Taniwha messages

Taniwha messages

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
The purpose of this task is to identify and find evidence of an author's message and audience.

Texts often teach lessons or give messages.

  • Read the book 'Taniwha', which is written and illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa.
  • This book gives a number of different messages.
 
a) What are two of these messages? b)  For each message, identify how the author and illustrator has given that message.
1.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
2.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
c)  Identify one group of people you think this book is aimed at. d)  How has the author and illustrator aimed her book at this group?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
​​This task can be completed with pen and paper.
 
Necessary resource: Taniwha, by Robyn Kahukiwa, first published by Viking Kestrel, 1986, republished by Puffin Books, 2000.  Also available in Te Reo Māori, translated by Keri Kaa, Puffin Books, 1986.
  • Prior to working on this task, it would be helpful to have a class/group discussion about texts students know of that teach lessons (e.g., Aesop's fables). 
  • Ideally, the teacher would initially read the book to the students so that the assessment does not become dependent on decoding. Following this, the close reading of the text might be done as a shared reading exercise, either as a whole class or in small groups. Students could also work individually at first, then pair up to share ideas and revisit the text. This will help build new understandings.
  • Ensure students are able to access the book as they work on task.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking
Keywords: 
comprehension, purpose, analysis, synthesis, message, audience, think critically, legend, taniwha
Description of task: 
This resource assesses students' ability to analyse text to identify and find evidence of the author's message and audience.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • identify author’s message
  • infer ideas and information that are not directly stated in the text
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Making sense of text: reading critically, set 4
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
a) Students identify any 2 messages, e.g.,

  • We should treasure, value the simple things/natural things.
  • We should respect things/people who have been around for awhile/elderly are wise/knowledgeable.
  • Gifts don't have to be expensive (to be valued/important).
  • Believing is important.
  • People believe in different things.
  • Family is important.
  • Learning from others/history is important.
  • Trust your own judgements/don't give in to peer pressure.
b) Students link both messages identified with relevant evidence, e.g.,

  • She made the boy's gifts simple, but representative of something bigger.
  • The boys' gifts didn't come from a shop/the koro said he was rich.
  • The main character and his koro were believable/the koro and his tribe had listened to the taniwha in the past.
  • The boy's friend did not believe, whereas he and his koro did.
  • The close relationship between the boy and his koro, as pictured.
  • The boy's koro believed in him/gave him reassurance/the taniwha is part of their history and saved their tribe from danger and death.
  • The boy held on to what he believed in/knew to be right.
c) Any 1 of:

  • Children (or people) with knowledge/experience of tikanga Māori.
  • Children (or people) with little or no knowledge of/are learning tikanga Māori and/or te reo.
  • Children who are scared of taniwha/monsters.
d) Students link identified group to relevant strategies of the author, e.g.,

  • The taniwha is important to the family.
  • The characters are likely to be familiar/the main characters are Māori.
  • The use of some Māori words, designs.
  • The book is written from a Māori perspective.
  • The book introduces some Māori concepts/beliefs.
  • The taniwha is a female/friendly.
Diagnostic and formative information: 
  • This resource has been trialled in small group situations with Year 6 to 8 students across a range of schools. Some Year 6 students focused more on the taniwha as a character, and did not see the book as a fable.

For example, some responses by these students to the author's message were: Taniwha are like real people. Taniwha still live/there are such things as taniwha. Some taniwha are kind.

Next steps: 
  • For those students who see the author's message as being about taniwha, further discussions about fables and their characteristics would be helpful.
  • Teachers could also ask students to imagine or create similar stories with the titles 'Unicorn', 'Elf', 'Bunyip', 'Ganesha', 'Gryphon', or 'Fairy', and ask questions such as:
  1. How would they be different to this one?
  2. What similar ideas would they share?
  3. What would be the main idea behind all these stories?
  • Teachers could also draw attention to the repetition of the first two pages on the last page, and ask students why they think the author chose to start and finish the book with the same two sentences.
For another ARB resource that uses the same book, but with a focus on making inferences, see Taniwha. 
 
Ministry of Education. Family Treasures, Parts 1 and 2. Social Studies Exemplars, Levels 2 and 3.Ministry of Education. Taonga. Social Studies Exemplar, Level 3.Ministry of Education. My Nana's Story. Social Studies Exemplar, Level 4.
For other examples and information about mythical creatures, see: