Approach: Team Year: 4 & 8 Focus: Finding and comparing information in similar texts Resources: 2 books: Fiji and Niue, 2 pair answer sheets, 1 team answer sheet
What is the weather like in Fiji? The weather in Fiji is mostly warm What does Fiji look like? The islands of Fiji were and moist. Fiji is made up of between 326 and made by volcanoes. It rains a lot in Fiji. 332 islands – no one is too sure! Large areas are covered However, because of a range of Many of these islands have no by very thick forests. mountains, the eastern side of the people living on them. Many islands are atolls. country gets more rain than the Cyclones and hurricanes The largest islands are Viti Levu western side. cause a lot of damage in Fiji. and Vanua Levu. The mountain range blocks the The capital city An atoll is an island winds that are carrying the rain. of Fiji is Suva. made of coral.
Food Fijians grow and gather most of what they eat. Animals and plants The coconut beetle is as Crops include taro, yams, bananas and coconuts. There are a lot of tropical rainforest large as a coffee cup – Food is normally steamed or boiled. areas in Fiji. and it flies! All people in Fiji eat a lot of seafood. The reefs around Fiji contain There are many types of plants, birds amazing sea life. Indo-Fijians grow, eat and sell many foods that and animals in these forests. This Giant Orb spider they brought from India. is actual size! This includes fish, corals, lobsters, turtles and starfish. These include curries and dishes that contain chillies, cucumbers and mangoes.
Firewalking Ceremonies Firewalking is linked with the people from Kava the island of Beqa. The ceremony of greatest women drink kava made from No one is sure why the people importance to Fijians is yaqona yaqona, the roots of a shrub. from Beqa began firewalking. They would slowly and calmly – the kava-drinking ceremony. The kava ceremony is used to Today, men from Beqa perform firewalking walk over a long pit, full of Traditionally, only male chiefs gather people to celebrate an on many islands throughout Fiji. red-hot rock. and priests could take part in this event or just to visit with each Firewalking was once done by Today, firewalking is done only ceremony. But today, men and other and talk. both men and women. by men. Yaqona is dried before Dancers would meditate and prepare for The walkers are trained by a ratu, being used to make kava. days before walking. their firewalking chief.
Questions / instructions: % response 2009 (’05) year 4 year 8 In this activity you will be finding and sharing information 4. What types of food do they grow? about a Pacific Island. Number mentioned: [taro, yams, bananas, coconuts] 4 46 (47) 84 (85) To start off, you will work in pairs. [Students 1 and 2] will be 3 9 (17) 4 (7) finding information on Fiji. [Students 3 and 4] will be finding 2 16 (8) 1 (3) information on Niue. 1 18 (12) 4 (2) Hand Students 1 and 2 book on Fiji, and Students 3 and 0 12 (17) 8 (3) 4 book on Niue. Hand students pair answer sheets. Number mentioned: 3 27 (20) 30 (15) Your book tells you about a Pacific Island. Use the book to [chillies, cucumbers, mangoes] 2 4 (2) 2 (3) make notes that will help you to answer the questions written 1 9 (8) 5 (3) on this sheet. Write your notes in the boxes. 0 60 (70) 63 (78) Allow time. 5. What special ceremonies do they have? Fiji: % response Mentioned: kava drinking ceremony 72 (73) 90 (98) Make notes in the boxes to help you 2009 (’05) firewalking 52 (42) 65 (78) year 4 year 8 answer the questions. Niue: 1. What does Fiji look like? Number mentioned: 4 4 (0) 8 (3) Make notes in the boxes to help you [volcanoes, lots of islands, thick 3 5 (5) 16 (17) answer the questions. forests, some islands are coral atolls] 2 16 (13) 28 (27) 1. What does Niue look like? 1 36 (42) 39 (42) Number mentioned: 3 2 (0) 6 (0) 0 39 (40) 8 (10) [world’s biggest atoll; coastline 2 12 (18) 52 (46) 2. What is the weather like? rises straight up/no beaches; 1 36 (37) 19 (32) lots of coconut palms] Number mentioned: 4 2 (5) 7 (10) 0 52 (45) 22 (22) [warm and moist; rains a lot; east side 3 13 (5) 35 (31) gets more rain than west side; 2 42 (40) 46 (48) 2. What is the weather like? cyclones/hurricanes cause damage] 1 37 (40) 12 (10) Number mentioned: 2 55 (48) 90 (76) [sunny and warm; cyclones/ 0 6 (10) 0 (2) 1 42 (48) 9 (24) hurricanes cause damage] 0 4 (3) 1 (0) 3. What types of sea creatures can be found? 3. What types of sea creatures Number mentioned: 5 54 (42) 78 (75) can be found? [fish, corals, lobsters, 4 12 (17) 17 (15) Number mentioned: 4 5 (3) 6 (3) turtles, starfish] [poisonous snakes, poisonous 3 4 (8) 12 (7) 3 3 (8) 1 (3) coral fish, shellfish, fish] 2 4 (5) 1 (2) 2 49 (48) 64 (76) 1 22 (18) 2 (3) 1 34 (30) 9 (9) NEMP Report 50 : Information Skills for Inquiry Learning 2009 0 6 (10) 2 (2) 0 9 (10) 9 (5)
36 ‘Niue’ can be broken What does Niue look like? into two words. Niue is the world’s largest atoll. Niu means coconut and e means here. Animals Most of the coastline around Niue There are no poisonous animals, However, Niue’s proper The capital of Niue rises straight up out of the sea. spiders or insects on Niue. name is Niue Fekai. is Alofi. About 700 Because of this, Niue does not However, in the sea there is a Some people believe it people live in Alofi. have the beaches that are usually poisonous snake and a poisonous means Niue as a Whole. seen on Pacific islands. coral fish. An atoll is an Others believe it means island made of coral. The forests have many birds and flying foxes. Sadly, the numbers of birds and What is the weather like flying foxes are getting smaller. on Niue? Water This is because the forest areas Niue’s weather is mostly sunny and warm. Because Niue is made of coral, a lot of the rain that falls are being cleared away to make However, the island does get hurricanes runs straight through the ground. room for the growing of crops. that often cause a lot of damage. The drained water falls down into the sea and forms a A flying fox is Today, many people live in houses ‘lake’ that floats on top of the sea water. a type of bat. made of concrete. This ‘lake’ makes diving and snorkelling in Niue an They call their houses ‘hurricane houses’! amazing adventure because the water is so clear.
