Instructional Series
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.
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- English
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- Mathematics and Statistics
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- Fiction
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- Nature of science
- Living world
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- Engage with science
- Use evidence
- Articles
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- Poems
Search results
19 items - Showing 1 - 10
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The River
by Paul Mason
Leo has travelled from New Zealand to visit his father, who has a houseboat in England. Leo and his dad touch briefly on memories of earlier visits to England, when the family was still together and living in New Zealand. The river has changed since the earlier visit, polluted by a factory upstream. Leo’s desire to see the selkie he saw previously causes him to fall into the dirty river. Leo finds that to save himself, he has to “stop fighting the river”, and students may hypothesise that this realisation could help him deal with the changes in his life.
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By the River
by Sarah Penwarden
"School camp. Kenzie’s seen the photos from last year. It looks nice: little cabins clustered around a central dining hall; grassy paddocks with giant macrocarpas; picnic tables and a fire pit; a green river, deep and shady, with a slide and a swimming hole."
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Talking to the River
by Clare Knighton
“Talking to the River” tells the story of a farmer and a group of engineering and computing students from Victoria University of Wellington who collaborate to gather data about river pollution and publicise it. River pollution is a topical issue, and “Talking to the River” provides an example of people dedicated to making a difference. The article explains the impact cows can have on rivers and the importance of being able to accurately measure levels of river pollution. The university students overcome several challenges to create a prototype monitoring device that is fit for purpose. The reach of the project is extended exponentially by creating an app that tracks river improvements and allows users to upload photos to a website.
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River Swimming
by Lynley Edmeades
illustrated by Ned Barraud
“River Swimming” is a beautiful poem that captures the imaginative, make-believe world that children inhabit. The setting is a day out at the river. While the adults sit and drink tea on the river bank, the children race each other in an imaginary lane pool and become mermaids, remembering to keep a safe distance from the taniwha upstream. The poem is rich in imagery and movement. It draws on the pleasures of picnics, swimming, and the beauty of the natural world. The poem would be useful for a poetry reading.
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Testing the Waters
by Bronwen Wall
How clean is the water in your river? Scientists are testing the health of the Maitai River. Find out what data they collect and what can be done to make our rivers cleaner and healthier for everyone.
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The Remarkable Reti
by Kiwa Hammond and Duane Culshaw
A reti is a fishing device, used by Ngāti Pāhauwera to catch kahawai on the Mōhaka River. The iwi regard the reti as a taonga, and the article provides a great example of how traditions, along with stories and waiata, are handed down through the generations.
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Kōpūwai and the Clever Girl
retold by Brian Potiki
illustrated by Scott Pearson
This story is from Rapuwai, an ancestral iwi of Ngāi Tahu. It is set on the banks of the Mata-Au/Clutha River, in Otago, and comes from a time long ago when moa roamed the land and giant tuna swam in the rivers.
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The Pā That Matawhero Built
by Mark Peters
When people visit Pakeke o Whirikoka, the pā Matawhero Lloyd built, they enter a world that existed hundreds of years ago … Pakeke o Whirikoka is in Whatatutu, a small kāinga north of Gisborne. The original pā, which overlooked the Waipaoa and Mangatū rivers, was once home to Ngāi Tamatea. Matawhero’s tīpuna lived on this land. He wanted to reclaim his people’s heritage by building a living memorial to the past.
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Underground Explorers
article by Stephanie Chamberlin
photographs by Neil Silverwood
“To most of us, the caving trips of Marcus Thomas sound like crazy endurance tests.”
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Monkey and Crocodile
A tale from India
retold and illustrated by Vasanti Unka
Monkey lives a happy life in a tree high above a river. Crocodile swims in the river and eats fish all day, but what he really wants to do is eat Monkey. When Monkey needs help to cross the river, Crocodile thinks his chance has come…