Instructional Series
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Find Literacy resources at Tāhūrangi - Literacy.
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.

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- Engage with science
- Gather and interpret data
- Interpret representations
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- Articles
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Search results
166 items - Showing 41 - 50
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Stand Up: A History of Protest in New Zealand
by Dylan Owen
This article looks at a number of important social issues and significant events in New Zealand’s history, thematically linked around the idea of protest. The text is organised in chronological sequence from the passive resistance seen at Parihaka in 1881, through to the anti-TPPA protests in 2016.
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My Name Is Davy Lowston
by Alan Bagnall
illustrations by Spike Wademan
This text is a fictionalised recount. Davy Lowston was among a group of sealers set down on the Open Bay Islands (off the west coast of the South Island) in 1810. The ship that was to pick them up sank in a storm, and the men were marooned for four years. Their story is the basis of one of the earliest folk songs in New Zealand.
Listen to the song of Davy Lowston:
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Timber!
by Jullia Wall
This article describes how trees have been used in New Zealand and the impact people have had on the native forests. The text shares the perspectives of people involved in the timber industry and of conservationists since the arrival of European settlers. It outlines the events that occurred, the resulting impact on indigenous forests, and the steps taken to sustain them.
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The Anzac Button
by Judy Raymond
This is the story of a button that was sewn onto the jacket of a First World War soldier. After the war, the soldier returns to New Zealand and wears the jacket to annual Anzac Day parades. Many years later, Ella, the soldier’s great-granddaughter, discovers the jacket. She sews the button onto a ribbon and proudly wears it to another Anzac Day parade. The story ends with a factual note about the meaning of Anzac Day.
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Family Photographs
by Alison Wong
In this prose poem, the poet reflects on two old photographs that show her father at different ages. In one, her father was four years old and was living in New Zealand with his family. By the time of the second photo, the family had gone back to China and there are two more children. Both photos show his siblings, and the clothes they wear reflect the styles of the two very different countries.
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The Children’s War
by Jock Phillips
After a general introduction and overview of the First World War, the article describes how the New Zealand government used a variety
of methods to encourage children to support the war effort. One method was to use the School Journal to give children positive stories
(avoiding the harsher realities) and articles about exemplary “Empire heroes”. -
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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Sky-high
By Robert Sullivan
Illustrations by Tim Gibson
Beneath the town of Arras, on the Western Front, it’s a race against time.
Information and tips for using comics in the classroom: -
Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū: The Māori Pioneer Battalion
by Monty Soutar
This article tells the story of Māori and the First World War and of the huge contribution made by the pioneer Māori Battalion. The topic will be unfamiliar for many students, but the themed content in the surrounding items will provide support.
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The Waka Te Arawa in Aotearoa
by Mataia Keepa (Te Arawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rārua)
This infographic illustrates some of the landing sites of the waka Te Arawa in Aotearoa New Zealand. It outlines stories associated with each site and other places that were named by people on the waka. It also describes objects and taonga that were brought on the waka such as kūmara and taininihi.