This page gives you some more information about some of our units,

and also shows testimonials received from teachers/homeschooling parents who have purchased them

SAMPLE PAGES OF ALL UNITS ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

Please click here to send an email to receive sample pages of any or all of our units.

Please specify in the email which unit(s) you would like samples of.

THE SECOND WORLD WAR

This bumper study unit for children aged 10 – 15 years is a marvellous resource for covering the largest conflict in world history – one which shaped the world we live in today. It covers both military events and life on the Home Front, with a large NZ section. Total page count: 98

Topics:

Timeline of Pre-War Events	Planning for a Gas Attack	Air Raid Shelters	Inside the Shelters
Retreat from Dunkirk	Evacuation	Battle of Britain	The Invasion of Russia
Blackouts	Rationing	War at Sea	War in the Desert
Life of Winston Churchill	Churchill’s Speech after the Battle of Britain	Hitler’s Treatment of the Jews	Anne Frank’s Diary
Extract from her Diary	Sir Douglas Bader	The Attack on Pearl Harbour	The NZ Army
The NZ Navy	The NZ Air Force	The Home Guard in NZ	The Home Guard Song
NZ Women at Work	Enemy Aliens in NZ	NZ Prisoners of War	D-Day and Operation Overlord
The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki	The Impact of the War	World Leaders Research	Who’s Who in World War Two
Glossary Word Hunts	Review Test	Timeline of World War Two	Glossary
Suggested Resources		Answers Section

The importance of the Second World War is something that should always be remembered.

Lest we forget.

Testimonial:

‘We recently finished your WW2 unit - congratulations on an excellent resource! It was ideal for classroom use as a base for diverse students. The booklists etc were also a big timesaver. I look forward to this new one! [Peoples of the Pacific Islands].’ Jill Meyer, Bridge Academy, Howick, Auckland

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THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

This study unit for Years 5 – 8 features the most fascinating ancient civilisation the world has ever known! It is sure to be a hit with both students and teachers alike.

There are sixteen worksheets with text and questions or other written activities to test the student’s understanding of the passage.

These worksheets aim to give as comprehensive a coverage as possible to the student, consistent with their age level. Total page count: 37

Topics:

The Beginnings of Egypt

Map of Egypt

The River of Life

Social Structure

Gods and Goddesses

Mummies and the Afterlife

Tombs for the Dead

Life in the Home

Language and Writing

Sport, Leisure and Fashion

Producing and Selling

Two Wonders of the Ancient World

Famous Egyptian Sites and Artefacts

Famous Egyptian Rulers

Foreigners Take Over Egypt

The Legacy of the Egyptians

A poem (with language comprehension questions) on the famous

Queen Nefertiti is also included in the unit.

Additional features in this and all Deborah Penk’s

‘History Through Time Period’ studies*:

Review Test

Timeline

Glossary

Suggested Resources (non-fiction titles, fiction titles and websites)

Complete Answer Section for all questions including the Review Test

Testimonial:

‘Like Deborah Penk’s prior unit studies, Stone Age People and Mesopotamia and the World’s First Cities, The Ancient Egyptians is an excellent resource. The text is written in a concise, easy-to-read writing style and provides a very useful overview of the topic, with clear ‘keypoint’ information. The Review Test has also been an invaluable tool, enabling me to assess the level of the students’ understanding.’ Karen Pasley, Homeschool Teacher, Papakura, Auckland

*Other titles available to date: Stone Age People and Prehistoric Times; Mesopotamia and the World’s First Cities; The American West

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EARLY DAYS IN WEST AUCKLAND – Suitable for Years 4 – 6

This study unit for Years 4 – 6 presents young students and their teachers with a fascinating and comprehensive microcosm of colonial society in West Auckland. First of all, though, this is set in context by pages of text (with questions) about Maori Migration from Polynesia; the voyages of Abel Tasman and Captain Cook; and the founding of Auckland. Total page count: 51

Following this are thirteen topics (text and comprehension activities):

Early Maori Settlement in the West

Confidence Trick at Cornwallis

Avondale – Gateway to the West

New Industries at New Lynn

Thomas Henderson and his Mill

The Beginnings of Henderson

Early Titirangi

How Glen Eden Began

Waikumete Cemetery

The Origins of Oratia

Sawmill at Swanson

The Settlement of Huia

Winemaking in the West

Two local poems (with language comprehension questions)

are also included: ‘Clayburn Road’ and ‘The Ballad of Scroggy Hill’.

A Review Test concludes the unit, followed by a complete Answer Section. Scanned photographs are used to illustrate all the topic sections.

