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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- Nature of science
- Living world
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- Engage with science
- Use evidence
- Articles
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Search results
26 items - Showing 11 - 20
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Spirit of the Bird
by Ben Brown
illustrations by Tom Simpson
The bird of the title is the moa, and this fictional story is set in the time of the early Māori moa hunters. Little is known of this era, but the author conveys (often indirectly) the hardships of a subsistence lifestyle and the impact of human settlement on the moa.
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The Moa
by Lucy Buchanan
illustrated by Elliemay Logan
Winner of the 2017 Elsie Locke Writing Prize
"The brown-feathered bird stared down, studying her like prey. She wanted to run, to escape the terrifying gaze. The bird stepped back on its large clawed feet, keeping its small eyes on her. Ahorangi felt trapped beneath the glare, as if the bird were suffocating her, as if its claws were already scratching at her throat."
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Rāhui
by Steph Matuku, Illustrations by Isobel Te Aho-White
When the strawberries in the garden start to mysteriously disappear, Huia suggests a rāhui to make sure there will be enough berries to share on her mother’s birthday.
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Come and Meet the Water Whānau
by Kerrin P. Sharpe
This poem links to “Our Blue Planet” in SJ L2 Nov 2019, showing how a topic can be approached in various ways in different genres. The poem takes the form of an invitation, with a series of headings and lists of single words or two words relating to those headings.
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Taranaki Views
by Steph Matuku
“Taranaki Views” is a lengthy article that offers a range of perspectives on Taranaki Mounga. (“Mounga” is a Taranaki iwi pronunciation and spelling; it’s spelt “maunga” by most other iwi.) The text is written in two parts, the first presenting historical and geographical information about the mounga and incorporating the views of scientists and mana whenua. The second part is based on interviews with local people and focuses on what the mounga means to them.
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Seashells
by Feana Tu‘akoi
“Seashells” provides information about the shells that can be found on New Zealand beaches. It includes intriguing facts and photographs. This article is linked to two other pieces in this journal: “Super Shells”, which describes some ways that people use shells, and “Beach Buddy”, a craft activity.
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The Zoo Debate
by Philippa Werry
This article presents both sides of a debate: should we or shouldn’t we have zoos? It includes a short history of zoos and some suggestions for alternatives. It also includes lists of valid points for and against zoos.
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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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Getting Closer
by Paul Sorrell
This article, written from the perspective of a wildlife photographer, will appeal to and engage young readers. The subject matter for his camera – tomtits in the Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary – is central to the information about photography.
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Orca – The World’s Largest Dolphin
by Ingrid N. Visser
This article shares information about orca and the research conducted by the author (Ingrid Visser runs the Orca Research Trust). It looks at how and why she carries out research and what is known about orca. It also covers some of the threats to their habitat and what we need to do to protect them. The article includes a text box about the various names given to orca and another with advice on how to act around orca should you encounter them.