Creating a Taonga – Year 7-8 Classroom Story

I had the pleasure of working at Raroa Normal Intermediate (in Johnsonville, Wellington) for two days at the end of last term, modelling good practice in classrooms. 

At the end of my second day, one of the teams (Whai Wahi, led by Ethan Porteous) invited me to an after-school display in the hall that they had put together based on their term one inquiry unit incorporating social studies/technology/literacy: Ko Wai Ahau? / Who Am I?  I was very impressed with the display and asked if I could take a few photos and talk to them a little about it.

Writing About “My Taonga”

What did I see?  Many students proudly sitting around tables displaying a three-dimensional representation or replica of what they considered to be a taonga / treasured possession for them together with a written explanation of it: what their taonga is; why they had selected it; why it is so important to them; what it means to them; how they have made it and whether it will last.  They could talk proudly to me of their representation or replica and share their writing with me enthusiastically while many of their families looked and listened.

Here are four representative examples of the work:

Jericho has selected a chess set and written beautifully about his relationship with his Dad through the chess set.

Owen has constructed a replica cricket bat and written enthusiastically about his love of cricket.  

Scott has made an abstract guitar and written enthusiastically about his passion for playing the guitar.

This student (name unknown) has constructed a wooden bracelet and written beautifully about why it is so important to her and the memories it evokes.

This work particularly resonated for me because each student had a meaningful and purposeful reason for writing as well as an authentic audience to share their writing with. 

They had been scaffolded well for the task and each student had been successful at it, regardless of their writing needs. 

This work, to me, is a good example of what writing across the curriculum should look like.