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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Search results
166 items - Showing 51 - 60
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Wētā Went Walking
written by Kay Hancock
illustrated by Fraser Williamson
When Wētā goes walking in the bush, Rat decides to go hunting ... Will Wētā be safe? Does he know Rat is following him?
This dramatic, open-ended story is ideal for fostering students’ enthusiasm and confidence as readers. The rhythmic, repetitive language encourages and supports students to read along with the teacher, even from their first day of school.
#LFH
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Hine-o-te-Rangi: The Adventures of Jean Batten
by Bronwen Wall
In New Zealand, an eighteen-year-old named Jean Batten had a dream. She wanted to become the first woman to fly alone from England to New Zealand. So in 1930, the year she turned twenty, Jean travelled to England to learn how to fly.
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The Dinosaur Hunter
by Norman Bilbrough
This article tells the story of a New Zealand woman who, like Mary Anning (see “Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter”), had a great curiosity about rocks and the fossils in them. The article continues the theme of change over time.
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Te Namu – the Nuisance Fly
by Ross Calman
This article may look like a story at first glance, but the dramatic illustration helps to introduce an informative report on the sandfly – and the reason it is such a nuisance to humans. The report gives some facts about how humans in Aotearoa New Zealand managed problems with sandflies in earlier times. It then explains where sandflies are found, why they bite, their life cycle, the reason why their bites are itchy, and how to prevent bites.
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Johnny Pohe and the Great Escape
by Philip Cleaver
Porokoru Patapu (Johnny) Pohe was a daring and gifted pilot who flew bomber aircraft in the Second World War. In 1943, after twenty-two successful missions, his aircraft was shot down and he was captured. Johnny was taken to Stalag Luft III, a prison camp deep in Nazi Germany. This article tells the story of an ambitious prison escape that ended tragically for Johnny and for many others. It includes information about Māori involvement in the Second World War and about the devastating impact of bombing civilians in Germany.
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New Zealand Dinosaurs
by Hamish Campbell
illustrated by Spike Wademan
This engaging article explains what is known about the dinosaurs that once roamed New Zealand. It provides some background information on dinosaurs in general, including the most popular theory about why they became extinct. It also explains that for a long time, people believed no dinosaurs had ever lived in this country. Then it gives details of the dinosaur fossils found in various parts of New Zealand, which proved that idea to be wrong.
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A New Zealand Crocodile?
by Sophie Fern
On a scorching hot day in 1989, near the small Central Otago town of St Bathans, a group of scientists were digging in the soil. What they would find would change our ideas about the animals that have lived in Aotearoa.
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Journey of a Waka
This infographic explores how the tūpuna of Māori skilfully and deliberately navigated to Aotearoa New Zealand from East Polynesia over seven hundred years ago. It highlights who was on board the voyaging waka, their roles, how they survived the voyage, how they navigated, and what they brought with them.
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Football: The Beautiful Game
by Steve Watters
This article explores why football is so popular and gives a brief outline of its history, including how and when it was introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Beyond the Reef
by Hokotehi Moriori Trust; illustrations by Laya Mutton-Rogers
This story recounts some of the reasons for Moriori migration from East Polynesia to Rēkohu/Chatham Islands. Based on Moriori oral histories handed down for hundreds of years, the story tells of Ri‘i and his family as they prepare to leave for the new lands. The piece reveals the seeds of the covenant of peace that Moriori would make after settling in Rēkohu.