Whanaungatanga in Kereru Whanau

13.03.2018

Our focus for Te Reo Maori in Term 1 is Whanaungatanga. We have been thinking about and discussing the overarching questions:

• Who am I? 
• Where do I come from? 

Students have researched their own whakapapa - research includes discussions with their parents, grandparents and wider whanau, using google to find specific information about aspects of their whakapapa, e.g. where their maunga is located, how tall it stands, etc.

WIthin our lessons, we are focusing on kupu/vocabulary. I noticed most of the students didn’t know what a maunga or Aotearoa meant, so this has given us a focal point for discussion. We have looked at multiple Maui myths and legends - a student brought his book in from home and we did a ‘read to’ activity. We discussed the Maori words as they appeared - which we have also done as we move through our whakapapa learning.

We start every morning with karakia timatanga - a student will start our morning by saying the following:

‘E tu mo te karakia, tangohia o potae, me timata tatou.’ - Stand for karakia, take your hats off, let us begin.

We have two karakia timatanga that students choose from, the most popular being He Honore which they sing, the second being Whakataka te hau.

We end every day with karakia whakamutunga - Kia tau.

We say karakia before every food break - Whakapaingia enei kai.

Throughout the day I will deliver instructions and ask questions in Maori, these are simple and may include:
E rua ngā rārangi ki waho - Two lines outside (before swimming for example)
Kape te kuaha koa - close the door please
Kei he to pukapuka? Where’s your book?
Haere mai kei konei - Come here (to me)
Āta haere - Walk or go slowly
Āta marie - Good morning
Ka kite apopo - I’ll see you tomorrow

He aha te kupu pakeha/maori mo _____ ? What’s the english/maori word for _____ ?