Instructional Series
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Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.
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80 items - Showing 21 - 30
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Breakdown
by Tricia Glensor
illustrations by Scott Pearson
Mum and Jake can’t go to the supermarket because Mum’s car won’t start. When the tow truck arrives, Jake takes a keen interest in everything the tow- truck driver does. Jake’s interest in the technology becomes the focus of the story, with a detailed description of the process of winching the car onto the tow truck woven into the narrative. The story concludes with a diagram that Jake has drawn.
Gold 1
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Torty, the Lucky Tortoise
by David Chadwick
illustrations by Scott Pearson
The adventures of Torty, the tortoise started in Greece during the First World War when she was rescued by Stewart, a New Zealand stretcher-bearer. Stewart took Torty back home to New Zealand at the end of the war and looked after her until he died. Torty is still alive and is cared for by Stewart’s family. This true story is told through a variety of text forms including two pages of graphic layout.
Gold 2
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Kahu Ora
by Marama Rangiaho-Katipa
This is a recount of a visit to the exhibition of Kahu Ora (living cloaks) at Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand. In the exhibition, there is one korowai that has a special significance to Marama, the author. She learns about how korowai are made and how a special korowai reveals a story from her iwi.
Gold 1
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The Port
by Sharyn Jones
This article is about the Port of Tauranga and is told by a boy whose father works there. It contains a general description of what a port is and has specific information about the kinds of ships, and their cargo, that visit Tauranga. There is also a brief overview of the grounding of the Rena.
Gold 2
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Free Juice
by Giselle Fortune
Jack finds himself in a dilemma when his friend Luke encourages him to take some juice from an opened box of cartons at school. This story gives insight into Jack’s thinking and his feelings – in particular, his feelings about his own behaviour and why the other children don’t seem worried about what they have done. The text explores concepts
of honesty, bravery, and self-awareness and is well worth revisiting over more than one reading session.Gold 2
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The Gulls of Sulphur Bay
by Sue Gibbison
Sulphur Bay, at the southern end of Lake Rotorua, is a wildlife reserve. Its hot springs make the area popular with many water birds, but the sulphur in the springs also causes some problems for them. This article describes how the gulls live in this unique environment. There are two other items in this Junior Journal linked to Lake Rotorua. They are “The Gulls of Mokoia Island” and a retelling of the legend of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai.
Gold 2
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Hinemoa and Tūtānekai
A legend from the Te Arawa iwi
This text is a retelling of a legend of the Te Arawa people. It tells the love story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai. Tūtānekai lives on Mokoia Island, separated from Hinemoa by the waters of Lake Rotorua. Hinemoa’s father does not want the two young people to be together and tries to stop them from meeting. But Hinemoa is determined and risks her life to swim across Lake Rotorua to be with Tūtānekai.
Gold 1
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The Stowaway
by Katie Furze
Walter is a cat who catches mice at the factory next door to his home. He has friends at the factory who, like his family, are very fond of him. When he doesn’t come home for his dinner, the family is worried and checks with the factory workers. Where can Walter be? The story shifts back in time to show the reader that Walter has been accidentally trapped in a shipping container. He arrives in Australia many days later and, thanks to a kindly quarantine officer, he is returned to his family. A page at the end of the story includes a map, a photo, and some information about the real cat that “The Stowaway” is based on.
Gold 1
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Uira
This short, dramatic poem is in te reo Māori with an accompanying English interpretation. It describes the sights and sounds of lightning as Tāwhirimātea performs a haka. Tāwhirimātea is one of the children of Ranginui and Papatūānuku. He didn’t want his parents to separate. When his brothers separated his parents to let light into the world, Tāwhirimātea caused violent storms. He is the Atua of the winds, clouds, rain, hail, snow, and storms. “Atua” refers to ancestors who have a continued influence on people’s lives.
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Tākapu
by Katie Furze
The tākapu is also called the Australasian gannet. In this article, the author explains why she thinks the tākapu is an amazing bird. The text contains specialised vocabulary and some unfamiliar concepts, which are well-supported by the context, photographs, and maps.
Gold 2
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