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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47 items - Showing 21 - 30
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Lunch for Greedy Cat
by Joy Cowley
illustrated by Robyn Belton
Greedy Cat’s adventures continue in this story when the family goes away on holiday and Aunty attempts to put him on a diet. Not surprisingly, Greedy Cat has very different ideas and manages to thwart Aunty’s plans.
Yellow 3
#LFH
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The White Tailed Spider
by Tina Johnson
photographs by Aaron Beck
This report both acknowledges that the white- tailed spider has a “bad name” and presents a different point of view. Although it has an informal conversational style, the report also includes some examples of the more formal language of report writing and of persuasive texts.
Gold 2
#LFH
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Greedy Cat and the Chooks
by Joy Cowley
illustrated by Robyn Belton
When Katie visits Aunty, she is dismayed to find that Aunty won’t let Greedy Cat inside. Instead he has to stay outside with the chooks. This proves to be a big problem for Greedy Cat and one that he is determined to solve …
Purple 1
#LFH
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Swimming Lessons
by Emeli Sione
illustrated by Jenny Cooper
Pati and Tusi enjoy their swimming lessons and are keen to learn to “float like star fish” and get a new sticker on their certificates. When they show Dad their stickers they are surprised to find out that he has never learned to float, but they come up with a helpful suggestion.
Yellow 2
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T-shirts from Nana
by Emeli Sione
illustrated by Jenny Cooper
Tusi and Mika are delighted with the T-shirts that Nana has brought back from Sāmoa, but when they try them on, the children are in for a big surprise! This is the first of several stories about Tusi and her family.
Red 1
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Waiting for Rēwana Bread
by Kiwa Hammond
illustrated by Adele Jackson
In this story, Aunty shows Mahi how to make rēwana bread in the traditional way using fermented potato. Mahi discovers it’s a long process, with lots of waiting – but a delicious outcome. See also shared book Bread.
Blue 3
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Greedy Cat and the Visitor
by Joy Cowley
illustrated by Robyn Belton
When Nan comes to stay at Katie’s house, she brings her little dog Poppy with her. Poppy wants to play with Greedy Cat, but Greedy Cat is not interested. His back goes up, his tail goes up, and his claws come out. How will Greedy Cat cope with this unwelcome visitor?
Orange 1
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Whai (String Games)
by Kiwa Hammond
illustrated by Adele Jackson
In this heart-warming story, Mahi teaches Hani how to make shapes with a piece of string. Hani struggles at first, but with Mahi’s patient teaching and his perseverance, he is eventually successful. This story gives an insight into a traditional game common to many cultures and demonstrates the concept of tuakana–teina (an older sibling or cousin helping a younger one).
Green 3
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Matariki Breakfast
by André Ngāpō
illustrated by Rozel Pharazyn
Matariki Breakfast describes Kara’s experience of celebrating Matariki (Māori New Year) with her whānau. It includes a retelling of a Tainui story about how the Matariki stars brought back Tama-nui-te-rā (the sun) after Māui and his brothers had caught him.
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New Zealand Birds
by Bronwen Wall
This report describes the characteristics of some endemic New Zealand birds. As well as reading this book for interest or to support specific curriculum topics, you can use it to build students’ awareness of the features of non-fiction texts.
#LFH
Audio listing the names of each of the birds followed by its call is available below: