Dino Discovery Time

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Curriculum Area

Learning Languages – English (Reading Component)
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa: Te Reo Pākehā / Level 1
Aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), this lesson supports reading, language acquisition, oral language development and foundational literacy, and promotes exploration of content through a shared, student-led approach.

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Focus of Learning

Big Idea:
“Tamariki grow as communicators when they can explore language, text, and meaning in fun and engaging contexts.”

Achievement Objective:
Students will show understanding of short written texts about highly familiar topics by using one or more of the following:
👉 visual cues, prior knowledge, word-level knowledge, sentence structure, and context.
(NZC Level 1 – Listening, Reading and Viewing strand)

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Te Ao Māori Integration

A whakataukī to guide the lesson:
"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini."
(My strength is not that of a single warrior but that of many.)

In this lesson, we work together like a pack of dinosaurs, sharing the learning and leading together.

Kupu Māori (Māori words) used throughout:

• Taniwha (often used interchangeably with 'dinosaur' for young tamariki)
• Tamariki (children)
• Kaiako (teacher)
• Pānui (reading)

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Lesson Duration

20 minutes total (Years 1–3 expected focus time)
Class: 20 ākonga (students)
Setting: Kōhanga-style shared mat or circle time

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Learning Intentions

Students will:

1. Listen to and read along with a short factual and descriptive dinosaur reader.
2. Identify key descriptive features of a dinosaur using text and pictures.
3. Work with a partner to share their favourite part or fact using simple sentence frames.
4. Learn and use two new kupu Māori to describe dinosaurs.

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Resources Needed

• A3 laminated story cards with text and illustrations
• Dinosaur puppets or soft toys
• Word card flashcards: spikey, giant, green, teeth, roar
• Kupu Māori cards: "taniwha" (dinosaur), "ngutu" (mouth)
• Mini whiteboards
• Felt dinosaur footprints

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Lesson Breakdown (20 Minutes Total)

🔹 1. Karakia + Warm-Up (2 minutes)

Begin with a karakia timatanga (opening prayer) to settle tamariki and acknowledge the learning space.

Kaiako says:
“Today, tamariki mā, we are becoming taniwha experts! Let’s start with a karakia to call in the wairua of learning.”

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🔹 2. Shared Reading - “Tahi Taniwha!” (7 minutes)

Resource: Simple story written by the kaiako to suit NZ ākonga. Laminated A3 book pages are propped up or shown on a big screen.

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🦕

Scripted Dinosaur Reader: “Tahi Taniwha!”
(Adapted for pacing, repetition, and interest for Year 3)

Page 1
Tahi taniwha walks through the ngahere.
He is big. He is green. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!

Page 2
Tahi taniwha eats the trees.
MUNCH, MUNCH! Look at his big ngutu!

Page 3
Tahi taniwha hears a sound: “ROAAAAR!”
It is another taniwha!

Page 4
Now there are two taniwha. They stomp and roar!
One is red. One is green.

Page 5
They are not scary—
They are our taniwha friends!

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🔹 3. Pair Chat & Word Match (5 minutes)

• Tamariki turn to a pārekareka (learning buddy).
• Use mini whiteboards to draw or write:
  • What the taniwha looked like.
  • Something the taniwha did.

Sentence starters modelled on board:
🗣 “My taniwha is…”
🗣 “It has a big…”
🗣 “I liked the part when…”

• Kaiako walks around and asks guiding questions:
  What made the taniwha different?
  Did you like the green or red one more?

Encourage cross-talk in reo Māori where possible:
"Taniwha kākāriki!" – Green dinosaur!
"He nui te ngutu!" – The mouth is big!

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🔹 4. Quick Team Game – “Footprint Hunt!” (3 minutes)

• Taniwha footprints hidden under chairs or around mat.
• Each footprint has a describing word OR kupu Māori from the story.

Students match their footprint to the correct dinosaur picture (on wall display):
Example matches:

• "spikey" – stegosaurus
• "ngutu" – big mouth
• "roar" – t-rex

Collaborative and kinaesthetic! Students must kōrero (talk) with others to complete the matching task.

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🔹 5. Quickfire Review + Reflect (3 minutes)

Bring tamariki into a circle.

Kaiako questions:

• "E hoa mā, what’s one thing you learned about taniwha today?”
• “Who can use our kupu hou (new word) ‘ngutu’? What does it mean?”

Have a ‘Dino Roar-o-Meter’ – tamariki show how excited they feel about reading by giving a 'Roar' level (small roar = liked it; BIG ROAR = loved it!). Great for feelings check-in.

Wrap up with a short waiata – e.g., “He Taniwha” with actions.

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Assessment for Learning

Formative, observed during:

• Pair discussions
• Word matching activity
• Verbal response during reflection
• Use of kupu Māori
  Kaiako will record notes post-lesson for next steps in group reading and vocabulary focus.

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Next Steps

• Introduce simple sentence writing using descriptive words from the text.
• Create taniwha puppets and write character cards.
• Explore real NZ fossil findings and local taniwha legends to link literacy to science and culture.

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Reflection for Kaiako

• Which students led their learning today?
• Did the team approach (partners, games, group read) support engagement?
• How did students respond to using reo Māori in literacy tasks?

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Final Note

This short but impactful reading session uses creative strategies, kapa haka-style participation, and collaborative learning to ensure literacy is a living, shared practice – not a solitary task. The dinosaur context brings joy and engagement, while the taniwha analogy bridges cultural narratives authentically.

Let each roar be a celebration of reading success! 🦕