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
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- Planet Earth and beyond
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- Gather and interpret data
- Use evidence
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- Interpret representations
- Articles
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Search results
1010 items - Showing 21 - 30
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E Kō, E Kō - Morning Chorus (from Night is a Blanket)
by Hirini Melbourne
illustration by Peter Campbell
This Māori song, with an English translation, encourages children to make connections to their experiences of hearing bird songs as the new day arrives. This poem is best used for shared reading. The birds illustrated around the poem are, anticlockwise from top left, grey warbler, stitchbird, tūì, saddleback, bellbird, and whitehead.
Gold 1
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The Moon (from Night is a Blanket)
by Emily Dickinson
photograph by John Drummond
This short lyrical poem evokes images of the changing moon.
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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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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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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Too Many Possums
by Kate Boyle
In New Zealand, unlike Australia, possums are pests and much effort and expense are put into trying to control their numbers. This report explains why possums, although seemingly cute and cuddly,have become such a problem.
Purple 2
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Scarecrows from Space
by Philippa Werry
photographs by Mark Coote
The students at Gladstone School are making scarecrows for the Gladstone Scarecrow Festival.
It’s their favourite time of year! This year, the theme is “space”. This report describes how some of the scarecrows were made, including some challenges the students needed to think about and overcome.Purple 2
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Māui and the Sun
retold by June Melser
pictures by Cliff Whiting
This is a retelling of the legend of Māui’s successful campaign to slow the sun. Lively dialogue helps to develop characterisation and encourages expressive reading.
Purple 2
#LFH
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Duckling Palace
by Philippa Werry
photographs by Elton Gregory
This non-fiction text describes how the SPCA cares for orphaned ducklings. It includes a report on the work of the SPCA, an explanation of how ducks waterproof their feathers, and instructions for what to do with a motherless duckling.
Purple 2
#LFH
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Did You Shake Your Tail Feathers?
by Sharlene Helg Ngatupuna
illustrated by Bruce Mahalski
In this lively, fable-like narrative, Weka has found a feather that she is determined to return to its owner. She meets a number of birds who all want the feather, and some are quite determined to get it.
Purple 2