Instructional Series
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.
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17 items - Showing 11 - 17
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School Journal Level 3 June 2018
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 Stories The Force Plenty of Room Ship's Captain ✔ Poems River Swimming ✔ Articles Balancing Act Sharks Talking to the River ✔ Look inside this issue
Balancing Act
by Tricia Glensor
For the past four years, Stavros Kyriakides has created sculptures along Wellington’s wild and windy south coast. His artworks are distinctive. They use only natural materials – and there’s no glue, nails, wire, or concrete holding them together. Instead, Stavros relies on the laws of physics.
The Force
by Renata Hopkins
illustrated by Matt Haworth
Egged on by his brother, Harper works through his fears of jumping off the bridge into the water. "Do or do not. There is no try."
Plenty of Room
by Sarah Johnson
illustrated by Dylan Horrocks
The story of a girl adjusting to life with a new sibling. "Sometimes I just want to be alone. Know what I mean? It’s good. Gives you a chance to think. I don’t like hanging out with other people all the time. I need space. So you can imagine how I feel when Dad tells me Sharon’s having a baby."
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.
Sharks
by Alison Ballance
illustrated by Gavin Mouldey
This article provides information on sharks, focusing particularly on sharks found in New Zealand waters such as great white, rig, and deep-sea sharks.
Ship's Captain
by Fraser Smith
illustrated by Daron Parton
"Ship's Captain" is the story of two boys learning how to live off the land and sea. Nan is a larger-than-life character, steeped in knowledge of bush lore and rongoā (Māori medicine). Pop is a gentle background force, who teaches the boys how to build a whare raupō. The lessons the writer learns go beyond bush lore; the story explores the value of knowledge that is passed down through generations, the pleasures of living simply, and the importance of being "the captain of your own ship".
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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Counting Kākahi
by Hannah Rainforth
Scientist Hannah Rainforth investigated kākahi in the Whanganui River to find whether the evidence supports claims by local kaumātua that kākahi have nearly disappeared.
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School Journal Level 3, April 2013
Teacher support materials (TSM) are available for all the following texts in this issue of the School Journal:
TSM Stories The River ✔ Articles Nga Mahi a te Rehia Maori Games ✔ Tivaevae ✔ Look inside this issue
Nga Mahi a te Rehia Maori Games
by Ross Calman
“In early Māori society, games were played by everyone …” This report describes eight traditional Māori games and lists several more.
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.
Tīvaevae
by Teremoana Hodges
In this well-illustrated article, we learn about the origins, meanings, and construction of tīvaevae, the beautiful hand-sewn Cook Islands Māori bedspreads. The text provides opportunities for students to be exposed to and engage with the positive values that are associated with the concept of akano‘anga Kūki‘Āirani (Cook Islands culture). These are highlighted through the description of the time, hard work, and skill involved in making tīvaevae and the beauty of the finished product.
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Dive
by Gina Cole
illustrated by Elspeth Alix Batt
Shelly is forced to brave sea snake infested waters when she drops her phone in the river. As it is Shelly's only way of contacting her Dad back in New Zealand, she has no other option.
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School Journal Level 4 November 2016
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 Stories By the River The World Will End, Said the Cat ✔ Fallen Leaves ✔ Mirror Image Play Dashing Doggies Articles The Great Ordinary: The Photographs of Edith Amituanai ✔ Te Kura Tuatahi: New Zealand’s First School Poem At the end of the driveway Look inside this issue
Te Kura Tuatahi: New Zealand’s First School
by Ross Calman
Two hundred years ago, our first school opened at Rangihoua.
The Great Ordinary: The Photographs of Edith Amituanai
by Hannah Sperber
This article explores the work of a prize-winning West Auckland photographer whose work has been shown around the world. Edith Amituanai photographs the ordinary, everyday world around her, documenting it as a record for the future.
Mirror Image
by Julia Randerson
illustrated by Peter Campbell
Winner of the 2016 Elsie Locke Writing Prize
"Rain spat at Meggie as she trudged home through storm-darkened streets. Being mocked at school for opposing the Springbok tour had put her in a black mood."
Fallen Leaves
by Paul Mason
This historical fiction, set in 1845, is told from the point of view of a young Māori protaganist. Haora works in the printery at Kororāreka at the time when war was building between Ngāpuhi chief Hone Heke (Hone Wiremu Heke Pōkai) and the British troops.
The World Will End, Said the Cat
by David Larsen
This is a fantasy story with a serious flavour. The indirect unfolding of the story allows students to make their own way through the text, piecing information together as they go.
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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The Story of Taranaki
by Hone Rata, illustrations by Taupuruariki Whakataka Brightwell
This traditional story, known by many iwi in the Taranaki area, tells how Mount Taranaki was once called Pukeonaki and stood in the centre of the North Island, close to Mount Tongariro. The two mountains fought over Pihanga, a nearby mountain. Tongariro won and Pukeonaki left in anger and grief, travelling to his present position and forming the Whanganui River on the way. The people who came to live in the region later named him Taranaki.
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Bok Choy
by Paul Mason
illustrations by Ant Sang
This seemingly simple historical story carries an important message about discrimination. It is set in a goldmining town in Otago during the 1860s gold rush. Jacob’s mother is glad to buy bok choy (Chinese cabbage) from Ah Sum, but Ah Sum’s presence brings out the worst in their neighbour Mrs Bishop and her son, William. William taunts Ah Sum and leaves Jacob feeling confused about his loyalties. When Jacob slips into the river while fishing, it is Ah Sum who rescues him. The story shows how Jacob becomes aware of the realities of Ah Sum’s life. The ending is left open for readers to infer the longterm impact of Jacob’s encounter with Ah Sum.
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