His First Ball by Witi Ihimaera - Senior Short Story Unit
Witi Ihimaera's His First Ball places Tuta Wharepapa in the unfamiliar world of a formal university ball, where an evening of dancing and social conventions becomes an exploration of cultural identity, belonging, class, difference, and conformity. This senior text study guides students from the context surrounding the story into detailed literary analysis and more challenging interpretation and critical thinking.
Designed for Years 12-13 (Grades 11–12), the workbook can be used for whole-class teaching, independent work, or cover work.
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This resource includes:
⭐ An editable student workbook
⭐ A teacher answer book with suggested answers and guidance
You and your students will enjoy:
❤️ An editable format so you can adapt the resource to suit your class
❤️ Clear tables and organisers that help students develop their analytical skills
❤️ Contextual support exploring Witi Ihimaera, the social and cultural context of the story, and its connection to Katherine Mansfield's Her First Ball
❤️ Notes and activities covering genre, literary traditions, conventions and tropes, and a wide range of literary elements
❤️ Higher-level activities including literary lenses, intertextuality, debate and discussion, and the relevance of the story today
Formats:
🖥️ Microsoft PowerPoint, resized to an A4 page. This means your resource:
- Is completely editable.
- Will easily upload to your Google Drive if you prefer the Googley suite.
- Is printable 📃
🖥️ A PDF version of each document.
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Also helpful are these related products:
✅ "Ripe" by Laura Borrowdale - senior short story unit
✅ "Everyone Was There, e Hoa" by Tayi Tibble - senior short text unit
✅ Teaching a Text - a Wee Teacher Guide
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Sharing/Copying this Resource
Feel free to purchase just one for your department - no need for a copy for each teacher. However:
- Please do NOT share with the school down the road.
- Please do NOT take it with you to a new school.
- Feel free to suggest the website to others - that'd be great!
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