Learning Media - Te Pou Taki Kõrero

Fōlauga is a cutting-edge journal in gagana Sāmoa. With its bold, dramatic design and variety of writing styles and genres, it fosters strong engagement with learning and reading gagana Sāmoa.

The brief

To help raise the achievement levels of all New Zealand students who use or are learning gagana Sāmoa and to help teachers support the students in learning the language, making connections with other languages, and developing a love of reading.

Our solution

Learning Media publishes Fōlauga, a journal in gagana Sāmoa for students in years 1–8 who speak or are learning gagana Sāmoa. Fōlauga gives these students opportunities to engage with a variety of gagana Sāmoa texts that reflect their different experiences in our multi-ethnic society.

The audience includes students learning gagana Sāmoa as a second or additional language, as well as students who have gagana Sāmoa as their first language. Since 2008, the series has included teacher support materials for both literacy learning and learning gagana Sāmoa as an additional language. An audio CD with items from Fōlauga 1–5 was produced in 2002.

Like the School Journal, Fōlauga is a 32-page book. The full-colour illustrations contribute to the cultural content of the items. Each issue comprises a variety of genres, which may include stories, articles, plays, songs, and legends.

Fōlauga is distributed free of charge to all New Zealand schools that receive resources in gagana Sāmoa. One journal, with associated teacher support materials, is published each year.