It’s no secret readers – young and old – are fascinated by war.
If you’ve got students eager for more war-based content, or you’d like to deepen their understanding of what war is, the Ministry of Education’s Instructional Series has you covered.
There’s a wide range of material across all levels that deals with the issue of war – particularly the ANZACs.
These war-themed texts link across the NZ Curriculum, and they reach far beyond facts and figures. Did you know that over a hundred thousand New Zealanders fought in the First World War? That’s an awful lot of stories, something our series editors discovered when they were planning material to mark the war’s centenary.
War themes obviously hold significant appeal for children, but we’ve tried to offer an alternative insight into events.
In World War I, for example, we’ve tried to create content that encourages students to consider the human impact of war: What did it mean to become a soldier? What was it like waiting for a father to come home? How does war change people? How did animals feature? What was expected of the children back here in Aotearoa New Zealand? What roles did women assume during the war, and what were the perspectives of Māori?
All of the materials in the Instructional Series are supported by teacher support materials, which provide numerous suggestions to help relate the content to the curriculum, and to strengthen students’ understanding of what they’re reading.
War materials in the Instructional Series
You’ll find a list of all the war-related resources and their support materials in the Instructional Series here.
Here are some titles to look out for:
ANZAC/World War I
Ready to Read
- Dawn Parade by Philippa Werry, January 2014
Junior Journal
- Torty, the Lucky Tortoise by David Chadwick Junior Journal 48, Level 2, 2014
School Journal Level 2
- The Anzac Button by Judy Raymond, School Journal L2 Feb 2012
- First World War Mascots by Philippa Werry in School Journal L2 June 2014
School Journal Level 3
- New Zealand at War (a timeline) in the School Journal L3 June 2014
- Chununk Bair by Robert Sullivan in School Journal L3 2014
- Harry’s War by Mark Derby in School Journal L3 2014
- Silas the Stretcher-bearer by Rachel Stedman in School Journal L3 February 2012
- Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū: The Māori Pioneer Battalion by Monty Soutar in School Journal L3 June 2014
- Grey Angels by Anna Rogers in School Journal L3 June 2014
- Thumbprints by Serie Barford in School Journal L3 May 2017
- Das Piano by Bernard Beckett in School Journal L3 June 2014
- Windfall by Paul Mason in School Journal L3 June 2014
School Journal Level 4
- Dawn Service by Ashleigh Young, School Journal L4 June 2014
- The Children’s War by Jock Phillips in School Journal L4 2014
- His Own War – The Story of Archibald Baxter by David Grant in School Journal L4 2012
- Lest We Forget by Jane Tolerton in School Journal L4 June 2014
- King and Country by André Ngāpō in School Journal L4 June 2014
- Underground Soldiers by Ashleigh Young in School Journal L4 June 2014
Other war texts
New Zealand Wars
- Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa/The New Zealand Wars by Ross Calman in School Journal L4 November 2014
- Hakaraia: Warrior Peacemaker by Mark Derby in School Journal L4 May 2015
- Ngā Tātarakihi o Parihaka in School Journal L4 May 2016
- Fallen Leaves by Paul Mason in School Journal L4 November 2016
War in Waihī
- War in Waihī by Mark Derby in School Journal L4 October 2013
- In the End by Mal Peet in School Journal L4 October 2013
WWII
- Buttons by Iona McNaughton in School Journal L4 March 2012
- The Polish Refugee Children by Ali MacKisack in School Journal L2 November 2016
- The Desert Kaupoi by Ariana Tikao in School Journal Story Library 2014
- The White Mouse by Leon Davidson in the School Journal Story Library 2012
Boer War
- Mr Archibald by Oliver McLean in School Journal L4 October 2015 (The winner of 2015’s Elsie Locke Writing Prize!)