Drawing on two decades of research and resources, New Zealand Geographic is proud to present the first series of new books aimed at 9–12 year old students.
These resources, developed in concert with leading educators and literacy specialists, dovetail with effective pedagogy and the ethos of the new curriculum, giving teachers unprecedented opportunities to engage children in non-fiction material about an environment they know and love. The highly engaging text and absorbing, detailed illustrations encourage rich mental imagery and invite students to fuse imagination with inquiry.
As students read, they also learn about science curriculum objectives in the context of the New Zealand landscape. Each book takes the reader into the heart of a specific ecosystem, looking deep into the lives and interactions of key species in that location—be it the forest canopy of Tangihua, a riverine environment in Te Urewera, the Okarito wetland, the Rangipo Desert or within seabird burrows on Little Barrier Island. Through the story of these species' quest for survival, life processes such as predation and symbiosis are illuminated and made accessible and engaging.
The books stand alone to serve students and schools in their own literacy programmes and inquiry learning processes, but they are also supported by detailed resource material. In a time when education faces a notoriously crowded curriculum, these books provide schools with an opportunity to ensure a rich, meaningful, coherent program is maintained alongside the delivery of quality literacy support that will help provide the necessary focus on national standards.
Education products and teaching resources have been developed in collaboration with the Royal Society of New Zealand and Liggins Institute LENScience programme.