Instructional Series
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.
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Search results
80 items - Showing 11 - 20
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No Big Deal
by Bill Nagelkerke
illustrations by Kelly Spencer
This story introduces colour-blindness in a light-hearted but informative way. When Cody goes back to school after the holidays, he can’t see why his friends are so excited about the repaint of the school. As the story progresses, his classmate Gemma notices Cody is behaving oddly. She eventually realises Cody is showing similar behaviours to her brother who is colour-blind. Could Cody be colour-blind too?
Gold 1
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Living in a Colourful World
by Bronwen Wall
This article explains colour-blindness, a condition that is quite widespread but that many people are unaware of. The text also provides an insight into what the world is like for those who are colour-blind.
Gold 1
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I Spy
by Simon Cooke
illustrations by Vasanti Unka
This humorous science fiction story is about two creatures, Pebble and Stone, who live on the planet Rock 2. One day, a spacecraft visits and leaves an unusual object behind. As the story progresses, Pebble and Stone notice the object changing and invent new words to describe what they are seeing. The story ends with a delicious surprise for the characters.
Gold 1
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Helpful
by Feana Tu‘akoi
illustrations by Fraser Williamson
Grandad wants Vika and Kele to help him in the garden, but they don’t share his enthusiasm. Vika manages to come up with an excuse, leaving Kele with all the work, but then the tables are turned and Vika becomes the one who has to help Grandad. The humour in this story arises from the contrast between Vika’s attempts to get out of helping, Dad’s determination to make sure she does her fair share, and Grandad’s lack of awareness that anything is going on. These characters also appear in “Kele’s Car” (Gold 2) in JJ 49.
Gold 1
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Kākano
by Kelly Joseph
illustrations by Damian Stones
This poem describes a kākano (a seed) as taonga and explains what makes it special. “Kākano” is inspired by the Māori proverb: Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu – although small, it is precious. The poem includes te reo Māori words and phrases that are supported by context, illustrations, sentence structure, and a glossary. This poem provides opportunities for students who are familiar with te reo Māori to share their knowledge.
Gold 2
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Making a Road
by Andrew Gunn
“Making a Road” describes the process of constructing a road, from the planning through to sealing and road marking. This information text is well supported by clear subheadings and other visual language features such as labelled photographs and diagrams.
Gold 2
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Kele’s Car
by Feana Tu‘akoi
illustrations by Fraser Williamson
This humorous play, set in a Pasifika market, has a message about financial literacy – we need to think carefully about how we spend money. When Dad takes Kele and his older sister Vika to the market, Kele quickly spends his money and then sees something else he really wants but now can’t afford. Vika offers to buy it for him if he pays her back, but Dad points out that there might be more to this deal than Kele realises.
Gold 2
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Our Gifted Garden
by Bernadette Wilson
This article recounts how students from Raumati South School, an Enviroschool, entered an environmentally sustainable garden in the Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch and won two prizes! As well as capturing the effort and excitement of the project, the article describes the planning process and how the students applied their developing knowledge about caring for the environment to the design of the garden.
Gold 2
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Ring! Ring!
by Diana Noonan
illustrations by Donovan Bixley
In this humorous narrative, Dad takes the family to Mr Rose’s farm for a quiet and peaceful camping holiday but gets a nasty shock when some noisy tūī arrive. A text box at the end of the story provides information about how tūī mimic sounds, and the journal also includes a poem about tūī.
Gold 1
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Always Great, Never Late!
by Bill Nagelkerke
illustrations by Kat Chadwick
The boy in this humorous narrative is ready for school but fears he’s going to be late (again) because Mum is not ready for work. The boy, who is also the narrator, drops intriguing hints about what Mum does for a living. Readers have many opportunities to identify clues and speculate about Mum and her work and to enjoy the irony in the contrast between her motto (“Always great, never late”) and her actions. This narrative also includes snappy dialogue, jokes, and plays on words.
Gold 1
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