3
Useful alignment lenses
Years 3-8
Most useful teaching range
Teacher-only planning note
This resource is strongest when kaiako treat te reo Māori as living classroom language in Aotearoa,
not as a one-off enrichment extra. Keep the oral modelling brisk, revisit the same phrases often,
and use the handout to support belonging and whanaungatanga as well as vocabulary growth.
A mātauranga Māori lens is central here because language carries whakapapa, identity, and
relationship. The pedagogical move is to normalise careful use, local pronunciation, and culturally
grounded context.
Strong fit
Students identify familiar written words and phrases and connect them
with simple oral language they can recognise and reuse in class.
How this handout aligns
The phrase bank, simple sentence frames, and quick written prompts help ākonga notice familiar
te reo Māori on the page and carry it into short spoken exchanges.
Learning Languages
Familiar written language
Entry support
Best matched to the early Te Mātaiaho learning-languages expectation that
students recognise familiar written words and phrases in te reo Māori.
Strong fit
Students use simple classroom language and highly familiar exchanges to
participate more confidently in everyday routines.
How to use this resource
The handout does not need a special event to justify it. It works best when the classroom
routines themselves become the learning context: greetings, listening cues, short questions, and
class transitions.
Everyday classroom reo
Routine language
Participation
Useful when kaiako want a practical bridge between explicit teaching and
normal day-to-day classroom use.
Bridge fit
Students develop confidence through repeated oral rehearsal, visual
supports, and supportive peer interaction before speaking in larger groups.
Kaiako safeguard
For students working in the proximal zone, keep the task low-floor and high-support: point,
repeat, rehearse with a partner, then speak more independently. That is especially important for
neurodivergent learners and anyone still building oral confidence.
Chunked rehearsal
Partner talk
Confidence building
This resource becomes stronger when the teacher deliberately sequences
support, core, and stretch use rather than expecting instant public fluency.
Puna Kōrero — Sources
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2021). Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. Ministry of Education.
Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (2021). Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners. Teaching Council.