Recognising Letters and Sounds

Curriculum Area

Te Reo Māori – Tuhituhi (Writing) | Level 1 of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
This lesson aligns with Te Marautanga o Aotearoa at Level 1, focusing on letter identification, phonemic awareness, vocabulary building, and fine motor skills.

Lesson Duration

40 minutes

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, ākonga (students) will:

• Identify capital and lowercase letters in the Māori alphabet.
• Recognise the sounds of letters and provide a word that starts with a specific letter.
• Practise clapping syllables in Māori words.
• Spell their own name using correct letter formation.
• Develop correct grip techniques for holding a pencil, marker, or crayon.

Materials Needed

• Large Māori alphabet chart (with uppercase and lowercase letters)
• Flashcards of letters with corresponding pictures (e.g., "A – Awa")
• Whiteboards and markers
• Small mirrors (for visual pronunciation practice)
• Name cards
• Playdough (for letter formation)
• Māori waiata (song) for sounds and syllables

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up: The Alphabet Song (5 minutes)

Begin with a waiata (song) that includes the Māori alphabet. Encourage students to sing along while pointing at the letters on the wall chart.

💡 Teacher Tip: Use actions for capital and small letters (e.g., raise hands high for uppercase, keep hands low for lowercase).

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2. Identifying Capital and Little Letters (10 minutes)

• Show three letter flashcards at a time (e.g., A, E, I). Have students say the letter name and match it to the lowercase version.
• Ask, “Who can tell me a word that starts with [letter]?” Encourage student participation.

🔹 Interactive Game: Letter Hunt

• Place laminated letter cards around the classroom. Call out a letter, and students must find the correct card and bring it back.

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3. Knowing the Sounds (8 minutes)

• Use mirrors so students can watch their mouth movements as they say each letter sound.
• Demonstrate how to sound out words (e.g., "A – Awa, E – Eke").
• Introduce clapping syllables:
  • Say "Awa" and clap twice.
  • Say "Whānau" and clap twice.
  • Ask students to clap out their own name.

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4. Spelling Their Own Name (10 minutes)

• Provide students with name cards in Māori font.
• Guide them to trace their name using a whiteboard marker.
• Distribute playdough for students to form the letters of their name.

🔹 Fine Motor Development: Holding a Pencil Correctly

• Model correct pencil grip using a marker/crayon.
• Provide short practice of writing their letra (letter) on paper.

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5. Closing Activity: Taniwha Writing (7 minutes)

• Tell a quick story about a taniwha with missing letters.
• Example: “One day, the __aniwha went to the __wa (awa – river).”
• Students fill in letters and draw a taniwha using correct pencil grip.

🎶 End with a waiata reinforcing letter sounds.

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Assessment & Reflection

✅ Observe students’ ability to identify letters and sounds.
✅ Check accuracy in spelling their name.
✅ Monitor correct letter grip and fine motor development.

🎉 Feedback Opportunity: Ask students, “What was your favourite letter today?” and encourage them to share a Māori word they learned.

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Extension Idea for Home Learning

📌 Send home a letter tracing sheet with a simple challenge: “Find three things at home that start with ‘A, M, or T’ and draw them.”

This lesson balances engagement, interactive activities, and foundational literacy skills in Te Reo Māori – setting up ākonga for success in Māori language learning! 🚀✨