Awa Feedback Slips
Ngā Pūāhua Ārahitanga · 2 Stars and a Wish — Giving Useful Feedback
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Give peer feedback that is specific, kind, and useful — not vague or hurtful
- Use the Success Criteria and Rubric to identify exactly what is working and what could improve
- Practise the principle of ako — learning as both teacher and student, simultaneously
- Receive feedback with an open mind, treating it as a gift that helps you improve
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- Each star names a specific element (not "I liked your poster" but "your data point about pH 6.2 was powerful because...")
- The wish is constructive and actionable — not "it's messy" but "could you make the call-to-action bigger so it's easier to see?"
- My feedback refers to the success criteria — evidence, message, kupu Māori, design, delivery
- I give feedback I would be comfortable receiving — honest, specific, kind
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Level 3–4: use language purposefully to respond to others' work; develop the ability to evaluate quality using shared criteria; practise both giving and receiving constructive feedback.
Effective feedback is a relational skill. Manaakitanga requires us to care for each other's learning — giving honest, kind feedback is one of the most important ways we do this in a classroom.
He Aha te Āwhina Pai? · What Makes Feedback Useful?
Read the rubric and success criteria BEFORE giving feedback. Then be specific — name the exact thing you noticed.
"Your poster looks really nice."
"Good speech, I liked it."
"Could be better organized."
"I couldn't understand parts."
"The pH data stood out — I didn't know 6.2 was acidic until you explained it."
"Your quote from Whaea Aroha made me want to care about the awa."
"Could you move the call-to-action higher? I almost missed it."
"Say the kupu Māori more slowly — I couldn't catch 'kaitiakitanga.'"
Ngā Pūāhua Papaaho · Poster Feedback Slips
Cut along the dashed lines and give slips to the poster maker. They should go home with the poster, not stay in the classroom.
Poster title / maker: ___________________________
⭐ Star 1 — what worked:
⭐ Star 2 — what worked:
🌟 Wish — one thing that could improve:
Feedback from: ____________________
Poster title / maker: ___________________________
⭐ Star 1 — what worked:
⭐ Star 2 — what worked:
🌟 Wish — one thing that could improve:
Feedback from: ____________________
Ngā Pūāhua Whaikōrero · Speech Feedback Slips
Speaker: _______________________________________
⭐ Star 1 — what worked:
⭐ Star 2 — what worked:
🌟 Wish — one thing that could improve:
Feedback from: ____________________
Speaker: _______________________________________
⭐ Star 1 — what worked:
⭐ Star 2 — what worked:
🌟 Wish — one thing that could improve:
Feedback from: ____________________
Tauira · What Good Feedback Looks Like
Exemplar — Feedback on a Poster
Star 1: "Your quote from Whaea Aroha was really powerful — she said 'Now I wouldn't let my mokopuna near it,' which made me realise how much the awa has changed. Using her actual words was much stronger than just saying 'the awa is polluted.'"
Star 2: "The pH comparison (6.2 upstream vs 7.1 at the source) was clear — I understood immediately that the drain was making the water more acidic. The labels helped a lot."
Wish: "Could you make the call-to-action bigger or bolder? The petition detail was small at the bottom — I almost missed it. If it was at the top in a coloured box, it would be the first thing people see."
Māu Anō · Receiving Feedback — Reflection
After reading the feedback slips I received, the most useful piece of feedback was:
One specific change I will make to my poster / speech because of this feedback:
One piece of feedback I disagree with (and why):
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
In te ao Māori, learning is inherently relational — the concept of ako means both teaching and learning happen simultaneously, and each person in the relationship is both teacher and student. When you give thoughtful feedback, you are practising manaakitanga: caring for another person's learning and growth. When you receive feedback with an open mind, you are practising humility — one of the greatest kaitiaki values, because a kaitiaki who thinks they already know everything is a kaitiaki who stops learning.
The 2 Stars and a Wish model is structurally aligned with tikanga: you acknowledge what is strong before you suggest what could grow. In traditional Māori oratory, speakers always begin by acknowledging what has come before them. Good feedback does the same — it sees what is already good, before it imagines what could be better.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
Resources already provided:
- These feedback slips — one set per student (4 slips: 2 poster, 2 speech)
- Poster Rubric (awa-poster-rubric.html) — read this BEFORE giving poster feedback
- Oral Rubric (awa-oral-rubric.html) — read this BEFORE giving speech feedback
- Success Criteria (awa-success-criteria.html) — the shared benchmark for all feedback
Aronga Rerekē · Differentiated Pathways
Tīmata · Entry Level
Complete one poster feedback slip and one speech feedback slip. Focus on the specific detail requirement — write one sentence that names exactly what you noticed. It doesn't need to be long, but it needs to be specific.
Paerewa · On Level
Complete all four feedback slips. For each, refer to at least one success criterion (evidence, message, kupu Māori, design, delivery). Complete the self-reflection section after receiving your own feedback.
Tūāpae · Extension
Complete all feedback slips. Then write a paragraph answering: "What did giving feedback teach me about my OWN poster or speech? Did seeing someone else's work make you see gaps in your own?" This is the most important learning from peer review — what you notice in others, you learn to notice in yourself.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will explore awa (river/water) as taonga, developing understanding of kaitiakitanga through water guardianship — connecting indigenous environmental knowledge with scientific and civic action.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain the significance of awa in te ao Māori and their local community.
- ✅ Students can identify actions that reflect kaitiaki responsibilities for local waterways.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters and graphic organisers for inquiry tasks. Offer entry-level observation activities and extension challenges involving community advocacy or environmental data analysis.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key te reo Māori terms (awa, kaitiaki, wāhi tapu, tūrangawaewae). Allow visual and diagrammatic responses. Bilingual glossaries strongly recommended.
Inclusion: Connect to students' own waterways and places of belonging. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured field investigation templates and clear step-by-step inquiry protocols.