Testimonials:

‘We have used this resource as part of an introductory unit at the beginning of Year 9. Prior to beginning this study, our students had very little knowledge of their local area. This material is particularly helpful because it is written specifically for students, and the level of vocabulary has been carefully chosen to suit young people. We know of no other resource on this topic which has been specifically written for students. Our students have found it both interesting and relevant to their lives.’ Jill Brooking, Teacher of Social Studies, Kelston Girls’ College, West Auckland

‘I work with hearing-impaired students and I purchased this resource unit specifically to help an individual student with his awareness of local geography and history. Because it is so clearly written, I have been easily able to adapt it for this special purpose. The provision of original photos is a real plus for my student.’ Fiona Jones, Teacher, Kelston School for the Deaf, West Auckland

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FLIGHT AND SPACE

This study unit for Years 5 - 8 traces the beginnings of Flight from the Greek legend of Daedalus and Icarus through to manned Space Flight. Total page count: 23

Topics covered in worksheet format

(text and comprehension activities):

The Story of Daedalus and Icarus

Early Attempts to Fly

Hot Air Balloons (two pages)

Airships (two pages)

Gliders

Early Planes

Helicopters

Passenger Planes

Space Flight

Famous Names in Aviation

The unit concludes with a Review Test of all topics, plus a Glossary of Important Words. This is followed by a Complete Answer Section.

Testimonials:

‘My son recently completed the Flight and Space Workbook compiled by Deborah Penk. The text was easy for him to understand, and the questions which followed were clear and logical. I was able to set him a couple of pages to work on independently, which he managed to do very well. I found particularly useful the way the book moved gradually through all the different developmental stages of flight until the whole subject was comprehensively covered. Then it was backed up with a Review Test that integrated all the aspects of the topic, thereby ensuring a good all-round knowledge. The glossary was an invaluable aid to understanding the technical terms used. Thanks to the enjoyable nature of this study, I have bought other workbooks from Deborah for my son’s homeschooling.’ Tanya Middleton, Homeschooling Mother, Glen Eden, Auckland

‘I have been very pleased to purchase several of Deborah Penk’s study units for the teachers at my school to use. The resource material provided is easy for the children to access, and the comprehension questions add greatly to their awareness of the subject. Appropriate photographs are used to illustrate each page of text. These not only add an extra dimension to their understanding, but also help to make the unit attractive to the student.’ Linda Mayow, Principal, Glen Eden Primary School, West Auckland.

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Pictured above - the four volumes available in the ‘Learning Language Through Poetry Appreciation’ series.

LEARNING LANGUAGE THROUGH POETRY APPRECIATION

This is a selection of eighteen mainly classic poems for Upper Primary and Intermediate students. Beneath the text of each poem is a series of questions which test both the students’ comprehension of the poem and also their knowledge of language. Total page count: 27

Examples of language points covered:

use of grammar (parts of speech and types of sentence)

punctuation (abbreviations, contractions)

synonyms and antonyms

simple imagery (similes and contrasts)

poetic sound features (rhyme scheme, alliteration, assonance)

general poetic vocabulary

A Glossary lists all the special terms for the students’ reference.

Full answers to all questions also appear at the back of the book.

List of poems featured:

Anzac Day Ode by Laurence Binyon

Autumn by John Clare

The Boy who Ran Away by John Keats

Child’s Song in Spring by E. Nesbit

The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The Echoing Green by William Blake

Fall, Leaves, Fall by Emily Bronte

God be in my Head by H. Walford Davies

The Leprechaun – an anonymous poem

The Lobster Quadrille by Lewis Carroll

The Months by Sara Coleridge

Two Old Testament Poems:

Out of the Pit and Solomon’s Praise of the Rainbow

Queen Nefertiti – an anonymous poem

Rain in Summer by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Rainbow by Christina Rossetti

Sea-fever by John Masefield

Tuapeka Gold – an anonymous poem

Testimonial:

‘I have found this programme to be the ideal way to combine the study of language and literature. The poems themselves are very meaningful but also straightforward for the children to understand. The questions gradually tease out the message behind each poem, and also build awareness of their use of language. These are some of the most evocative poems by classic authors which are accessible to the young. My children are building up a treasure-house in their minds for the future by studying and also committing these poems to memory.’ Dorothy Turnbull, Homeschooling Mother and Teacher, Henderson, Auckland

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MARGARET MAHY STORIES: WORKSHEETS ON PICTURE BOOKS

Featuring some of Margaret Mahy’s best-loved tales, this resource provides a variety of comprehension and language exercises to check the students’ understanding and build language awareness.

As well as the direct question- and -answer format, other approaches are used, such as ‘fill-in-the-gaps’, ‘name the speaker of the quotation’, ‘jumbled names’, ‘match up key words’, ‘who said that?’ and ‘mixed match-ups’.

