Key Points to Note:

These short stories are of high interest and relevant to the lives of new settlers to Aotearoa New Zealand. They use frequent and useful vocabulary and structures, and where possible these are repeated throughout the story.

The stories are supported by clear photographs and learners can listen to the story as they read along by clicking on an audio icon. They also have the opportunity to listen and read again and practise some vocabulary items. This helps to make a connection between the spoken and written language. Learners can also get to hear different voices and accents.

This set of stories includes:

• New friends – Introductions and personal information: Two people meet for the first time and use openers and responses to get to know each other.
• Our supermarket trip: This is based on a class trip to a supermarket, looking at healthy and less healthy food choices. This story has lots of opportunities for practising food vocabulary.
• Making pikelets: This is based on making a well-known Kiwi snack. It introduces the idea of a recipe, ingredients, measuring and method. 
• Spring gardening: This story is based on a class spring gardening experience. It introduces the process of preparing and planting a garden and what to plant in spring. It has lots of opportunities for practising gardening vocabulary.
• Sally's nose operation: This reader for beginning adult ESOL learners follows Sally on the day of her nose operation. It introduces some hospital and medical vocabulary, as well as reading the clock.  

• Getting a Warrant of Fitness: This reader for beginning adult ESOL learners is based on taking a car to a garage for a Warrant of Fitness. It shows some of the car parts that are checked and has lots of opportunities for practising car vocabulary. 

The original read-along stories were created by Celia Hope, inspired by teaching the classes of women English language learners at Wintec and English Language Partners Waikato, which she did for 14 years. They have recently been brought out of the archives thanks to Gail Pittaway and Elna Fourie, both from Wintec | Te Pūkenga, and Jenny Field, and redesigned by Mikaela Pacis, a Wintec Graphic Design student in 2022, as a project.