Year 7: decode with the glossary beside the text
Vocabulary work stays anchored to the passage being read. Ākonga meet unfamiliar words — English and te reo Māori — with a glossary at hand and a routine for guessing from context first.
- Year 7 move: Context-guess first, glossary check second, for every flagged word
- Evidence it produces: A personal word list with the context guess, the checked meaning, and the sentence it came from
Lesson 2: Decoding Vocabulary in Context & Utilising Te Reo Māori Glossaries
Building confident, active readers through Te Ao Māori perspectives, comprehension strategies, and rich Aotearoa texts.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
Context clue strategies (definition clues, synonym/antonym clues, example clues, morphology/root words), and using bilingual glossaries to understand te reo Māori concepts (e.g. kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, mauri).
Use surrounding text clues to infer unknown word meanings, apply prefix/suffix decoding, and look up Māori concepts in bilingual text glossaries.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Context Clues & Vocabulary Decoding
Video Clip: Using context clues to figure out new words | Reading | Khan Academy — Khan Academy (Runtime: 4:47).
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
When you encounter a difficult or unfamiliar word while reading, what strategies can you use before running to a dictionary?
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
- Pause @ 1:40: Identify four context clue types: definition, restatement, contrast, and cause/effect.
- Pause @ 3:20: Deconstruct prefixes and root words (e.g. un-read-able, bio-degradable).
- Pause @ 4:45: Explore cultural depth of te reo Māori key terms using context sentences and glossaries.
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Provide 'Context Clue Detective Cards' with highlightable sentences containing target vocabulary.
Immediate Task: Complete Section 2 of your Reading Journal: Context Clue Vocabulary Decoding Graphic Organiser.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Reading Warm-Up (10 mins)
Review key reading vocabulary, strategy definitions, and context clues for Lesson 2. Connect previous reading reflections to today's text analysis.
📖 Activity 1: Guided Reading & Strategy Practice (25 mins)
Read selected Aotearoa non-fiction, School Journal articles, or pūrākau passages in pairs. Apply active reading strategies, highlight text evidence, and complete graphic organisers.
📝 Activity 2: Year 7 Reading Journal & Reflection Scaffolding (20 mins)
Draft your formal Reading Journal entry for Lesson 2. Use specific text quotes and reading strategy terminology (e.g., schema, context clues, main idea, evidence-based inference, cause/effect, pūrākau metaphor, author bias, text synthesis) to justify your answers.
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Year 7 Curriculum Alignment: Te Mātaiaho English Phase 3 — Reading and Viewing for meaning. Builds core comprehension, critical literacy, and cultural connectedness through Aotearoa literature and pūrākau.