These all provide variety and stimulation for the child, ensuring an in-depth understanding of the text as well as valuable practice in written language tasks. Total page count: 29

The worksheets support the following 11 titles by Margaret Mahy:

The Adventures of the Robber Pig

Beaten by a Balloon

The Boy with Two Shadows

The Great Man-Eating Shark

The Horrendous Hullabaloo

A Lion in the Meadow

The Man who Mother was a Pirate

The Queen’s Goat

17 Kings and 42 Elephants

A Summery Saturday Morning

The Witch in the Cherry Tree

Testimonial:

‘An excellent unit to support classroom study of Margaret Mahy. Very user-friendly for busy teachers – a great resource for getting children to think about the detail in each story and gain important comprehension skills.’ Stephanie Julian, Year 5 Teacher, Glen Eden Primary School, West Auckland

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MARGARET MAHY STORIES: WORKSHEETS ON CHAPTER BOOKS

An ideal companion volume to use with ‘Margaret Mahy: Worksheets on Picture Books’. While some children in the classroom are reading her well-known picture books, other more advanced readers in the same room will be ready for her equally hilarious chapter books.

Some worksheets utilise the direct question-and-answer approach, whereas others feature alternative formats, with quiz sheets on such topics as ‘name the character’; 'fill-in-the-gaps’; ‘who said?’; ‘who’s who?’; and ‘match the quotes’.

The stories have been selected for their quality and variety – ensuring that there is ‘something for everyone’, whatever their reading preference.

With 11 March declared National Margaret Mahy Day, this volume should prove a real boon to teachers keen to celebrate NZ’s foremost storyteller. Total page count: 28

This volume of worksheets support the following 11 Chapter Book titles by Margaret Mahy:

The Birthday Burglar

The Blood-and-Thunder Adventures at Hurricane Peak

The Dentist’s Promise

The Five Sisters

The Good Fortunes Gang

The Great Piratical Rumbustification

The Horribly Haunted School

The Librarian and the Robbers

The Pirates’ Mixed-up Voyage

The Riddle of the Frozen Phantom

A Villain’s Night Out

Testimonial:

‘This unit of worksheets makes teaching reading – and Margaret Mahy’s works in particular- a real breeze! It has allowed me to relax and enjoy the books myself too. The layout is very attractive to children – an appropriate font-size with plenty of room for the children to fill in the answers – and amusing use of graphics. I would highly recommend this unit to all teachers of primary and intermediate-age children. Margaret Mahy’s characters are really timeless, and the situations she dreams up are a valuable stimulus to the children’s own imagination.’ Dorothy Turnbull, Homeschool Mother and Teacher, Henderson, West Auckland

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THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

This is a cross-curricular unit suitable for Years 4 – 8. It opens with three pages of text describing ‘Denmark Today’, which briefly covers Denmark’s geography, climate, economy and lifestyle. Comprehension questions and some map work follow this first section.

The second section is entitled ‘Denmark through the Ages’, and gives a brief history of the events which have been most significant for Denmark as a modern nation, including: the legend of the Dannebrog, Denmark’s links with Norway and Sweden, famous Danes, her alliance with Napoleon; her disputes with Germany in the nineteenth century and her roles in two World Wars, including the heroic work of the Danish Resistance; and finally, her involvement in international affairs as a member of NATO and a the European Community. Questions follow the text to check the students’ understanding.

The third section is a summary of the life of Hans Christian Andersen, which traces HCA’s humble origins in Odense as the only son of an impoverished cobbler, to Denmark’s most famous son and the world’s best-loved writer of fairy stories. Once again, a ‘reading check’ page follows the text.

Next follow the twelve stories which are the main feature of this resource unit:

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Little Claus and Big Claus

The Little Match Girl

The Little Mermaid

The Nightingale

The Princess and the Pea

The Snow Queen

The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Thumbelina

The Tinderbox

The Ugly Duckling

The Wild Swan

Comprehension questions and activities in a variety of formats follow each story. The stories vary in length to allow for different concentration spans and occasions.

A full answer section is provided at the back of the unit for all sections. Total page count: 69

Testimonials:

‘Our school celebrated the bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen this term, and managed to generate a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm in the process!

We used Deborah Penk’s resource on the topic which we found an excellent and inexpensive source for all his best-known stories. This meant that all the classes could have copies of them to base their activities on. We are very grateful to Deborah for compiling such a valuable resource.’ Anne Patel, Teacher, Auckland Normal Intermediate School, Epsom, Auckland

‘We have found the Hans Christian Andersen book and activities very useful’. Judith Pickens, Teacher, Sutton Park School, Mangere East, Auckland

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