…learn moreAfter the War Written and illustrated by Bob Kerr Published by Mallinson Rendel, 2000
…learn moreBattle of the Mountains Written and illustrated by Peter Gossage Published by Reed Publishing, 2005
…learn moreA Booming in the Night Written by Ben Brown, illustrated by Helen Taylor Published by Reed, 2005
…learn moreCounting the Stars — Four Māori Myths Written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop Published by Random House, 2009
…learn moreDad’s Takeaways Written by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Christopher White Published by Mallinson Rendel. 2007
…learn moreEvery Second Friday Written by Kiri Lightfoot, illustrated by Ben Galbraith Published by Hodder, 2008
…learn moreHaere — Farewell, Jack, farewell Written by Tim Tipene, illustrated by Huhana Smith Published by Huia, 2006
…learn moreHairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy Written and illustrated by Lynley Dodd Published by Mallinson Rendel, 1983
…learn moreThe House That Grew Written by Jean Strathdee, illustrated by Jessica Wallace Published by Oxford, 1979
…learn moreThe House that Jack Built Written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop Published by Scholastic, 1999
…learn moreKimi and the Watermelon Written by Miriam Smith, illustrated by David Armitage Published by Puffin, 1983
…learn moreThe Kuia and the Spider Written by Patricia Grace, illustrated byRobyn Kahukiwa Published by Puffin, 1983
…learn moreNobody’s Dog Written by Jennifer Beck, illustrated by Lindy Fisher Published by Scholastic, 2005
…learn moreOld Hu-Hu Written by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Rachel Driscoll Published by Scholastic, 2009
…learn moreA Summery Saturday Morning Written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Selina Young Published by Puffin Books, 1999
…learn moreTahi, one lucky kiwi Written by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by John O’Reilly and Ali Teo Published by Random House, 2007
…learn moreTaming the Taniwha Written by Tim Tipene, illustrated by Henry Campbell Published by Huia, 2005
…learn moreThe Trolley Written by Patricia Grace, illustrated by Kerry Gemmill Published by Viking, 1993
…learn moreTane Steals the Show Written by Lino Nelisi, illustrated by Gus Hunter Published by Scholastic 1997
…learn moreThe Terrible Taniwha of Timberditch Written by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Rodney McRae Published by Puffin, 2009. Previously published 1982.
…learn moreWatercress Tuna and the Children of Champion Street Written by Patricia Grace, illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa Published by Puffin, 1984
…learn moreThe Whale Rider Written by Witi Ihimaera, illustrated by Bruce Potter Published by Reed, 2005
Taming the taniwha activities
Taming the taniwha
written by Tim Tipene
illustrated by Henry Campbell
published by Huia, 2005.
Tama is being bullied by James (the taniwha) at school, so he asks his family for help. Aunty Flo says to tell the teacher, but the teacher is always busy, so that doesn’t work. Uncle John says to give him some of his own medicine, but James is bigger and stronger, so that doesn’t work either. In desperation, Tama turns to Papa, his grandfather for advice. Papa says he must get to know the taniwha. Although this seems crazy to Tama, he tries taking James some lunch and inviting him to play. Tama is surprised when he and James become good friends. This is a story about bullying, and about overcoming it. Through the advice of his grandfather, Tama learns to rise above his bully and show him friendship. There are lots of clever details in the bright, busy illustrations and James is represented as a taniwha to begin with, however as the story progresses the reader sees him change to become more like a boy as Tama gets to know him.
Please note that these activities are suggestions which have not yet been trialled. We welcome any feedback on how they play out in the classroom (see the feedback section).
Activity 1: ANTI BULLYING CAMPAIGN (Health)
NZ Curriculum Level
1, 2 & 3
(see curriculum links at the end of the activity)
NZC Key Competencies
thinking
using language, symbols and text
managing self
relating to others
participating and contributing
Activity
This book beautifully addresses the theme of bullying – something which many children can relate to. In the story, Tama overcomes his bully by showing him kindness and befriending him.
1. After reading, ask children about the message in the story:
Tama was being bullied, that must have been awful for him. What were some of the ways he was being bullied?
Why do you think James was doing those things to him?
What advice was he given for dealing with his bully
– from Aunty Flo?
– from Uncle John?
– from Papa?
Which advice do you think was the best advice? Why was this?
