Instructional Series
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.

- Gold
- Purple
- Blue
- Red
- Green
- Yellow
- Orange
- Turquoise
- Magenta
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 1
- 4
- 6
- 5
- 3
- 8
- 7
- 2
- 1
- English
- Social Sciences
- Science
- Health and Physical Education
- Technology
- The Arts
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Learning Languages
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- None
- Nature of science
- Living world
- Nature of technology
- Statistics
- Geometry and Measurement
- Planet Earth and beyond
- Technological knowledge
- Physical world
- Material world
- Number and Algebra
- Technological practice
- Gather and interpret data
- Use evidence
- Critique evidence
- Engage with science
- Interpret representations
- Articles
- Stories
- Poems
- Plays
- Activity
- Comic
- Kākano | Seed
- Tupu | Seedling
- Māhuri | Sapling
- Rākau | Tree
- Consonant digraphs
- Consonant patterns
- Initial and final blends
- Long vowels
- Short vowels
- Single consonants
- Complex morphemes
- Tense
- Vowel digraphs
- Contractions
- Syllable types
Search results
1167 items - Showing 1061 - 1070
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Whitebait Season
by Tracey Cormack
illustrated by Elspeth Alix Batt
In this realistic narrative, Nathan goes whitebaiting with his dad in the hope their catch will be a lot better than in the past.
Purple 2
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A Gift for Aunty Ngā
by Don Long
illustrated by Judith Kunzlé
In this sequel to A Quilt for Kiri (Purple), Kiri visits Rarotonga with her parents to meet Aunty Ngā and gives her a tīvaevae that she and her mother have made. This is a rich personal-experience narrative with many layers of meaning, which lends itself to expressive reading and can be returned to many times. These notes include background information about tīvaevae and some aspects of Cook Islands culture.
Gold 1
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Blue Eggs
by John Dekker
This report describes the life cycle of a song thrush, how the song thrush came to New Zealand, and why some people consider this bird to be a problem.
This text provides opportunities for students to find and summarise information and to consider different points of view.Gold 1
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Red Rattlers
by Philippa Werry
This report describes the old Wellington cable cars and compares them with the current cable cars.
It includes an explanation, supported by photographs and diagrams, of the technology behind how the
old cable cars worked. The text concludes with an interview with a present-day cable car driver.Gold 2
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The Greatest Race on Earth
by Bronwen Wall
This report describes why the author considers the Tour de France to be “the greatest race on Earth”. Text boxes provide information about how the race was established. This text has strong connections to students’ experiences of, or knowledge about, sports and competition. It links particularly well to the Ready to Read text Tom’s Tryathlon (Purple).
Gold 2
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Hannah's Game
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Elspeth Alix Batt
When Hannah shows Sam how to play her new card game, she discovers at the end of the game that one card is missing! Students will enjoy working out where the missing card might be. (Students will have met Hannah and her little brother, Sam, before in Hannah’s Bike, Red 3).
Yellow 1
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Helping at the Marae
by André Ngāpō
illustrated by Phillip Paea
When Nikau and his whānau help out at the marae, Nikau discovers that his little brother, Tama, has his own ideas about how he can help. Helping at the Marae has particular relevance to Māori students, but many students will identify with the context of helping grandparents and working alongside other family members.
Blue 2
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Grandma’s Vase
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Adele Jackson
When Grandma’s vase gets broken, Malia decides they can solve the problem by making a new one. She gathers up some materials from the recycling bin, and with Grandma’s help, successfully creates a new vase.
Red 1
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Noisy House
by Maria Hansen
illustrated by Rachel Driscoll
When Aunty Fay, Joe, Millie, and Buster the dog come to stay, Robbie’s quiet house becomes busy and noisy. At first, Robbie is not very happy about the changes, but after the visitors leave, he discovers his feelings have changed.
Blue 1
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A Bird in the Classroom
by Feana Tuʻakoi
illustrated by Donovan Bixley
When a bird flies into their classroom, the children try to get it out, at first with no success. At last, one of them comes up with a clever plan to entice the bird outside. Students, especially those who have had similar experiences, will enjoy the drama of this story.
Yellow 2