Deoxyribonucleic Acid
I look at my dad’s chin. His chins. Are those chins in my future?
About this resource
Series: School Journal Level 3 June 2022
Reading year level: 6
Topics: ancestors, bodies, DNA, humour, poetry, tūpuna
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Words by Tim Upperton
Illustrations by Paul Beavis
I worry about my genes. Is my throat getting soft? A little flaccid? I pinch it. I’m not too sure. Those chins might be in my DNA, which is a lot easier to say than deoxyribonucleic acid.
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School Journal Level 3 June 2022
Inside this School Journal there are two articles (Sapasui - It’s hard to get wrong and The Pā That Matawhero Built), one play (The Great-great-greatest), one piece of student writing (Grandad’s Couch), one biography (Princess Iwa), one poem (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), and two stories (The Story of Mau...
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2 of 8The Pā That Matawhero Built
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3 of 8The Great-great-greatest
Confusion reigns in the storage room at the Chinese Association.
4 of 8Grandad's Couch
Our grandad adores his new couch. The old, red, torn one goes out, the brand-new, avocado-green one comes in wrapped in plastic, slippery like arctic ice, not coming off for a week. You hear a lion-like roar from him, his face a shade of red as the cat tries to strike when the plastic comes off. Pr...
5 of 8Princess Iwa
Meet the young woman from Bluff who shared her culture on the world stage.
6 of 8The Story of Mauao
This story is for Kihi Ngatai, the great chief of Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui. He passed away on 1 August 2021 at the age of ninety-one. Kihi loved his maunga. He walked around it three times a week. Toni Rolleston-Cummins shares the story with Kihi’s blessing.
7 of 8Sunday Hero
There are too many keys in Grandma’s tin … When I got home from football, Oma was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables. “Are you making soup?” I asked. Oma looked at the celery. “Yes.” “Green soup?” “Yes.” She put down the knife and waited. I was confusing her, but I’d started now.
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