Instructional Series
We are preparing to close this site soon as this content has now moved to Tāhūrangi.
Tāhūrangi is the new online curriculum hub for Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education.
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.
- Gold
- Green
- Purple
- Blue
- Turquoise
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 4
- 8
- 3
- 1
- English
- Social Sciences
- Science
- Health and Physical Education
- Technology
- The Arts
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Non-fiction
- Fiction
- None
- Nature of science
- Living world
- Planet Earth and beyond
- Material world
- Nature of technology
- Physical world
- Geometry and Measurement
- Statistics
- Technological knowledge
- Use evidence
- Engage with science
- Critique evidence
- Gather and interpret data
- Articles
- Stories
- Poems
- Plays
Search results
153 items - Showing 141 - 150
-
The Plastic-free Challenge
by Deanna Ferguson
When the Room 5 students at Motueka South School saw a video about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, they were inspired to take action. There’s a lot of media attention on how plastic is polluting the oceans, and it sometimes seems as if the problem is too big to tackle. These students show that it’s possible to make small changes that lead to big results.
-
Pen Pals
by Jo Makgill
In this report, students from Arataki School describe how they are getting to know the residents at a retirement home by becoming their pen pals. Through letters, both groups enjoy finding out about each other’s lives and discovering how some things, such as school life, recreational activities, and even word meanings, have changed over time.
Gold 1
-
The Fight to Vote
by Susan Paris
"It's hard to imagine a world where women can't vote. Yet up until 1893, this was the reality. Not one country allowed women to have a say in their national government. In some parts of the world, it would stay that way for a long time. New Zealand was different. On 28 November 1893, women went to the polling booth for the first time. It was a famous victory – a radical change – but it didn't come without a fight."
-
Outward Bound
by Ian Trafford
Outward Bound is a lively, fast-paced text in which a teenage boy, Sam, recounts his experience attending an Outward Bound course in the Marlborough Sounds with his father. Reluctant at first, Sam finds himself kayaking down rapids, rock climbing, sailing, and camping. He surprises himself by overcoming – and enjoying – each challenge. The experience changes his relationship with his father and his attitude to his own abilities. By the end, Sam thinks, “I know a part of me will never be the same.”
-
Frogs
by Paul Mason, illustrations by Michel Mulipola
Frogs is a graphic text that tells the story of Tane, a boy struggling to survive in a world where drastic environmental changes mean that humans need to protect themselves from the heat of the sun. Tane is forced to scrounge for anything he can sell to charge his chip, and his search leads him into dangerous territory, controlled by a gang known as the Mutts.
Information and tips for using comics in the classroom:
-
An Island in Time
by Philippa Werry
An Island in Time is about Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour. The text contains three articles, a timeline, and a glossary (which applies to all three articles). Using the book as a whole (over a series of lessons) provides opportunities for students to make connections across the different text types as well as with their own experiences. The key theme to explore across the three articles is how different people have viewed and used the land and how this has changed over time.
-
Uncle Tino
by Jane Davitt Va‘afusuaga
“Uncle Tino” is a deceptively simple story about Samoan twins, Jessie and Jonas, who are embarrassed by their exuberant uncle who has recently arrived from Sāmoa. The lively story is woven through with Samoan concepts and values as Jessie and Jonas gradually change their attitudes toward Uncle Tino. The story reinforces the idea that cultural knowledge and skills are “cool” and worthy of respect.
-
A Real Steal
by James O’Sullivan
An art gallery has a new exhibition and it’s hired a security guard to make sure no one touches the paintings. A visiting art critic has strong opinions about the value of the works, but things start going wrong when a thief enters. The humour in the play comes from the diverse array of characters and their changing opinions on the value of the “art”.
-
Marcus and the Wind
by Kylie Parry
Marcus is a “middle boy”. He doesn’t stand out in any way and tends to be overlooked. Then, one Wednesday, everything changes. A strange wind springs up, and Marcus suddenly finds himself doing extraordinary things. The story is open-ended but with an implication that Marcus’s days of being a “middle boy” are over.
Purple 2
-
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
Literacy Online home
