He aha te wā?

Overview

Students learn to ask and answer the time in te reo Māori, focusing on o’clock and half past. They build on familiar numbers and practise listening, speaking, reading and writing through clock visuals, partner exchanges and a short independent task.

Learning intentions

• WALT ask “What is the time?” in te reo Māori.
• WALT say and write o’clock times using “karaka”.
• WALT say and write half-past times using “haurua mai”.
• WALT listen carefully and respond accurately to a partner.

Success criteria

• I can ask: “He aha te wā?”
• I can say an o’clock time, such as “Toru karaka.”
• I can say a half-past time, such as “Haurua mai i te ono.”
• I can listen to a time and show or record the correct time.

Curriculum links

• Te Reo Māori — communicating about dates and birthdates.
• Te Reo Māori — communicating about time.
• Time language examples, including asking “He aha te wā?”, stating o’clock times and using “Haurua mai i te …”.
• Supports the refreshed curriculum emphasis on purposeful communication, interaction, identity and participation in te ao Māori.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and prior knowledge. Open with the visual hook and learning intention slides showing two analogue clocks, one at 3:00 and one at 6:30, and ask, “What is different about these times?” Students turn and talk, then share any number or time words they already know in te reo Māori. Establish the learning intention: “I te rā nei, ka ako tātou ki te pātai me te whakautu mō te wā” (Today we will learn to ask and answer about the time).

2. 4–10 min · Model the language. Use the language model slides to introduce the question and responses. Point to a clock at 3:00 and say, “He aha te wā?” followed by “Toru karaka.” Repeat with other o’clock examples: “Kotahi karaka”, “Rua karaka” and “Rima karaka”. Students listen, point to the matching clock and chorus-repeat, then practise with a partner. Explain that “karaka” follows the number for an o’clock time.

3. 10–15 min · Introduce half past. Display the 6:30 clock on the half-past teaching slide. Model: “Haurua mai i te ono” (half past six). Have students notice that “haurua mai” means half past and that “i te ono” identifies the hour. Contrast “Ono karaka” (6:00) with “Haurua mai i te ono” (6:30). Students use their fingers to show whether each teacher example is o’clock or half past, then repeat the phrases with clear pronunciation.

4. 15–22 min · Partner clock challenge. Display the partner activity instructions and distribute the time practice worksheet. In pairs, Student A chooses or draws one of the indicated analogue times; Student B asks, “He aha te wā?” Student A answers using “___ karaka” or “Haurua mai i te ___”. Partners swap roles and complete the worksheet by matching times to phrases and writing four answers. Circulate, listen for accurate sentence structure and prompt rather than supplying answers.

5. 22–27 min · Whole-class listening check. Use the listening check slides to show six clocks one at a time. Say a time aloud, sometimes correctly and sometimes incorrectly for the displayed clock. Students show thumbs up if the sentence matches or thumbs down if it does not, then correct errors with a partner. Invite several students to ask and answer aloud: “He aha te wā?” “Haurua mai i te ono.”

6. 27–30 min · Plenary and exit ticket. Return to the recap and exit prompt. Students complete the reflection prompts exit ticket slips by writing one question and one correct answer, including either an o’clock or half-past time. Invite two volunteers to perform their exchange, then collect the slips to identify who is ready to extend and who needs further modelling.

Resources

• the complete time-language slide deck
• the time practice worksheet
• the reflection prompts exit ticket slips
• Analogue clock or demonstration clock
• Board and markers
• Pencils and coloured pencils
• Visible timer

Assessment

• Listen during choral repetition and partner exchanges for accurate pronunciation of “He aha te wā?”, “karaka” and “haurua mai i te …”.
• Check worksheet responses and observe whether students match the hour hand and minute hand to the correct phrase.
• Use thumbs-up/thumbs-down responses and exit tickets to identify understanding of both o’clock and half-past times.

Differentiation

• Support learners with a visible sentence frame: “He aha te wā?” / “_____ karaka” and “Haurua mai i te _____”. Keep number words and model clocks displayed throughout.
• Pair students thoughtfully, allowing a confident speaker to model while both partners have equal turns. Accept pointing, drawing or oral rehearsal before writing.
• For EAL learners and students needing additional support, use gestures, enlarged clocks, repeated teacher modelling and a slower pace. Check understanding privately rather than requiring public performance.
• Extend confident learners by asking them to create an additional o’clock and half-past time for a partner, or to conduct a three-turn exchange: ask, answer and confirm, “Āe, tika.”