a standing ovation for your performance.

• Borrow an NCEA Drama study guide from one of our community libraries now open;
• We also have a bunch of other books on acting techniques;
• Find various drama resources both for school and just for fun on The Pulse;
• Fine Arts and Music Collection has tonnes of drama-related articles from a variety of different journals;
• Browse the Cambridge Guide to Theatre at Credo Reference – you’ll need your library card and PIN;
• Learn about all aspects of theatre worldwide and throughout the ages at Oxford Reference Online – you’ll need your library card and PIN for this one, too;
• Check out the other awesome theatre and film resources we’ve found on our website;
• Make sure you understand what you need to do to achieve in NCEA;
• Get your broadway fix at the Internet Broadway Database;
• Team up with other New Zealanders who share your vision, passion and commitment to theatre;
• Playmarket can offer you script writing information, advice and resources;
• Discover where all the drama is happening in New Zealand by using the Te Puna Web Directory;
• Join the Young and Hungry and gain hands-on theatre experience, whether it’s acting, playwriting, stage management, costumes, set design, lighting,  or sound design.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA German

Want to be able to say more than just “guten tag” in German? Check out these awesome resources and start talking like you were born in Germany!

• Borrow  a German language multimedia set from one of our community libraries now open so you can practice anywhere;
• We also have German dictionaries (including one you can access online from home!) and books about Germany;
• One of the best ways to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it – read books and magazine articles written in German, watch German films (I can personally recommend North Face, The Lives of Others, The Counterfeiters, Good Bye Lenin! and Run Lola Run),  and listen to German music;
• Find articles about places in Germany, as well as German history and culture, at Student Resource Center;
• Learn about notable German people and more at WorldBook Online InfoFinder;
• Explore travel and tourism websites – we’ve brought all the best ones together in one place to make it easy for you;
• Earn an excellence in NCEA German with help from NZQA;
• The BBC makes learning German easy;
• Find pen pals you can write to in Germany at Deutsch-Lernen.com;
• Make learning German fun – play games at Digital Dialects;
• Keen to visit or live in Germany for a while? Win yourself a student-exchange scholarship;
• GoAbroad.com and Youth For Understanding also offer travel opportunities for high school students;
• Get travel tips from Lonely Planet;
• The German National Tourist Board can help you decide where you’ll go and what you’ll do;

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Latin

Having trouble getting your tongue around NCEA Latin? Christchurch City Libraries is here to help!

• Search for all things Latin in Encyclopædia Britannica;
• WorldBook Online InfoFinder is another great place to look for relevant articles;
• Borrow a Latin dictionary from one of our community libraries now open;
• You can also access Latin dictionaries online at Credo Reference or Oxford Reference using your library card and PIN;
• Find official information and resources for NCEA Latin on the NZQA website;
• Learn about Roman history and culture, play games, and check out other helpful Latin reference tools on Latinata.com;
• Test your vocabulary at Kepheus.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Physical Education

Taking NCEA Physical Education this year? Get fitter, faster, stronger and smarter with these great resources.

• Study your way to success by borrowing an NCEA Physical Education study guide from one of our community libraries now open;
• We also have all sorts of sports, fitness and health books, magazines and DVDs;
• Get inspired on The Pulse;
• Health Reference Center Academic provides access to articles on fitness and more;
• Learn the secrets of the world’s best athletes on our website;
• NZQA can coach you through your NCEA assessments;
• Create a training plan tailored to you at ActiveSmart;
• ACC offers good, commonsense tips for preventing injuries while being active;
• Check out sports and fitness news and research on Everybody.co.nz.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Biology

Preparing for your NCEA Biology assessments? Let us help!

• Both the Student Research Center and the Science Reference Center have you sorted with information and resources for every area of biology, from agriculture to zoology.
• NZQA is in the know when it comes to NCEA.
• Get help from biology and human biology teachers at Study It.
• Make the most of the useful study guides for biology on SparkNotes.
• Take a look at the BBC’s Science and Nature website. It has particularly good information about the human body.
• Learn about cells at CellsAlive.com
• Study DNA from the Beginning.
• Use your brain to understand how your brain works (I know, trippy right?)

So where did we find these great resources? On The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Spanish

Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be difficult – these resources will help you speak and understand the language like you were born in Spain … or Mexico … or any other Spanish-speaking country!

• Borrow a Spanish language multimedia set from one of our community libraries now open so you can practice anywhere;
• We also have Spanish dictionaries (including one you can access online from home!) and books about Spain;
• One of the best ways to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it – read books and magazine articles written in Spanish, watch Spanish films, and listen to Spanish music;
• Find articles about places in Spain, as well as Spanish history and culture, at StudentResourceCenter;
• Learn about notable Spanish people and more at WorldBook Online InfoFinder;
• Explore travel and tourism websites – we’ve brought all the best ones together in one place to make it easy for you;
• Earn an excellence in NCEA Spanish with help from NZQA;
• The BBC makes learning Spanish easy;
• Make learning Spanish fun – play games at Digital Dialects;
• Keen to visit or live in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country for a while? Win yourself a student-exchange scholarship;
• GoAbroad.com and Youth For Understanding also offer travel opportunities for high school students;
• Get travel tips from Lonely Planet;
• Challenge yourself at StudySpanish.com.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.

Get ya geek on: Really useful resources for NCEA Japanese

Do you dream of moving to Tokyo once you finish school? We can help you get there!

• Borrow a Japanese language multimedia set from one of our community libraries now open so you can practice anywhere;
• We also have Japanese dictionaries (including one you can access online from home!) and books about Japan;
• One of the best ways to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it – read books and magazine articles written in Japanese, watch Japanese films, and listen to Japanese music;
• Find articles about places in Japan, as well as Japanese history and culture, at Student Resource Center;
• Learn about notable Japanese people and more at World Book Online InfoFinder;
• Explore travel and tourism websites – we’ve brought all the best ones together in one place to make it easy for you;
• Earn an excellence in NCEA Japanese with help from NZQA;
• The BBC makes learning Japanese easy;
• Make learning Japanese fun – play games at Digital Dialects;
• Keen to visit or live in Japan for a while? Win yourself a student-exchange scholarship;
• GoAbroad.com and Youth For Understanding also offer travel opportunities for high school students;
• Get travel tips from Lonely Planet;
• Discover the latest trends in Japan at Web Japan;
• Check out a bunch of awesome Japan-related websites on SpeakRealJapanese.com;
• Discover Japan’s seasonal attractions.

Want some more really useful resources for another NCEA subject? Go to The Pulse, the library’s website for teens.