Overview

This two-day plan is designed for Year 3 students in New Zealand to support relationship-building and identity exploration through an integrated approach covering Health, Reading, Writing, Maths, and Te Reo Māori. Students will create their own pepeha (a Māori form of personal introduction), learn to express their backgrounds and interests, and explore data through simple graphing activities. This plan utilises the New Zealand Curriculum's holistic vision of developing confident, connected, actively involved learners who value their language and culture.

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Curriculum Links

Health and Physical Education

• Health & Wellbeing Strand: Personal identity - Students will identify personal attributes, where they come from, and what they enjoy to develop a sense of self and belonging.

English (Te Reo Pākehā and Te Reo Māori)

• Oral Language & Writing: Develop clear communication of ideas about themselves through writing and speaking.
• Reading: Engage with rich, meaningful texts to build vocabulary and comprehension, including understanding cultural narratives/pepeha.

Mathematics and Statistics

• Statistics & Probability: Collect and interpret categorical data, create simple bar graphs, and describe data to find common themes or interests among the students.

Learning Languages (Te Reo Māori)

• Develop basic understanding and appreciation of pepeha as a cultural introduction and identity statement.

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Competencies Developed

• Thinking: Using data to find patterns and commonalities.
• Relating to others: Listening and sharing personal stories respectfully.
• Using language, symbols, and texts: Reading and writing pepeha, interpreting graphs.
• Managing self: Expressing feelings and identity confidently.

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Day 1 – Writing Our Pepeha

Time: 30 minutes

Group Size: Whole class (30 students)

Resources Needed:

• Whiteboard/flip chart
• Writing paper or booklets
• Markers or pencils
• Pepeha templates (simple guided sentence starters)
• Visual aids / examples of pepeha in English and Te Reo Māori (key phrases)

Learning Objectives

• Students will write a simple pepeha including their name, where they come from, and something they enjoy.
• Students will practice sentence structure and vocabulary related to self and identity.
• Students will begin to recognize pepeha phrases in Te Reo Māori.

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Begin with a brief class discussion about pepeha and identity. Explain that a pepeha is a way to introduce yourself using words that tell others where you come from and what you like.
• Show an example pepeha in English and Māori with simple sentences, e.g., "My name is..." / "Ko [name] tōku ingoa."

Activity (20 minutes)

• Model writing a pepeha with the class (using names, places, and interests familiar to the students). E.g., “My name is Hana. I come from Auckland. I enjoy playing soccer.”
• Provide sentence starters and vocabulary banks in English and Te Reo Māori to assist students in writing their own pepeha.
• Circulate to support students individually, scaffolding for different skill levels.

Sharing & Closing (5 minutes)

• Select a few students to share their pepeha orally with the class, emphasizing listening skills and respect.
• Highlight that tomorrow we will use these to learn about our class community.

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Day 2 – Graphing Our Stories and Reading Together

Time: 30 minutes

Group Size: Whole class (30 students)

Resources Needed:

• Collected pepeha from Day 1
• Chart paper/whiteboard for tallying
• Graph paper or pre-drawn graph templates
• Markers or coloured pencils
• Copies of pepeha texts in Te Reo Māori and English (from Day 1 volunteers)

Learning Objectives

• Students will collect and categorise data (names, places, interests) from their classmates’ pepeha.
• Students will create and interpret a simple bar graph showing shared traits.
• Students will practise reading and listening comprehension by reading pepeha in both Te Reo Māori and English.
• Students will discuss what they have learned about their classmates’ backgrounds and interests.

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Recap what a pepeha is. Show some of the completed pepeha texts.
• Introduce basic graphing: explain how to count similar interests or places and record them as tallies on the board.

Activity Part 1: Data Collection & Graphing (15 minutes)

• Collect data by asking students questions such as “How many of you come from [place]?” or “How many of you enjoy [interest]?”
• Record tallies on the board.
• Guide students to create bar graphs using the tallied data on graph paper or large chart paper—groups can work by interest or place.
• Support students to label their graphs using simple sentences, e.g., “Five students like soccer.”

Activity Part 2: Reading & Discussion (8 minutes)

• Read aloud 3-4 different pepeha texts in both English and Te Reo Māori, using voice variation and expression to demonstrate storytelling skills.
• Encourage students to listen for their peers’ names and places and repeat key phrases in Te Reo Māori.
• Facilitate a class discussion: “What did you find interesting about your classmates? Did you find someone who likes the same thing as you?”

Closing (2 minutes)

• Celebrate the connections made and the students’ learning about their personal and cultural identities.

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Assessment and Reflection

• Observe students' participation and confidence in sharing pepeha orally.
• Review written pepeha for inclusion of key components: name, place, and interest.
• Check students' accuracy and understanding in graphing data by examining completed charts and graphs.
• Use questioning and discussion to assess comprehension during reading activities.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide sentence frames and visuals for students needing additional support in writing their pepeha.
• Use peer support and grouping strategies to encourage collaborative learning during graphing.
• Offer oral and visual aids for ELL (English Language Learners) and those learning Te Reo Māori.
• Extend capable students by encouraging them to add more descriptive information or create more detailed graphs.

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This plan meets the holistic and bicultural aims of the New Zealand Curriculum, fostering identity, numeracy, literacy, and language learning in a collaborative, culturally respectful manner while engaging Year 3 students in meaningful, hands-on experiences. The integration of Te Reo Māori pepeha with maths learning about data and graphing strengthens the connection to Aotearoa New Zealand's unique cultural context and curriculum priorities.

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If you would like, I can also provide example templates for the pepeha writing and graphing activities!