Establish that Papa’s advice was best – he told Tama to get to know the bully and become his friend. When Tama was kind to James, he stopped bullying him. They even became good friends!
Notice how the bully is represented in the story. At the beginning of the story, he looks like a terrible taniwha, but as the story goes on, he looks more and more like a boy. Why do you think the illustrator chose to show the bully in this way?
Because the more Tama got to know him, the less scary he became, until Tama realised he was just a boy, the same as he was.
2. Talk about our own bullying experiences:
Have you ever felt like Tama in the story? What happened? What did you do about it/ say?
We call this bullying. In what ways can people be bullied?
These could be listed on the board – include verbal and emotional bullying as well.
Is it OK to treat other people like this?
NO – put big cross through the listed bullying behaviours on the board to illustrate this.
So why do people bully others?
Establish that often it is to make themselves feel better. In the story, James must have been feeling bad because he was hungry and he had no friends to play with. So bullying Tama made him feel a little better, but it is still not OK. What he really needed was some food and a friend – Tama gave him these things and then he stopped needing to bully.
3. Create a class anti-bullying campaign.
So what can we do to make sure there is no bullying in our class?
Write a list of ‘Rules’ for how to treat others. These should be worded by the children, however should include things like
– listening to everybody’s ideas
– including others in games
– respecting our differences
At Level 1, the rules will be very basic. The wording may become more complex at the higher levels, however try to keep them as simple as possible, and no more than 5 – this will make them easier to follow and monitor.
4. Children may like to create posters to put up around the room. These posters could illustrate one of the rules, or could state ‘No bully zone’.
Taking it further
Take the anti-bully campaign school-wide – visit other classes with posters and children can teach others about what they have learnt (Health)
Role play – give children scenarios where they need to deal with a bullying situation, or they could make up their own (Health/ Drama)
Practice the class rules using co-operative games and activities – see Activity 2 (Physical Education)
Curriculum Links
Health
Relationships with Other People
Relationships
explore and share ideas about relationships with other people (Level 1)
identify and demonstrate ways of maintaining and enhancing relationships between individuals and within groups (Level 2)
identify and compare ways of establishing relationships and managing changing relationships (Level 3)
Identity, sensitivity and respect
demonstrate respect through sharing and co-operation in groups (Level 1)
describe how individuals and groups share characteristics and are also unique (Level 2)
identify ways in which people discriminate and ways to act responsibly to support themselves and other people (Level 3)
Interpersonal skills
express their own ideas, needs, wants and feelings clearly and listen to those of other people (Level 1)
express their ideas, needs, wants and feelings appropriately and listen sensitively to other people and affirm them (Level 2)
identify the pressures that can influence interactions with other people and demonstrate basic assertiveness strategies to manage these (Level 3)
Healthy Communities and Environments
Rights, responsibilities and laws; People and the environment
take individual and collective action to contribute to environments that can be enjoyed by all (Level 1)
contribute to and use simple guidelines and practices that promote physically and socially healthy classrooms, schools and local environments (Level 2)
plan and implement a programme to enhance an identified social or physical aspect of their classroom or school environment (Level 3)
Applications for Level 4 and above
At Level 4 and above, students should be able to recognise instances of discrimination. They could find out about historical instances of discrimination and discuss repercussions (for example, civil rights movement, World War 2). At Level 6 and above, students should demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and groups affect relationships by influencing people’s behavior, beliefs, decisions and sense of self-worth.
Activity 2: CO-OPERATIVE GAMES AND TASKS (P.E./Health)
NZ Curriculum Level
1, 2 & 3
(see curriculum links at the end of the activity)
NZC Key Competencies
thinking
managing self
relating to others
participating and contributing
Activity
A great way to work through bullying and teach co-operation and working together is to play co-operative games.
1. Before playing, establish some rules so that every plays fairly, gets involved and has fun.
2. Talk about why it is important to have rules.
3. Once children are secure in the rules, enjoy playing some games together. Remind children of the rules as necessary.
Below are 4 co-operative games that work well with all ages:
At Levels 2 and 3, students can be involved in creating their own games and teaching them to the rest of the class.
