Best for
Week 3 inquiry, homework kōrero, oral-language practice, and classes wanting genuine community voice rather than invented “expert quotes”.
Ngā Manu o te Taiao • Oral language • Years 4-8 • Whānau and kaitiaki voice
Manu Interview Prompts
Use this sheet to gather kōrero from whānau or other trusted community voices about local manu, habitat change, and care for place. It helps students listen respectfully, ask better questions, and use a community quote responsibly in later speaking or poster work.
Free oral-language core, premium localisation path
This interview page is ready now. Te Wānanga and Creation Studio can adapt it for your local bird species, home-language support, or a more formal community-partnership project without weakening the print-friendly layout.
- Add sentence stems in te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, or other community languages.
- Turn the sheet into a simplified phone-call version or a senior oral-history version.
- Save the localised interview scaffold into My Kete for future units.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 15 minutes to prepare, then homework or supervised interview time.
- Grouping: Individual interviews or pair practice before home use.
- Prep: Decide who students may interview and whether they need an adult present or school-managed kōrero time.
- Differentiation: Support learners can ask 2-3 key questions only; stretch learners can follow up with “Tell me more...” prompts and compare viewpoints.
- Neurodiversity support: Rehearse the questions orally, provide highlighted key prompts, and allow audio or teacher-scribed responses where writing while listening is a barrier.
Resources already provided
- Permission-aware interview routine
- Core questions and follow-up stems
- Space for quote capture and key ideas
- Prompt for using kōrero in later work
- Linked curriculum companion for teacher planning
All interview scaffolds named in the lesson are on this page, so students do not need a separate question sheet or note page.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning to ask thoughtful questions and listen carefully.
- We are learning to gather community perspectives about local manu and habitat change.
- We are learning to use another person’s words respectfully and accurately.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can ask permission and explain why I am doing the interview.
- I can record at least one clear idea and one useful quote.
- I can explain how this kōrero helps our inquiry.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
Use the companion page to connect this resource with English discussion skills and social studies perspectives on place. The real value is in respectful listening and how students use another person’s viewpoint to deepen inquiry.
Why this matters in Aotearoa
Community knowledge matters. A matauranga Māori lens reminds us that place-based understanding is carried in lived experience, kōrero tuku iho, and relationship. Students should not pressure anyone to share stories they do not want to share, and kaiako should make space for local tikanga and whānau comfort levels.
Before you begin
1. Ask permission
Can I ask you a few questions about local manu for our class inquiry?
2. Explain the purpose
We are learning how birds and habitats have changed and what we can do as kaitiaki.
3. Listen first
Do not rush to the next question. Let the speaker finish and build on what they say.
4. Thank them
Check whether they are happy for you to use one quote in your class poster or presentation.
Interview notes
Who did I interview?
How do they know this place?
What manu do you remember seeing or hearing here?
What has changed about this place over time?
Why do you think looking after manu matters?
What is one action our school or whānau could take?
Best quote to use later
Write one sentence exactly or as closely as you can, then note who said it and why it matters.
Who said it?
Why is this quote useful?
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
English — Communication
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will investigate the ecological roles of ngā manu o te taiao — the birds of the natural world — within local habitats, drawing on both science and mātauranga Māori to understand why native birds are taonga and what kaitiakitanga requires of us in their protection.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can describe the ecological roles of at least three native New Zealand birds and their habitat needs.
- ✅ I can explain threats facing native manu and evaluate conservation strategies used by kaitiaki.
- ✅ I can connect traditional Māori knowledge of manu to contemporary ecological understanding.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide illustrated species cards with key facts for entry-level learners. Offer extension tasks requiring students to design a habitat restoration plan using ecological principles and mātauranga Māori knowledge systems.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key science and te reo Māori vocabulary for native species. Use visual supports — photographs, recordings of bird calls, and habitat diagrams. Allow students to label and describe in home language first.
Inclusion: Use sound recordings of native bird calls, outdoor observation activities, and tactile materials. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured observation journals and clear inquiry sequences. Ensure field-based tasks have accessible alternatives.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Explore Māori relationships with manu as tohu — birds as environmental indicators and messengers carrying cultural meaning. Connect to traditional ecological knowledge about seasonal patterns of bird behaviour (maramataka), the use of manu feathers in taonga (e.g. kahu huruhuru), and the role of specific birds such as kiwi, huia, and kōkako as taonga species with deep whakapapa significance. Kaitiakitanga of manu is both practical and spiritual.
Prior knowledge: Best used after introductory ecology concepts. Connects well to science food webs and biodiversity units.
Curriculum alignment
- Ecosystems — Knowledge: Biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems can affect the distribution and abundance of organisms; changes in one part can affect the balance and wellbeing of the whole system.