Instructional Series
Welcome to the English medium literacy instructional series teaching and learning resources for years 1 to 8.
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- English
- Social Sciences
- Mathematics and Statistics
- The Arts
- Science
- Non-fiction
- Fiction
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- Articles
- Poems
- Stories
Search results
14 items - Showing 1 - 10
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Captain Cook Charting Our Islands
This article describes Captain Cook’s first visit to New Zealand where he charted the coastline. It focuses on Cook’s abilities as a skilled maker of charts and maps rather than as a great explorer. It also examines the maths involved in Cook’s chart making (a perfect, real-life example of maths in everyday life).
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Becoming a Martian
by Clare Knighton
illustrated by Gavin Mouldey
“Becoming a Martian” is a challenging article that considers the possibility of humans living on Mars. The article begins with the concept “We have exploration in our DNA.” After reminding us of what humans need to survive on Earth (oxygen, water, food, and shelter) the writer explores each of these in relation to Mars, providing factual information about the planet, explaining the challenges of living there, and offering possible solutions.
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Huia
by Bill Manhire, illustration by Rachel Walker
This item complements the article about coprolites in the same Journal, providing a more emotive response to the idea that extinction is permanent – and often caused by the actions of people. The poem might be called a mōteatea – a lament.
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Haritina Mogosanu: Starryteller
by Clare Knighton
Meet Haritina Mogosanu: astrobiologist, science communicator, president of the Mars Society in New Zealand, and “starryteller”. In 2012, she was commander of the first New Zealand mission to the Mars Desert Research Station in the United States.
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Te Kura Tuatahi: New Zealand’s First School
by Ross Calman
Two hundred years ago, our first school opened at Rangihoua.
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Sixth Sense
by Apirana Taylor
artwork by Steve Gibbs
This thought-provoking poem by Apirana Taylor is a response to an artwork of the same name by Steve Gibbs. The poem and artwork are about the arrival of the Endeavour in 1769 and the enormous change that was about to take place for Māori communities.
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King and Country
by André Ngāpō
illustrations by Andrew Burdan
This fictionalised story is based on the controversial issue of Māori fighting for the British Empire during the First World War. Students will need some knowledge about the history of our race relations and, in particular, the colonisation of Aotearoa by the British.
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Puaki
based on work by Michael Bradley
Tā moko is the art and practice of traditional Māori tattoo, a taonga that almost disappeared as a result of colonisation. Puaki means “to come forth, to reveal, to give testimony”. Photographer Michael Bradley used this concept as the basis of a project exploring ways that tā moko has been both visible and invisible across the generations. In this article based on his project, four people explain why they proudly wear tā moko and how their facial moko connect the past with the present. The story is complemented by stunning portraits of each storyteller.
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Te Tiriti o Waitangi
by Ross Calman
This straightforward article explains what the Treaty of Waitangi is, why it was needed, and what it says. Although most students will have heard of the Treaty, this may be the first time they have read about it for themselves.
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Tuto'atasi The Struggle for Samoa's Independence
by Damon Salesa
The people of Sāmoa celebrated fifty years of independence in 2012. This article tells the complex story of colonisation and decolonisation that saw Sāmoa controlled by Germany, and then New Zealand, before finally securing self-rule. The former rulers enforced unpopular laws and punished dissent harshly. In addition, thousands of Samoans died of influenza as a result of poor quarantine practices under New Zealand’s rule.