Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 7-8 – The Art of Taiaha
NZ$8.50
Description
Enhance Reading Comprehension with Science of Reading Principles
Empower your students’ literacy skills with this whole class teaching structured literacy resource, tailored for teaching comprehension through The Art of Taiaha—a captivating article from the Level 4 June 2024 School Journal. This comprehensive resource integrates Science of Reading strategies, making it the perfect addition to your classroom toolbox.
Why This Resource Stands Out
This teaching tool prioritises:
- Deep comprehension strategies
- Vocabulary building
- Grammar, syntax, and sentence structure
- Verbal reasoning and content knowledge
Each element aligns with the Science of Reading approach, ensuring your students develop essential literacy skills.
How This Resource Works
This resource is crafted for whole-class instruction. It includes:
- A 55-slide slideshow
- Support worksheets
- Graphic organisers
To get started, simply:
- Display the School Journal PDF on your projector or screen.
- Share the text with groups of 2-3 students.
- Use the slideshow in Presenter View for a seamless lesson experience.
The text is divided into three manageable sections, to be explored across three sessions. This structure ensures students can:
- Dive deeply into vocabulary and content.
- Engage with discussion prompts designed to inspire critical thinking.
Extend the learning on days four and five with:
- GIST summarising activities for concise 20-word summaries.
- Cause-and-effect graphic organisers for text structure analysis.
- Critical thinking questions to deepen connections and encourage inferences.
Key Features
- Comprehension Focus: Activities to monitor comprehension, summarise, and draw conclusions using textual evidence.
- Writing Connections: Literacy tasks that enhance writing skills, including:
- Sentence combining with conjunctions.
- Expanding sentences with adverbial phrases.
- Mastery of speech marks, commas, colons, and figurative language.
- Vocabulary Mastery: Explicit instruction with definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and semantic activities.
- Critical Thinking Emphasis: Questions that encourage perspective analysis and deeper connections.
Benefits of This Resource
- Promotes active learning through reading, discussion, and critical thinking.
- Builds vocabulary and comprehension strategies, supporting diverse learners, including struggling readers.
- Encourages connections between the text and students’ personal experiences.
What Your Students Will Learn
This resource equips students to:
- Monitor and confirm comprehension using annotation, rereading, and questioning techniques.
- Summarise and draw conclusions while identifying key details.
- Make inferences based on both explicit and implied ideas.
- Analyse text structure and the effects of language choices.
- Think critically, connecting ideas and analysing perspectives.
Tips for Effective Use
- Present the slideshow in presentation mode for a smooth lesson flow.
- Pair students for collaborative reading and discussions.
- Follow the structured activities over three sessions, then extend learning with additional tasks.
Why Educators Choose This Resource
Explicit comprehension instruction is proven to boost students’ literacy skills, particularly in vocabulary acquisition and making connections. This resource aligns with curriculum goals while offering a flexible, engaging approach to reading comprehension.
Make a difference in your students’ reading journey—try this resource today!

