School Journal Level 4 October 2015
Look inside this issue
Hatter’s Gold
by Renata Hopkins
illustrations by Matt Haworth
This historical fiction story is set in the West Coast mining town of Blackball in the early 1900s. Laurie, a twelve-year-old boy whose father is a coal miner, tells the story. When the miners go on strike, Laurie realises his family won’t be able to afford the new boots he needs. Laurie sets off to find some gold. Instead he finds a fatally injured old miner (a “hatter”) who opens up the possibility that there are more options than mining.
Benny
by Bernard Beckett
illustrations by Pippa Keel
“That day last week shouldn’t have been different, but it was.”
Mr Archibald
by Oliver McLean, Arrowtown School
Winner of the 2015 Elsie Locke Writing Prize
illustrations by Craig Phillips
Return of the Moa?
by Quinn Berentson
Could moa really be brought back from extinction? This high-interest article considers the scientific and ethical issues related to the de-extinction of moa and other species. The ethical conundrums are explored using a “for” and “against” format, and further details are supplied in a humorous “how to” section. The final section puts forward several other contenders for de-extinction.
Comic Man
by Kate De Goldi
How does being a comic book artist happen?
Information and tips for using comics in the classroom:
Family Photographs
by Alison Wong
In this prose poem, the poet reflects on two old photographs that show her father at different ages. In one, her father was four years old and was living in New Zealand with his family. By the time of the second photo, the family had gone back to China and there are two more children. Both photos show his siblings, and the clothes they wear reflect the styles of the two very different countries.
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