📚 Unit Plans → 🌿 Unit 11: Te Reo Māori Foundations → 📖 Lesson 4: Whānau Connections
Years 7–8 Te Reo Māori / Learning Languages

Unit 11 Lesson 4: Whānau Connections

Unit 11 Lesson 4: Whānau Connections - Relationships and Questions: Building whānau vocabulary, relationships, and question forms. Free NZ curriculum resource f

🎯 Learning Objectives & Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:

  • Use whānau vocabulary to describe relationships.
  • Ask and answer basic questions about family.
  • Connect whānau kōrero to their pepeha.

Success Criteria

  • ✓ Correct use of whānau terms in a sentence
  • ✓ At least one question formed with "Ko wai?" or "He aha?"
  • ✓ Clear connection between whānau and identity

Ngā Mahi - Lesson Flow (65 minutes)

1. Whānau Word Wall (15 mins)

Collaborative vocabulary

Build a whānau word wall together (māmā, pāpā, tuakana, teina, whaea, matua). Students add translations and example sentences.

2. Pātai Practice (25 mins)

Question stems + pair kōrero

Teach simple question stems: Ko wai? He aha? Kei hea? Students practise asking and answering about whānau members.

  • Example: Ko wai tō māmā? Ko ____ tōku māmā.
  • Extend with location or roles (He kaiako ia).

3. Kōrero Role Play (20 mins)

Role cards

Use the role cards to practise short whānau conversations. Encourage students to include a question and a response with whānau vocabulary.

Whakamutunga: Exit Reflection (5 mins)

Short written reflection

Exit ticket: Write one whānau sentence and one question you can ask at home.

🎬 Media Anchor

Use this clip to strengthen vowel accuracy and confidence before whānau-connection interviews.

Video anchor: Pronunciation patterns and confidence

  • Pause and discuss: Which sound or macron pattern from the clip do you need to practice most?
  • Practice transfer: Students apply one phrase pattern from the clip in the next activity round.

📊 Assessment Notes

  • Formative check: listen for correct whānau terms and question structure.
  • Collect: exit ticket sentences to inform next lesson.

🧺 Resources & Materials

Curriculum alignment

  • Pāhekoheko — Practices: Ko wai tō pāpā/matua?
  • Pāhekoheko — Practices: Learning and reciting simple karakia supports confidence and helps to develop vocabulary and correct pronunciation.
  • Pāhekoheko — Practices: connections to whenua through different family members. hometown, place of origin, and relationships between multiple family members The same sentence structure can be used to…
  • Pāhekoheko — Practices: Ko wai tō māmā/whaea/kōkā?

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will develop foundational te reo Māori communication skills through kōrerotia — purposeful speaking practice — grounded in the principle that language is the vessel of whakapapa and identity. This unit builds confidence to use te reo Māori in everyday contexts, valuing the language as a taonga tuku iho and a living expression of Māori cultural sovereignty.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

  • ✅ I can use foundational te reo Māori greetings, introductions, and phrases correctly in conversation.
  • ✅ I can explain the cultural significance of key te reo Māori expressions beyond their literal translation.
  • ✅ I can demonstrate respect for te reo Māori as a taonga through accurate pronunciation and meaningful use.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide pronunciation guides, flashcards, and sentence frames for entry-level learners. Offer extension tasks for students to compose original pepeha or short whaikōrero using structures from the unit.

ELL / ESOL: Te reo Māori may feel more accessible to some ELL students than English. Celebrate multilingualism — many students may bring home languages that share phonological features with Māori. Provide bilingual glossaries and allow students to make connections between languages.

Inclusion: Use oral, visual, and kinaesthetic modalities — karakia, waiata, and movement-based language games support diverse learners. Neurodiverse learners benefit from repetition, patterned structures, and low-stakes oral practice opportunities. Ensure all students feel emotionally safe to attempt new language.

Mātauranga Māori lens: Frame te reo Māori learning through whakapapa — every word carries genealogy. The concept of kōrerotia (speaking practice) connects to the oral tradition where knowledge was transmitted through careful, sustained speech. Explore how te reo revitalisation is an act of tino rangatiratanga and how learners of all backgrounds can be kaitiaki of the language.

Prior knowledge: No specialist prior knowledge required. All learners enter as beginners on equal footing.