Two Places
If you’re like me, you’ll have family that lives in two countries. You will have met them so infrequently that parts of you have to be reintroduced each time: your age, friends, and favourite subjects. You know so little about each other, but still, you’re family. When you’re together, you discover what this word really means.
About this resource
Series: School Journal Level 4 November 2023
Reading year level: 7
Topics: belonging, culture, family, identity, Malaysia, relationships, whānau
Two Places
Words by Vanessa Mei Crofskey
Illustrations by Sarah Wilkins
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School Journal Level 4 November 2023
Inside this School Journal are two articles ("The Seaweed Invasion"; "Cage Diving with Sharks"), three stories (“The Crafty People”; “The Island”; "Exit Strategy"), one poem ("Te fia i te tai o Tokelau | Wishing for the sea in Tokelau"), one student writing ("Diving for Kaimoana") and one essay ("Tw...
1 of 8Cage Diving with Sharks
The author recounts an encounter with a great white during a cage-diving trip in Foveaux Strait.
2 of 8Exit Strategy
Marcus suffers from flashbacks after the Christchurch earthquakes. To deal with his anxiety, he takes comfort in the logic of maths and plans to become an engineer and build safer buildings. Marcus’s friends and teachers all offer support, and he also attends regular therapy sessions.
3 of 8Te fia i te tai o Tokelau | Wishing for the sea in Tokelau
A poem in Tokelauan and English about the poet’s yearning for the sea in Tokelau.
4 of 8The Crafty People
All her life, Asharsi’s clan have silently worried. The great project to heal the world is in danger because the crafty people are now everywhere.
5 of 8The Island
Nan has always told stories about Hauturu before it was taken away from their ancestors. The narrator used to nag Nan to take him to the island. Now he doesn’t “care about that stuff any more”.
6 of 8The Seaweed Invasion
Caulerpa is a seaweed that smothers everything in its path—sea sponges, mussels, and scallops. It is a big problem on Aotea Great Barrier Island. Mana whenua and the government are working to stop the spread of one of the world’s most invasive seaweeds.
7 of 8Diving for Kaimoana
The writer describes his love of diving and his enjoyment of doing it with his father.
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