Food The umu Niueans get their food from the land and An umu is an earth oven,much Food is put in woven baskets, Celebrations and the sea. like the hangi that Maori use to placed on the rocks and ceremonies Some of the main foods they eat are cook food. completely covered with Both Niuean boys and girls have A hole is filled with wood and layers of coconut palm fronds. a special ceremony to celebrate talo (taro), pitako (a bread), shellfish, Boys have a large rocks. When the wood has their ‘coming of age’. fish and, everyone’s favourite, uga, haircutting burnt off, the rocks are very hot. which is a coconut-eating land crab. After a few hours of steaming, Girls have ear-piercing ceremony. The Uga is said The flying fox is also a highly the food is cooked. ceremonies any time between boy’s hair is not ‘u-nga’ valued source of food for the ages of 5 and 19. cut much from the islanders. The girl’s ceremony is known as the time he is hukiteliga (hookey-ti-linga). born. Coconuts People give money to her family Niueans use coconuts and the coconut The oil is used for cooking and as an At the boy’s for the girl’s future. ceremony tree in many different ways. ointment for healing. Inside a coconut, The flesh of the coconut can be eaten. The shell of the coconut can be people pay there are about The flesh can also be pulped and used to carry water. money to cut off squeezed to make coconut cream. It can be cut in half to make three cups of one of his braids When coconut cream is left to jewellery and bras for costumes. sweet liquid that and keep it. curdle it makes oil. is nice to drink.
% response % response 2009 (’05) 2009 (’05) year 4 year 8 year 4 year 8 4. What types of food do they grow? Now tell me your ideas about what is the Number mentioned: 3 20 (15) 24 (29) same and different about Fiji and Niue. [talo (taro), bananas, coconuts] 2 43 (40) 42 (41) Things that are the same: 1 36 (33) 30 (31) both have coral atolls 10 (13) 22 (22) 0 1 (12) 4 (0) temperature similar (warm) 74 (58) 72 (81) 5. What special ceremonies do they have? cyclones (cause a lot of damage) 12 (23) 24 (32) Ear piercing ceremony for girls: fish common to both countries 55 (55) 55 (53) mentioned and says it’s for girls 43 (53) 71 (71) mentioned ear piercing (not girls) 14 (10) 9 (9) Number of same crops mentioned: 3 9 (13) 19 (17) mentioned coming-of-age ceremony [both islands grow taro (talo), 2 31 (23) 27 (25) bananas, coconuts] for girls (not ear piercing) 16 (15) 11 (10) 1 35 (23) 22 (32) Chapter 5 : Thinking About and Using Information Haircutting ceremony for boys: 0 26 (40) 32 (25) mentioned and says it’s for boys 29 (33) 50 (56) Things that are different mentioned hair cutting (not boys) 7 (12) 8 (7) Mentioned: mentioned coming-of-age ceremony geographical features: for boys (not haircutting) 16 (13) 21 (12) (physical features e.g. beaches) Now it’s time for you to work as a team. Start two or more differences 6 (8) 22 (22) off by sharing your notes on each question. one difference 41 (45) 43 (53) As you share your notes think about the weather (more rain in Fiji) 30 (17) 38 (34) things that are the same and the things that difference in food grown 36 (22) 34 (20) are different about Fiji and Niue. (yams in Fiji, not mentioned for Niue) Allow time. ceremonies 75 (63) 78 (90) Hand students team answer sheet. difference in sea creatures 46 (40) 57 (48) Use your pair answer sheets and talk together (e.g. turtles and starfish in Fiji; poisonous to fill out this team answer sheet. Decide snakes and poisonous coral fish in Niue) which things are the same and different about Fiji and Niue. Write how they are the Total Score: 41–50 4 (3) 14 (5) same and different in the boxes. When you 31–40 25 (15) 57 (59) have finished filling out the answer sheet, I’ll 21–30 50 (48) 20 (32) ask you to share your ideas with me. 11–20 17 (27) 7 (2) Allow about 10 minutes. 0–10 5 (7) 1 (2) Commentary: Working in pairs and then in teams, students were somewhat successful in gathering, comparing and contrasting information about Fiji and Niue. They were typically more successful in responding to questions for which answers could be readily located but were challenged by a variety of text features. Moderate growth was seen in year 8 students compared to the year 4 students.
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