My First Ramadan by Khadro Mohamed is a reflective non-fiction personal recount that shares a young person’s first experience of observing Ramadan in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through vivid sensory detail and first-hand perspective, the author explores the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of fasting, alongside the joy of family, community, and faith. The narrative weaves everyday experiences—such as hunger, prayer, cooking, and social gatherings—with cultural and religious explanation, helping readers understand the significance of Ramadan in Muslim life.

The text highlights how Ramadan is not only about abstaining from food and drink but also about self-discipline, kindness, and connection. By situating the experience within both a family home and the wider mosque community, the text reflects how cultural traditions are maintained in a country where Muslims are a minority, and how shared rituals strengthen identity and belonging. Rich, warm, and personal, the text supports students to understand religious practice through lived experience and voice.

The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy, social sciences, and health, supporting inquiry into identity, culture, wellbeing, and community in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand.

 

This pack contains a range of response activities complete with activity explainer videos for exploring thinking skills and developing emotional understandings and compassionate inquiry including:

• Blooms Higher Order Thinking activities
• Book Club guide for deepening text discussion
• A range of activities to explore emotional understanding, compassionate inquiry, empathy development, vocabulary and developing skills for self and co-regulation.

Curriculum Phase: Phase 3

Year Level: Year 7–8

English (NZC Levels 4–5):
reading for meaning and critical thinking, analysing author perspective and voice, understanding personal recount and reflective non-fiction, building vocabulary through cultural and religious language, synthesising information, exploring descriptive and explanatory language

Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories:
cultural identity and belonging, religious diversity in Aotearoa, community practices, continuity and change, migration and global connections, understanding lived experiences of minority communities

Health and Physical Education:
wellbeing, self-discipline, emotional regulation, social connection, respect for difference, personal identity

Text type:
Non-fiction, personal recount, reflective narrative, cultural explanation

Key words include:
Ramadan, Islam, Muslim, fasting, iftar, sahur, mosque, Quran, prayer, family, community, whānau, wellbeing, identity, belonging, culture, traditions, religious practice, Somalia, Aotearoa New Zealand, diversity, social connection, resilience, self-discipline, reflection