Emotional Literacy Wheel — Te Koru Kare ā-Roto
He Huarahi ki ngā Kare ā-Roto · Exploring the language and landscape of emotion · Years 7–10
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Expand emotional vocabulary using both English and te reo Māori emotion words.
- Map emotions to physical sensations and the contexts in which they arise.
- Understand how emotional literacy supports taha hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing).
- Practise naming emotions accurately and with nuance as a foundational wellbeing skill.
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- Students can name at least 8 emotions with nuance — going beyond "happy / sad / angry".
- At least 3 te reo Māori emotion words are used with genuine understanding of their meaning.
- Students can connect emotions to bodily sensations (e.g. "anger feels like heat in my chest").
- Students can explain why naming emotions accurately supports wellbeing.
Te Koru Kare ā-Roto · The Emotion Wheel
The wheel moves from core emotions (inner ring) to nuanced variations (middle ring) to te reo Māori equivalents (outer ring). Explore each section and add your own words.
frustrated · irritated · furious · resentful
pukuriri · riri · hīhī
disappointed · lonely · grief · hopeless
pōuri · tangi · māuiui o te ngākau
excited · content · proud · grateful
koa · hari · māmā · māia
anxious · nervous · dread · overwhelmed
mataku · wehi · āwangawanga
relaxed · settled · peaceful · grounded
mārie · tau · ātea
caring · compassionate · connected · warm
aroha · ngākau māhaki · atawhai
Ngā Rerenga Kōrero · Sentence Frames for Naming Emotions
Use these frames to practise precise emotional naming.
- I feel because .
- In my body, this emotion feels like .
- When I feel this way, I usually want to .
- In te reo Māori, a word that fits is because .
Ngā Āhuatanga · Scenarios — What Emotion Is This?
Read each scenario. Use the wheel to find the best emotion word (not just "sad" or "angry"). Add a te reo Māori word if you can.
Emotion: Te reo:
Emotion: Te reo:
Emotion: Te reo:
Emotions: and
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Taha hinengaro — mental and emotional wellbeing. Understanding, expressing, and managing emotions as core health competencies. Relationship skills and self-awareness.
Cultural understanding through language; recognising how te reo Māori encodes distinct worldviews about emotional life, identity, and community wellbeing.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Right Now Check-In
Right now, how are you feeling? Choose words from the wheel, then describe the physical sensation and what might have caused this emotion.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Te reo Māori has rich emotional vocabulary — pōuri (grief/sadness), koa (joy), māuiui (unwellness), wehi (awe/fear), aroha (love/compassion) — that encodes culturally specific understandings of what those states mean and what they require. When students learn to name emotions in te reo, they are not just learning words — they are accessing a framework for understanding emotional life that has sustained Māori communities through centuries of challenge and joy. Emotional literacy in te reo is a form of cultural connection and a genuine tool for taha hinengaro. The act of naming, in any language, gives us agency over our inner world.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
- unit-8-emotion-checkin.html — daily emotion check-in to practise naming in real time
- unit-8-hinengaro-journal.html — reflective journal for taha hinengaro
- unit-8-stress-thermometer.html — tracking stress as an emotion-adjacent experience
- unit-8-coping-menu.html — strategies linked to specific emotional states