Whānau Connections — The Language of Family

🕘 Lesson at a Glance | Te Hōtaka

Do NowWhānau match-up⏱ 5 min 1 · Whānau kupuThe family words + tuakana–teina⏱ 20 min 2 · Talking aboutPātai and possessives⏱ 20 min 3 · Talking toTerms of address⏱ 15 min SynthesisTuakana–teina here⏱ 5 min ExitOne about, one to⏱ 5 min

Lesson Overview | Tirohanga Whānui

The pepeha of Lesson 2 named the places; today ākonga get the language for the people. They learn the whānau kupu, meet the tuakana–teina relationship that shapes how knowledge and care move through whakapapa, and practise two distinct skills: talking about whānau (Ko wai tō māmā?) and talking to them (E te whaea!). The difference between those two is the heart of the lesson — and of respectful reo.

Learning Intentions | Ngā Whāinga Ako

Use whānau kupu accurately, including the tuakana–teina distinction.
Ask and answer questions about whānau using possessives (tōku, tō).
Address people and groups directly using terms of address (E te…, E hoa mā).

⚡ Do Now — Whānau Match-Up

⏱ 5 min

On the board, two scrambled columns — kupu on the left, meanings on the right.

In pairs, ākonga match as many as they can in three minutes: māmā, pāpā, kuia, koro, tamaiti, mokopuna. Some they'll know, some they'll guess — both are fine.
Quick whole-class check. Which ones did everyone know? Which surprised?

Teacher: leave tuakana and teina off the board — they're the deliberate gap Activity 1 fills, because they don't map one-to-one onto English.

Activity 1 · The Whānau Words — and the Pair English Can't Translate

⏱ 20 min

What it is: The core whānau vocabulary, built around the one pair that makes ākonga think differently: tuakana and teina aren't just "older and younger sibling" — they name a relationship of knowledge, care and responsibility that runs both ways.

Kupu	Who it names
whaea / māmā	mother; whaea also respectfully addresses an aunty or older woman
matua / pāpā	father; matua also respectfully addresses an uncle or older man
tuakana	older sibling or cousin of the same gender — the one who guides
teina	younger sibling or cousin of the same gender — the one being guided (who also teaches back)
tungāne	brother (of a girl or woman)
tuahine	sister (of a boy or man)
kuia / koro	grandmother / grandfather
mokopuna	grandchild

Run it

Walk the table (7 min): The kaiako works through the kupu, class echoing each — vowel lengths honoured (Lesson 1 skills live here: māmā, not "mama"). Land the twist: tuakana/teina and tungāne/tuahine depend on who is speaking.
Who am I to you? (8 min): In pairs, ākonga work through quick scenarios — "You're a girl with an older sister: she is your…?" (tuakana). "A boy talking about his sister calls her…?" (tuahine). Pairs write their own scenario and swap with another pair.
The relationship, not just the word (5 min): Short kōrero: in tuakana–teina, the tuakana guides the teina — but the teina keeps the tuakana honest and teaches back. Where does that happen in this school?

🪶 Whānau is wider than a diagram (kaiako care): whānau includes step-families, chosen whānau, and whāngai relationships — and some ākonga carry loss. Keep every task by role, never requiring names or completeness, and let ākonga choose which people they bring into the room. Local kaiako Māori guidance on whāngai and whakapapa kōrero is the authority here.

Activity 2 · Talking About Whānau — Pātai and Possessives

⏱ 20 min

What it is: The question-and-answer engine of whānau kōrero: Ko wai tō māmā? — Ko Hine tōku māmā. Ask about yours (tō), answer about mine (tōku).

Ko wai tō māmā? — who is your mum? Ko ___ tōku māmā — ___ is my mum He aha ia? — what is she like? (stretch)

Run it

Model (4 min): The kaiako models the exchange with a confident ākonga, twice — once with māmā, once with a kupu from the table (koro, tuahine…). Point at the pattern on the board: Ko wai tō ___? → Ko ___ tōku ___.
Speed-date rounds (12 min): Two lines facing each other. Each pair exchanges one pātai and answer, then one line steps left. Every round, the kaiako calls a new whānau kupu. Ākonga may answer about any real person by role — or invent a whānau for the game; the language is the point, not the census.
Written anchor (4 min): Each ākonga writes two of their spoken sentences in their book — the exit ticket draws on these.

Teacher: circulate on the possessive pair — tō (your) vs tōku (my) is the grammar heart of this activity, and mixing them is the expected error. Correct it warmly and often.

Activity 3 · Talking To People — Terms of Address

⏱ 15 min

What it is: The other half of whānau reo — not describing people, but calling to them. The little word E turns a kupu into an address: E hoa! (hey friend!), E te whaea (to a mother/respected woman), E hoa mā! (friends!, plural).

