Description
Ayda Bang and the William Pike Challenge by Jodi Wicksteed is a reflective non-fiction text that weaves personal story with wider themes of challenge, perseverance, and identity. Through first-hand narrative and rich descriptive detail, the author follows Ayda Bang as she takes part in the William Pike Challenge, a programme that encourages young people to step outside their comfort zones through outdoor activities, passion projects, and community service. The text highlights Ayda’s determination, independence, and love of movement as she navigates physical challenges associated with Down syndrome while remaining positive and open to learning new skills. Inspiring, warm, and deeply personal, the text supports students to understand growth and resilience through lived experience and voice.
The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy and health, supporting inquiry into inclusion, wellbeing, identity, and the power of perseverance in everyday life.
The three lesson overviews focus on:
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Comprehension and inferencing, supporting students to locate information, make meaning, and draw conclusions from the text;
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The author’s use of language and structure, exploring how word choice, sentence structure, and text features shape meaning; and
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Author’s purpose and themes, encouraging students to think critically about ideas, messages, and viewpoints.
Curriculum Phase: Phase 3
Year Level: Year 5
English (NZC Levels 3–4): reading for meaning and critical thinking, analysing author perspective and voice, understanding biography and personal recounts, synthesising information, exploring descriptive and explanatory language
Health and Physical Education: wellbeing, resilience, physical activity, goal setting, emotional regulation, inclusion, relationships
Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: community participation, identity and belonging, continuity and change, personal stories within social contexts
Text type: Non-fiction, personal recount, biographical narrative, informational text
Key words include: challenge, community, disabilities, Down syndrome, family, hobbies, identity, outdoor activities, rafting, sports, volunteering, whānau, William Pike
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