Resources
Below are links to websites which suggest co-operative games for use in the classroom:
Positive attitudes; challenges and social and cultural factors
participate in a range of games and activities and identify the factors that make participation safe and enjoyable (Level 1)
participate in and create a variety of games and activities and discuss the enjoyment that these activities can bring to them and others (Level 2)
develop movement skills in challenging situations and describe how these challenges impact on themselves and others (Level 3)
participate in co-operative and competitive activities and describe how co-operation and competition can affect people’s behavior and the quality of the experience (Level 3)
Relationships with Other People
Identity, sensitivity and respect
demonstrate respect through sharing and co-operation in groups (Level 1)
identify ways in which people discriminate and ways to act responsibly to support themselves and other people (Level 3)
Interpersonal skills
express their own ideas, needs, wants and feelings clearly and listen to those of other people (Level 1)
express their ideas, needs, wants and feelings appropriately and listen sensitively to other people and affirm them (Level 2)
identify the pressures that can influence interactions with other people and demonstrate basic assertiveness strategies to manage these (Level 3)
Applications for Level 4 and above
These games are fun and relevant at any level. Students can continue to develop their own games, including board games.
Activity 3: ILLUSTRATION (Visual Art)
NZ Curriculum Level
1, 2 & 3
(see curriculum links at the end of the activity)
NZC Key Competencies
thinking
using language, symbols and texts
Activity
Henry Campbell has illustrated this story beautifully, in a very unique style.
Amazon.com has said that Campbell “…uses a vibrant style of illustration, building up a textured picture with bright colours, lots of detail and plenty of hidden objects for children to pick out as they read.”(Amazon.com, 2010)
1. After reading the story, look back through the illustrations. Talk about how Campbell has done them.
They are very busy pictures, aren’t they? Look carefully at the details – what images has Henry Campbell included? Why do you think he has included that?
What kinds of colours has he used? Why, do you think?
The layout seems to be all over the place – why do you think he put that apple core there? (etc…) What does it have to do with the story? Can you see any other places in the illustrations where he has done a similar thing?
What materials do you think he has used to create these illustrations? (paint). What else could we use for a similar effect?
Notice how every object is outlined in black to give a ‘cartoony’ effect and make them seem to stand out more.
Campbell also illustrated ‘The little kowhai tree’ by Witi Ihimaera – this shows additional examples of Henry Campbell’s style.
2. Tell the children that they are going to have a go at illustrating part of a story “in the style of Henry Campbell”. This may be using ‘Taming the taniwha’, or another story (or a story of their own).
At Level 1, students may use bright colours, outlined in black and then create a wide, patterned border to frame their picture, as we see in the book.
At Levels 2 and 3, students will be able to replicate more of the features of Campbell’s work. Try to put in the little details in their pictures which link parts of the story together (eg. the apple cores).
At Level 3, students may go on to research other artists who use a similar style, using the internet or books.
Materials
‘The little kowhai tree’ by Witi Ihimaera
paper
paint, felts
thick black marker for outlining
information books and internet access (for Level 3)
Taking it further
Give each child a different part of the story to illustrate and put them together to make a class book (Visual Art)
Write to Henry Campbell – ask him about what it is like to be an illustrator and send him some of the children’s illustrations which ‘borrow’ his style (English)
Ihimaera, W. (2007). The little kowhai tree. Wellington: Huia Publishers. ISBN: 9781877283642
Curriculum Links
The Arts
Visual Art
share ideas about how and why their own and others’ works are made and their purpose, value and context (Level 1 & 2)
explore a variety of materials and tools and discover elements and selected principles (Level 1 & 2)
investigate visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination (Level 1)
share the ideas, feelings, and stories communicated by their own and others’ objects and images (Level 1 & 2)
investigate and develop visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation and imagination (Level 2)
investigate the purpose of objects and images from past and present cultures and identify the contexts in which they were or are made, viewed or valued (Level 3)
explore some art-making conventions, applying knowledge of elements and selected principles through the use of materials and processes (Level 3)
develop and revisit visual ideas, in response to a variety of motivations, observation and imagination, supported by the study of artists’ works (Level 3)
describe the ideas their own and others’ objects and images communicate (Level 3)
Applications for Level 4 and above
At Levels 4 and above, students can also ‘borrow’ from Henry Campbell’s style to create their own illustrations. They should develop, revisit and refine their ideas, supported by the study of Campbell’s work. They may also choose to explore and borrow styles from other New Zealand illustrators.