School Journal Level 4 November 2020
PDFs of all the texts in this issue of the School Journal are available online as well as teacher support materials (TSM) for the following:
| TSM | ||
| Articles | Rongoā for the Land | ✔ |
| Journeys of Discovery: The Life of Alfred Wallace | ✔ | |
| Stories | Aunties | ✔ |
| Dodinga, 1858 | ✔ | |
| Far from Home | ||
| Poem | Shrinking Violet | ✔ |
| Play | Like, Share, Subscribe | ✔ |
Look inside this issue
Rongoā for the Land
by Mere Whaanga
Restoring the whenua on the Māhia Peninsula
Taipōrutu is a sheep and cattle farm on the Māhia Peninsula. The land has been in the same whānau for twenty generations. It was once covered in native bush: tī kōuka, mānuka, rewarewa, tītoki, kahikatea, nīkau, and kawakawa. These species ensured the health of the land and the health of its people – but then they were cleared for farming. A few years ago, the family who owns Taipōrutu came up with a plan to restore their whenua. They called the plan Ahikāroa.
Journeys of Discovery: The Life of Alfred Wallace
by Paul Mason
illustrations by Gavin Mouldey
The naturalist Alfred Wallace and his close association with the theory of evolution is little known – most people think of Charles Darwin. Yet Wallace’s story is a classic one of adventure, talent, and persistence before he was able to offer one of the most ground-breaking scientific theories of all time. Most readers are exposed to the work of scientists in the present day; the nineteenth-century setting of this text is an excellent way to broaden their understanding of how scientists have increased their understanding of the world over time and the major milestones along the way. This article is designed to be read alongside the fictional story “Dodinga, 1858”, written by the same author.
Aunties
by Maria Samuela
illustrations by Leilani Isara
Maria Samuela’s affecting story chronicles the week leading up to the narrator’s mother’s funeral, with all its sadness and confusion and overwhelming sense of loss. The story’s one light is the presence of the narrator’s extended family – and the sense that her many aunties will continue to be there in the future, providing the kind of support and love that usually comes from a mother. The text includes references to a girl’s first period.
Dodinga, 1858
by Paul Mason
illustrations by Gavin Mouldey
A historical narrative that is a companion story to the related article “Journeys of Discovery: The Life of Alfred Wallace” – this story provides some detail about the experiences the famous amateur naturalist Alfred Wallace had while travelling in far-flung places of the globe, hoping to crack the mysteries of evolution. Dodinga is the Indonesian village where Wallace was staying when he had his famous breakthrough in 1858. An author’s note describes the story’s links to actual events.
Far from Home
by Heidi Wang
2020 Winner of the Elsie Locke writing prize
illustrations by Andrew Burdan
Shrinking Violet
by James Brown
illustration by Sarah Wilkins
This sophisticated poem plays with the natural tension created when a poem’s form doesn’t seem to match the content. James Brown’s jaunty use of structure and rhythm challenges the reader to understand both what the poem is about and why the author made the decisions he made.
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by Cassandra Tse
illustrations by Jez Tuya
This humorous play is a take on a familiar scenario: thoughtless online behaviour and our sometimes unhealthy relationships with screens. Although grossly exaggerated, Cassandra Tse’s point is still relevant, cleverly side-stepping the usual sides by portraying the adults getting it wrong and the kids getting it right.
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