E hoa — friend E hoa mā — friends (many) E te whaea — respected woman E te matua — respected man E te whānau — everyone, as family Tēnā koutou, e te whānau — greetings to you all

Run it

Hear the difference (4 min): The kaiako says two sentences: "Ko Mere tōku whaea" (about) and "E te whaea, tēnā koe" (to). Ask the class: what changed? Land it: the E means you're speaking to someone — and choosing the right term shows respect.
Address the room (7 min): Quick-fire drill: the kaiako gives a situation, ākonga call the address. "Getting your mates' attention?" → E hoa mā! "Greeting a respected visitor who's a woman?" → E te whaea, tēnā koe. "Opening a speech to the class?" → Tēnā koutou, e te whānau. Then pairs quiz each other the same way.
Use it for real (4 min): For the rest of the lesson — and the week — the class agrees to use the addresses: kaiako addresses the class as e te whānau, ākonga get attention with e hoa. Real usage beats any worksheet.

Teacher: this is the terms-of-address language the curriculum names at Novice 2 — and it's the piece that makes classroom reo feel alive. Keep the addresses in daily use after today.

Synthesis · Tuakana–Teina, Right Here

⏱ 5 min

Whole-class kōrero:

Who has been a tuakana to you — in this class, in this kura? And when were you the tuakana?
Which feels more natural now: talking about someone, or calling to them? Why might both matter?

Teacher: name what just happened — the class has been living tuakana–teina all lesson, every time a stronger speaker helped a partner. That's the curriculum statement, made real.

Exit · One About, One To

⏱ 5 min

On a sticky note, two lines before leaving:

One sentence about a whānau member — Ko ___ tōku ___.
One greeting to someone, with the right term of address — E te ___, tēnā koe.

Teacher: the pair of lines tells you instantly who has both halves — identification and address. Lesson 5 pulls everything together into sustained everyday kōrerorero.

🎯 Curriculum Links | Te Hononga ki te Marautanga

This lesson's focus: Ākonga build the language of whānau — naming relationships, asking about people, and addressing them with respect — anchored in the tuakana–teina relationship.

Pāhekoheko — Practices (Novice 2 | Learning Languages)

"The tuakana–teina relationship guides how knowledge, care, and leadership are shared and plays an important role in interpreting and upholding whakapapa connections."

📑 See the audited unit curriculum map → — Te Mātaiaho 2025 · Learning Languages. The terms-of-address drill in Activity 3 works the Novice 2 language examples (E te whaea, E hoa mā, Tēnā koutou e te whānau).

📦 Materials & Resources

📋 Handouts & Worksheets

English–Māori Flashcards (front) + (back) — optional warm-up or early-finisher revision
The whānau kupu table on this page is the core reference — no printout required; ākonga copy it into their books during Activity 1

🛠️ Equipment & Setup

Board space for the match-up columns and the pātai pattern
Room to form two facing lines for the speed-date rounds
Sticky notes for the two-line exit ticket

📊 Assessment Framework

This is a single lesson, so assessment here is formative — listening for learning as it happens. The unit's summative assessment sits at the end of the unit, not in this lesson.

What to listen for, mapped to the learning intentions

Kupu accuracy (LI 1): the scenario swaps in Activity 1 — do ākonga handle the speaker-dependent pairs (tuakana/teina, tungāne/tuahine) correctly?
Pātai and possessives (LI 2): the speed-date rounds — is tō/tōku right by the final rounds? The written anchor pins the evidence.
Address (LI 3): the quick-fire drill and real classroom use — right term, right register, confident delivery.

Quick exit read: line 1 shows the possessive; line 2 shows the address. Anyone with both has the lesson; anyone with one tells you exactly what to revisit.

🚀 Extension Activities

🧬 Whakapapa Stretch

Ākonga who know their whakapapa extend the pātai chain upwards — Ko wai mā ō tīpuna? (who are your ancestors?) — and add a tīpuna line to their pepeha from Lesson 2.

🎤 The MC Role

Confident speakers open or close a class activity this week using full address forms — Tēnā koutou katoa, e te whānau… — building toward real speech-making.

🏠 Take It Home

Ākonga teach one whānau member their kupu — you're my tuakana / tuahine / koro — and bring back the reaction tomorrow.

🔗 Unit Progression & Next Steps

Sounds (L1), identity (L2), values (L3), and now the people. One lesson remains to bring it all together:

Lesson 5: Kōrerorero o Ia Rā

Sustained everyday conversation — greetings, pepeha, values, whānau language and terms of address, all working together in real kōrero

Preparation for next lesson: keep the exit sticky notes — Lesson 5's conversations open with them. Ākonga keep using the terms of address all week.

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ I can use the whānau kupu, including tuakana and teina, from the right speaker's view. (LI 1)
✅ I can ask Ko wai tō ___? and answer Ko ___ tōku ___ without mixing tō and tōku. (LI 2)
✅ I can call to a person or group with the right term of address. (LI 3)

Prior prep — do these before class

Write the match-up columns and the pātai pattern on the board before ākonga arrive.
Rehearse the "about vs to" double-sentence in Activity 3 — the contrast is the lesson's key teaching move.
Decide your class's standing addresses (e.g. e te whānau for the class) and commit to using them beyond today.

Inclusion and differentiation for this lesson

Sensitive whānau contexts: every task runs on roles, not names — and an invented whānau is a fully valid answer in the speed-date rounds.
New to reo: the kupu table stays visible all lesson; pair with a patient tuakana in the lines.
Strong reo: whakapapa stretch and the MC role keep the ceiling high; use them as the models in the address drill.

Broader differentiation and the unit-wide framing live on the unit overview.