Ina Joins In!

Since we are learning how to make connections at the moment, we read a story about a girl who was starting at a new school in a new country.  The story was called Ina Joins In (Part 1 #3 2003).  Many people in the group were able to relate with Ina's character as they also had the same experience.

Ina Joins In is about a young girl who has migrated from Rarotonga to New Zealand.  She has just started school and is very shy.  Even when she knows the answers to questions her teacher has asked, she doesn't want to say anything because she is not yet confident to share with strangers.  At lunch time the other children invite her to play, but she still is too shy to play with them.  In the afternoon a classmate of hers asks her to join them in Poly Club where they dance to and sing Pasifika music.  Ina finally feels comfortable when she hears familiar music to what she would hear in Rarotonga and starts to dance and sing with everyone.

We discussed what the story was about and how we can relate to Ina:

Otolose talked about how she remembers going to school to the first time in New Zealand coming from Tonga.   She said just like Ina she felt shy and didn't want to talk to much in front of others.  Otolose also talked about how school is very different in Tonga compared to New Zealand so it must've been hard for her to get use to school here.

Aifala shared that he had been to kindy in Samoa and that school was very different to New Zealand.  He was also shy at first when he was at school, but most people are he said.  

Geshvin only started at Sylvia Park School this year!  So he could understand why Ina was feeling shy.  He thought maybe she didn't want to make a mistake in front of her other classmates so she wouldn't be embarrassed, just like he was at the beginning of the school year. 

Hepi, and Maka talked about their Pasifika backgrounds and they liked hearing Island music.   Anahere talked about being in a Kapa Haka performance group and Morgan said he'd seen people perform Pasifika dance.  The whole group really enjoyed discussing the book and making these connections.